Family Life
« Previous EntriesTwo Funerals
Saturday, August 28th, 2010Maybe you’re like me, and you get tunnel vision on the material inheritance you would leave behind if you were to breath your last today. I can be reading a magazine or watching TV, and some ad will remind me that my nonexistent IRA and investment plan aren’t just important to my retirement, but to […]
Moo
Monday, August 9th, 2010The Los Angeles Times recently ran on their website a photo essay about strange roadside artwork. Looking through the entries, I mentally time-warped to a road trip I took for the Pentecostal Evangel in 2004 and one such “work of art” I saw along the way.
Small-town churches were our cover theme for the Oct. 10 issue that year, and […]
Lighting Candles
Friday, June 25th, 2010Most of us expect negative headlines in the news. “If it bleeds, it leads,” the saying goes, and that tends to hold true whether you’re reading the morning paper, following a breaking story online or watching the evening news.
But sometimes the headlines stack depressing realities so deep, even a jaded news consumer like me sits […]
Pomp and Circumstances
Monday, May 17th, 2010When Lindsay walked the line and accepted her high school diploma yesterday, I joined millions of parents this year who marked similar milestones in their children’s early adulthood.
OK, all you fellow travelers out there, a collective pause and sigh of relief… whew…
Funny thing about key moments in life — they herald new beginnings as much […]
Air Guns
Thursday, May 13th, 2010If you’ve ever owned a BB gun, you’ve probably heard some version of the infamous warning, “You’ll shoot your eye out.”
My first BB gun, a lever-action Daisy, came into my possession for Christmas in 1971. For several days I plinked at cans and other random targets on our West African mission compound. Then I aimed […]
Unschool
Tuesday, April 20th, 2010I wasn’t looking for another “Un-title,” but Jodie DVRd a segment from Good Morning America yesterday and played it for me last night after I got home from work.
“Unschool” is, believe it or not, a perfectly legal way to “educate” your child in a number of states. Once parents register with the state, they can […]
Three-and-a-Half Hours on Sunday
Friday, February 5th, 2010In anticipation of Super Bowl XLIV, National Public Radio yesterday aired an interview with former Baltimore Ravens coach Brian Billick. Fresh Air contributor Dave Davies opened the interview with the following observation.
“It’s hard to think of another job where you work seven days a week… 80, 90, 100 hours a week… sleep in your office… […]
Cold
Friday, January 8th, 2010The bottom’s dropped out here in Springfield. Overnight temperatures are dipping below zero, with significant wind chills. Schools have been closed for two days because of the frigid conditions. The snow is sparse, but I felt like my face went glacial as I shoveled the thin layer […]
On Hold?
Monday, October 19th, 2009Driving to work this morning, I heard a local radio host play a clip of Dr. Phil’s advice to couples who are considering parenthood. I’ll say up front that Dr. Phil made a number of solid points, but one of his remarks really seemed at odds with my […]
Chain Reaction
Tuesday, September 8th, 2009
School is in full swing for our family, and Austin’s discovering that third grade is more complicated than he expected. Several tests and a poster project are in the pipeline already, as well as Spanish lessons.
But Lindsay is coming alongside Austin in a big way. She has […]
