Do you notice that sometimes there are themes around you? I do. Every once in a while, many things around me (or even in me) will work in apparent concert toward some consistent message, idea, or theme. Lately, I am being pretty often reminded that life is full of new beginnings. And also that it…
Tag: Observations
Untended Strawberries
It turns out, nearly every year we plan, work, plant, tend, and harvest a garden of edible treasures, there is inevitably some deeper truth mined from the soil and its produce. We’ve just begun this summer’s work, and already our strawberries have reminded me of a truth I often forget. See, we didn’t actually do…
[RePost] D-Day: When Things Mattered
Today is the 70th anniversary of D-Day. June 6th, 1944. The Allied invasion at Normandy, France, was a key point in World War II, and certainly worth commemorating. Below is an article I wrote a couple years ago, following our family’s own commemorating of the events of that day. It seemed a good way to…
Special
This morning, as I passed a line of cars heading the other direction, waiting for their light to turn green, I began to notice the faces of their drivers. Most were nearly expressionless. Some seemed to have more than driving on their minds, faces betraying the distraction. Other faces were relaxed, even smiling. As the…
I’m (Not) The Awesomest Person Ever
I’m really good at a lot of things. I think I always have been. My sister-in-law once called me “golden boy”, or something like that (even before I was her sister-in-law), because everything I touched “turned to gold”. And yet, I’m really not awesome. I wish I was. I would have lots of uses for…
Christians Being Christian
I am not very comfortable in “Christian” settings. For a long time now, I’ve said that I “don’t like Christians”, but that’s meant to be at least somewhat tongue-in-cheek. I know that Jesus is life, that there is no life outside of him; and for me, everything I do, and see, and experience runs through…
Possessive, Plural, and Plural Possessive (Apostrophe Apostasy!)
The English language can certainly be confusing. Add grammar and punctuation to that, and there are all sorts of possible dangers ahead. Today I’d like to specifically address the use of (or rather, the non-use of) the apostrophe when pluralizing surnames. You see, in far too many communications from individuals and organizations, the apostrophe is…
There Is No Sin In Him
Buckle up, pardners… this may get a little heretical. (Just warnin’ ya!) In many places within the pages of the Bible we read that Jesus was without sin. He who had no sin became sin for us… He is the spotless lamb… He faced all the same temptations we do, but he did not sin….
Respect
What is respect? What images come to mind when you hear the word? Do you think of military chain of command, with each subordinate respecting their commanding officer? Or maybe a similar, thought slightly more informal respect, shown by a young person toward an elderly ancestor? A feeling of deep admiration for someone or something…
Fading Away
Stop loving this evil world and all that it offers you, for when you love the world, you show that you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only the lust for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our possessions. These are not…