First, my brother, Ted, presented a case before the Minnesota Supreme Court, then the StarTribune printed a feature on his very popular blog. Way to go, Ted! [UPDATE: Ted’s oral arguments in streaming video.] Read more

I talked to Pastor Ken on the phone today. Called up his church and he answered. We chatted for about half-an-hour and agreed to hang on to each other’s phone numbers. Of course, we disagreed on some things, but agreed that friendship is possible and desirous. He seemed like a good guy, and I got to hear part of his story, which was quite interesting. I’m hobbling around like a drunkard with my knee in bandages. The surgery was a... Read more

I’ve been able to avoid surgery for 38 years, a streak that will be broken tomorrow. (I’m no Tim Conder, who hasn’t puked since 1983!) It seems I’m in good enough health to go under general anesthesia. According to my physical yesterday: my blood pressure is 92 over 70 and I have a small hernia, but other than that, I’m ready to go. And, yes, I did become faint when the doc was describing my hernia to me! Read more

The Joneses were a little late getting our card out this year, and we didn’t send it to as many friends as we would have liked (including anyone overseas). So, here it is for mass consumption. Happy New Year! Read more

Last night I watched One Punk Under God (hooray for Comcast On Demand), and I really like Jay. I didn’t always. Once, a couple of years ago, he was a speaker at the National Youth Workers Convention, in the evening slot, and I was hosting a late night deal. He went long–really long–and that meant I had to start late and stay up later. I was pissed. What’s funny is that, on the first episode of the show, his wife... Read more

Now, I don’t want you thinking that I faint willy-nilly. The sight of blood, even my own, doesn’t make me weak in the knees. Neither do dead bodies — I see 3-5 cadavers every year as a police chaplain. No, I faint in very specific circumstances: in a clinical setting, when a physician is describing the internal functions of my body, usually accompanied by a drawing or x-ray. It first happened in college. I had reffed a hockey tournament that... Read more

So, my brother, the doc, tells me that when I faint in doctor’s offices, it’s not a fight-or-flight response. That’s a sympathetic response that sends blood to the extremities that need it. Instead, I’m having a vasovagal reaction, which is a rapid drop in blood pressure connected to the parasympathetic nervous system. Then he told me I’m a wus. I think that’s a clinical term. Read more

Torn medial meniscus, requiring arthroscopic surgery. Also confirmed: I suffer from white coat syndrome, which means I faint when doctors start drawing pictures of my broken body parts. It hasn’t happened since 1990, but it happened today. The doc said, “That’s the fight-or-flight response, and your body is choosing flight.” Read more

Go here if you’re interested in buying a lecture by Pete Rollins — your purchase supports a great minitry in Ireland called Dreamers of the Day. Read more