Blog Article Archives

…Well, not really. But the pair of shoes I am currently using for jogging is in need of replacement. Over the years I have developed quite a pile of smelly, worn out shoes. Some I retire to yard work. Others are still in decent enough shape to wear casually. Still...

There are few things in the world that generates more excitement in my life than an opportunity to eat. Going on picnics is a bonus. I do not know if it is the fried chicken or the deviled eggs or chasing yellow jackets, but I enjoy a picnic. When you think about it,...

The other day I was out pulling weeds and snipping some roses while Aaron was supervising (yes, I know that the roles are reversed). Aaron noticed that we were being watched…by a squirrel…more specifically a baby squirrel. Upon closer inspection it was not just one...

I own several Hawaiian shirts, but none came from Hawaii. I have bought a couple from Target and who knows where they were originally made. My favorite is from St. George. It was a second hand shirt, presumably found along the beach and I think I paid five or so...

She would arise in the dark hours of the morning and see to it that my sister, brothers and I awoke to a crackling blaze in the fireplace. While we were not the wealthiest family in Putnam County, we ate like royalty. Biscuits were her specialty, but she was not bad...

Caring for the poor is one of the messages for my sermon series: Here I Stand – Issues the Church Should Care About. Below are statics and links to help better inform the believer on how we can be involved. According to the National Association of Evangelicals a ten...

For my sermon "Caring for Creation" (April 27, 2008) I benefitted from numerous resources. Here are just a few of the links that I believe are important reading for the believer seeking to learn more and act responsibly regarding caring for creation:...

Actually I only own two acres and so having a back forty is not just impractical, it is inaccurate. My space that I am writing about is the back 48, as in 48 square feet. It all started last week when Aaron and I decided to pretend that we were farmers and built a...

We had a bit of a tragedy at our home this week. When a say a “bit” I mean a very small bit. I was out the door heading to the Deacons meeting when my oldest son Clark stopped me and gave me the news that “catfish” was dead. Catfish is the fairly unoriginal name of...

Do you remember those sickly-sweet marshmallow candy eggs? I don’t know if you can still buy them, but I hope to never see another one again. As a child my home church hid these candy eggs for all the children to hunt on the Saturday before Easter. I never cared for...

There are just some journeys I would rather not take. Trips to a department store or a dentist or a parent-teacher conference do not make it to my top ten places to visit. We cannot always choose our journeys. And then there are the passages that are necessary. Holy...

Several years ago my son Aaron reminded me: “Dad remember, you promised…” Aaron was right. I had promised. I had assured both my sons that on the first day of school I would bake some homemade cinnamon rolls. My biggest problem was the fact that I had forgotten to...

Along with a handful of other TV viewers we wasted a couple of hours watching the Oscars last Sunday evening. Why do we sacrifice useful hours before the “idiot box” when we could be doing something constructive – like lobbying for world hunger or working on my...

Churches and other places of worship are accustomed to expect that during an election year some candidates for public office will make visits. Religion is important to many in this country and so it is understandable that public servants want to participate in the...

Last Sunday evening we enjoyed some “home cooking” – tamales! Of course growing up I did not know how to spell tamale much less cook them. Yet this past weekend I sat with my family and enjoyed a “mess” of tamales prepared by a sweet couple who work on my father’s...

It is a bit too cold right now to be thinking of camping, but I am anyway. The clear nights make for the perfect viewing of a sky full of stars. Throw in a campfire, chocolate, graham crackers and marshmallows for s’mores and we are good to go. We have enjoyed camping...

Some fathers receive ties for presents, or cuff links or maybe a special book. My father, for example, received from me a collection of DVDs on World War II. I guess those dads are normal. I, apparently, am an exception. My son (I will not mention which one, but I...

We have a beautiful Christmas tree. It is a Frazier Fir, ten feet tall and full all around. In keeping with tradition we purchased the tree a few days after Thanksgiving and soon filled it with endless strands of lights and Christmas ornaments that are kooky but...

For the last few weeks Amy and I have been at a little home improvement project. We have built a rather rustic stone patio and fire pit in the back yard. Amy and I know how to build a fire but we have never designed and constructed a stone patio for a fire (did I...

Pardon me if I sound sexist, but I believe there is something about a man that loves to smell gasoline and fire up gas combustion motors. Sometime ago my “wild man” sensibilities were awakened when a neighbor asked to borrow my wood chipper (this wood chipper, by the...