While hiking in the Nevada mountains over Christmas, I came upon a stand of Western White Pines. Included were a couple of individual trees that grew so close to each other that they fused together over time. The tops of each tree remained separate, but the base and first 7 feet or so of each tree […]
Blog
During Advent, Christians around the world celebrate the birth of Jesus the Christ, that is, the Messiah. The promise of the Messiah is a fascinating read in the Old Testament, filled with odd and intriguing phrases, scattered among the writings of different authors over two millennia. The various prophecies sometimes had application to the immediate […]
None of us gets to choose our ancestors, but many are nonetheless fascinated with learning the details regarding our forebears. One of the hottest gifts this Christmas season is a “23andMe” DNA kit, promising to reveal all kinds of surprises about who I am and where I come from, and not in any metaphysical sense: […]
Our Christmas decorations are out and up, and man was that a lot of work! The tree was purchased, white lights were strung (inside and out), wreaths with red bows were hung, and the multiple nativity scenes were set up on book shelves, table tops and credenzas. Our holiday pillows were thrown, candles placed, garlands […]
My wife, daughter and I are doing a “juice cleanse.” We just couldn’t live with ourselves and how are bodies felt after four days of Thanksgiving excess. Sure, we had 37 family and friends for the big meal, but two large turkeys and two whole hams? Plus all the fixins’? And 10 pies? After several […]
On the eve of Thanksgiving, in the last few quiet moments we will experience at my house for the next several days— before the kids return home from school or their working lives, before my sisters and their families fly/drive in from distant places, before I see my Mom, and my Dad and his wife […]
While driving through Taylor County in North Central Florida, my eyes were drawn to a large sign advertising a “Fusion Buffet”, which struck me at first as a little progressive for this rural area. It shared a pedestal with a sign for a motel, and beneath the headline of the sign were smaller words that […]
My favorite stories are those of redemption, and I am sure that I’m not alone. Think of great movies you’ve seen or books read, and chances are they involve one or more flawed characters who are faced with an opportunity to play a part in something bigger than themselves, like saving another person or even […]
I live in a coastal town, and the beach is often where I walk or exercise. My wife and I also enjoy winding down in the evenings together by strolling south to the decades old pylons anchored in the sand, especially at low tide when the beach is as wide as two football fields. Walks […]
Some people describe what being a Christian means in very complicated terms. They point to various doctrinal statements and propositions about God, Jesus and the Bible, and insist that embracing them makes one a Christian, and applying them constitutes “the Christian life.” Never mind that a multitude of other churches claiming the name of Jesus […]