Chisomo. We’re busy packing for our move to California this week. Pardon the radio silence for the next several days.Grace and all good things.GG p.s. Merci mille fois to Chuck Osgood for the beautiful picture. Read more

Farewell, Chicago: A Playlist This is our last weekend in Chicago before we pack up the wagons and head west for the promised land of Laguna Beach, California. We’re having folks over for a Fourth of July cook out tonite (please, please don’t rain!), and we made a goodbye mix for the occasion. It’s been 21 years (GG) and 40 years (Crime Boy) in the City of Big Shoulders (and environs), so you’ll forgive us if the playlist is 162... Read more

GODSTUFFIN THE BEGINNING:HAROLD RAMIS TAKES ON GENESIS IN ‘YEAR ONE’ Last month, Harold Ramis, the writer, director and actor of comedy classics such as “Caddyshack,” and “Groundhog Day,” released “Year One,” a raucous comedy starring Jack Black as Z, a caveman who gets thrown out of his tribe and village for breaking its one rule, only to stumble upon a civilization populated by characters from the Bible, beginning with Adam and Eve. “Year One,” which Ramis describes as a “high-minded,... Read more

GODSTUFF 2009 SPIRITUAL SUMMER READING LIST For many of us, summer sets a more leisurely pace when we can get around to the things we love to do but often don’t have time for the rest of the year.Like reading. And reflection.My summer will be a busy one as I’m moving house and settling into a new community while finishing a new book manuscript on deadline. Still, I have a stack of books I hope to make room for while... Read more

GODSTUFF ‘I WAS A STRANGER, AND YOU TOOK ME IN’ The ancient Greeks believed that hospitality was sacred. They called it xenia, the word from which we get “genial” in English. Showing hospitality to strangers and those far from home was a form of worship to the god Zeus, who was the Greek god of, among other things, travelers. In the religiosity of xenia, the host was obliged to care for the guests, the guests were required to respect the... Read more

GODSTUFF WEE MAN’S HEART IS WHOLE AGAIN Thank you, Lord, for what you’ve done for me.Thank you, Lord, for what you’re doing now.Thank you, Lord, for ev’ry little thing.Thank you, Lord, for you made me sing. — Bob Marley, “Thank You Lord” The hole in Vasco Sylvester’s heart isn’t there anymore. On Wednesday, in a three-hour operation, surgeons at Hope Children’s Hospital in Oak Lawn, using a piece of white Gore-Tex, patched the quarter-size hole that had been there since... Read more

A quick word from Pediatric ICU at Hope Children’s Hospital here outside Chicago: Vasco’s recovery is nothing short of miraculous. He’s out of bed, about to have his chest tube removed, talking, eating, laughing again. His little lion’s heart is working as God intended now. And we are so very grateful – for all the love and prayer and support you’ve given this child. Thank you. To listen to Vasco’s story on NPR’s “The Story,” CLICK HERE. To read more... Read more

VASCO! For more regular updates on the Wee Man or to read about his journey – beginning in November 2007 – of healing, please visit his blog, VASCO’S HEART. A quick word from Pediatric ICU at Hope Children’s Hospital here outside Chicago: Vasco’s recovery is nothing short of miraculous. He’s out of bed, about to have his chest tube removed, talking, eating, laughing again. His little lion’s heart is working as God intended now. And we are so very grateful... Read more