This is a bad week to be a trash man. Wikipedia I survey the bags of crumbled Christmas wrapping, the empty computer and television cartons, and the black bags containing the remains of the big dinner piled along the streets. Each morning, the collectors clock in, get their assignments, and then grab the keys to their vehicles. They start them up and rumble out of the yard, one by one, fanning out across the city. At some point, these trucks will fill... Read more
What’s not to love about the GPS? With millions of miles of roads, attractions, gas stations and destinations, there’s no reason to buy a map ever again. Piggybacking off military satellites, American companies have found ways to tap into the invisible beam to help a whole world of humans find their way. And still, we are lost. Oh sure, we know how many miles it is from Greenville to Columbus, but we don’t know how to find our way to reconciliation.... Read more
One of my favorite Christmas songs is I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day, taken from a poem penned by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The poem was written in the middle of America’s Civil War — and the despair engulfed the nation. It was a time of personal despair for Longfellow. His wife had died tragically. After trimming hair from her seven-year old’s head, she decided to preserve the clippings in sealing wax. Melting a bar of sealing wax with a... Read more
“Free Hugs, ” they shouted as they strolled the downtown walking mall. “Free Hugs for everyone.” The high school girls and boys walked right up to people and give a hug and a blessing. I watched stiff businessmen bristle, then smile. I saw homeless people, who so yearn for human touch, pull away, then lean into their charm. I saw an entire block change because of the free joy from eight young people. I could have crossed over to the... Read more
They were amazing words, echoing across the sheep-filled grasses, a billion blinking stars danced in approval “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.” Flikr Photo by galibert olivier Still, the shepherds trembled. And the words of reassurance came from the angel. “Fear not.” It was a common theme in preparation for the baby’s birth. When Zacharias was in the temple, he heard “Fear Not.” When the angel appeared to... Read more
My life isn’t really all that deliberate. In fact, most of my blessings I have just stumbled into. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve looked at my good things in my life and wondered, “how in the world did I get here?” I’m not educated, nor am I gifted or rich. I just got a great job promotion that I’m not convinced I totally earned. I have relationships that have changed my life, people that I never sought out. I just found... Read more
Image via Wikipedia Listen to the radio and you’ll hear Elvis croon his Christmas classic. “I’ll have a blue Christmas without you.” Nancy Fransen, who blogs at Out of My Alleged Mind, wrote about the loss of her father, and the wistfulness of her mother this time of year. In her post, “You can dance if you want,” she reflected on the Elvis classic song, Blue Christmas, and her general disdain for it. It makes her mother cry. While there is... Read more
I took one my mother’s shovels and worked diligently for a week after school in the empty lot across the street. I was on a treasure hunt, certain I would find enough money for a new bike or maybe enough to help the family with our rent. Digging, sifting, turning of piles of dirt yielded little but old bottle caps, nails, and twisted metal. I did find an old bone, and took it home excited that I had found a... Read more
It’s my great privilege to feature a few bloggers from the High Calling network of nearly 1,800 members.. You’re going to enjoy these great voices from all around the world. Christine Sine at GodSpace always writes about provocative subjects that make me think And her post, I Believe in Jesus … Or Do I?, doesn’t disappoint. She’s writing about the Advent season and how we should prepare. “At no other time of the year are the forces of the secular culture more at odds with... Read more
When you’re a hammer, every problem looks like a nail Read more
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