I confess that my dog Lucy died yesterday. I say my, but she was ours, mine and Kristin’s, and we shared her with our two boys. We were up most of the night with her Saturday, and knew that if it didn’t happen any sooner, today would have been the day we had to let her go. While we were at church she pulled her favorite old comforter into her kennel, lay down on it, and that was all she... Read more
The Golden Globes are this Sunday. I know I’ve been rough on award shows. We have one for everything now: Emmys, Oscars, tonys, ESPYs, Golden Globes, People’s Choice, Critic’s Choice, Image Awards, Independent Spirit Awards, SAG Awards, Kid’s Choice, VMAs, CMAs, and of course, the Christian version – The Dove Awards. It is no longer enough just to write a book, make a movie, star in a musical, write a play, or sing a song; you have to win a contest over... Read more
I confess that it is insanely cold outside, -8 degrees at my house last night, and yet still I love winter. When I start to think it’s too cold, I just imagine how cranky I would be if it was 110 degrees outside today (the summer equivalent to our current cold snap). Then I remember how much I love winter, and I find myself thankful for the cold. At least with the snow and the cold there’s a bit of... Read more
JT was back on SNL a couple weeks ago, and his sketch “Bring it On Down to Wrappinville” with Jimmy Fallon was seriously the funniest thing I’ve seen on TV in a long time… something about cultural icons dressed up as a household items singing & dancing that makes me laugh out loud. I think that “Bring it on down to Veganville” was better, but this was pretty good. If you haven’t watched the show, it’s worth the time.... Read more
As I’ve been reflecting upon my year in 2013 there’s no doubt in my mind that it was the most difficult and the most painful year of my life. I’ve said more funeral liturgies, dealt with more personal challenges, experienced more wounding from relationships, faced more demanding professional circumstances, delved into new territory in terms of parenting, ego work, writing, pace of life, and stress than ever before. I know that everyone deals with all of these things, and I’m... Read more
I confess that I’ve been a bad blogger this past week – I didn’t even post a Friday Funny – pretty lame. I’ll do better this week. I confess I read something about a reality TV guy on some sort of duck hunting show who said some insensitive things a few weeks back. Has anybody else heard about this? I was just wondering if anyone has an opinion on it? Maybe I’ll check on Facebook… I confess that I just... Read more
I confess that I am nearly done with Christmas shopping. I need to make three more stops and then I’m done. I confess that my job with regard to shopping for my two sons has always been the Dollar Store. The strategy behind this was drawn from the fact that the first four Christmases of each of our boy’s lives, they spent more time playing with the boxes and packaging than any of the toys we gave them (anyone else... Read more
If a drunk man planned our Christmas traditions, Gaffigan explains, we’d end up pretty exactly where we are every year. I love the way comedians see the world. Enjoy your Friday everyone. Read more
“For all of our well-trained bluster about “calling,” most pastors become pastors, at least in part, because we crave attention. If we cannot find a way to recognize that, tell the truth about it, and make that reality part of what we confess about our own lives, then we will slowly become pathetic, and will probably look an awful lot like Brooks’ Thought Leader.” David Brooks is a conservative columnist for The New York Times. I like Brooks because... Read more
Book Nerds are easy to buy for. All you have to do is know just a little bit about their habits and preferences, and then buy something that they will actually use or at least enjoy: E-Readers: If the book lover in your life reads on an electronic device, you have to know what device they use. Once you’ve got that down, you can start to brainstorm things like an antique book iPad cover like this one from Twelve South. ... Read more
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