The movie City Slickers is a great story about finding your place in life. Hoping to relieve the frustrations of his life, the character played by Billy Crystal convinced his two buddies to take a vacation at a working dude ranch. Crystal’s life is scattered. He is torn between the obligations to his family and his job. He is realizing that life is passing him by — that his own body and mind are aging and he has nothing to show for it. What’s... Read more
Image via Wikipedia As a boy, I would tie a blanket around my neck and pull a pair of white BVDs up over my flannel pajamas. I fished out a pair of my mother’s sunglasses from the basket by the kitchen counter and hid my face behind the rose tint. I was ready. Perched on the back of the couch, I would wait for my brother to come around the corner and then fly through the air, wrestling down the villain he... Read more
I remember standing behind the lectern, laser pointer in hand. Teaching, leading, I imparted knowledge and inspired action. But to be honest, I was no expert. Hundreds of times I looked at eager eyes from the chairs pulled into a circle. Opening the book, pointing out history and theology and imagery, everyone said how great it was. I really didn’t know anything more than anyone else. A long time ago I took a position behind the pulpit, preaching God’s word with eloquence and wisdom. But... Read more
I am just now recovering from a two-week injury to my hands. Let me tell you about it and the lesson I learned. You see, I make a living with my fingers, typing the day away creating corporate communications – a magazine, an electronic newsletter, a blog and other written material. I value my digits – all of them. “I need to protect them.” To relieve stress, I love to work around the home. I recently tackled a stone project. When... Read more
It’s a great thing to say, “God is love” and that gives a temporary measure of relief to a friend who’s lost a parent, to a buddy who got laid off or to someone who’s spouse has left them. God is love is a sweet flower that wafts through the hear. You smell it. You smile and you move on. Read more
“This is your captain in the flight deck and we’ve just reached our cruising altitude of 37,000 feet. We have some rough air up ahead so I’m going to keep the fasten seat belt light on until we get through this little bit of turbulence.” I check my seat belt and it’s fastened – not pulled in too tight, though. I look left and right, eyeing my fellow passengers, looking to spot the white-knuckled rookie travelers as we approach the... Read more
Blame the President. Blame Congress. Blame the oil companies. Blame the banks. Blame the rich. Blame the Democrats. Blame the Republicans. Blame Wall Street. Blame Hollywood. And this national blame game spills over into our personal lives. We blame coworkers for not producing. We blame spouses for not communicating. We blame the other guy for causing the accident. Rarely do we hear the words, “Blame me.” There’s a tendency to look at everyone else’s work and find fault. I had... Read more
(This is also today’s featured post over at the High Calling) Our black lab, Obi, was a great dog, but adventurous. Every squirrel needed to be chased, every hole in the ground held a mystery, and every fence needed to be jumped. One of those fences was just a little too tall and he opened up a festering wound on his front side. Two pills a day for five days and the infection would be gone, the vet told us. The... Read more
We have our share of problems in society. A burgeoning debt that threatens to swamp our financial well being. A moral decay that has devastated the family structure. An aging society that will tax our resources. But the need to Play might just be most important thing missing from our world. I drove past the park just past Alameda Avenue. It’s a gorgeous piece of property with a top notch playground. Every community has more than one, just like this, financed by tax... Read more
The news from Japan looks grim. Towns are in complete rubble. 10,000’s are lost and likely dead. Nuclear power plants are imploding from within. I was inspired to read the story of the Fukushima 50, the men and women who stayed inside the nuclear complex trying to contain the disaster. One said, “I’m not afraid to die. It’s my job.” Here in the U.S., how are we reacting? Some are sending money and boarding airplanes to help. But most are... Read more
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