I was 3 years old, playing at a neighbor’s house, when—as I recall—Mom entered the house in a not-quite-panicked hurry to drag me home. Apparently, the neighbor called my mom, informing her that her daughter just broke out with chicken pox; my brother and I were surely exposed. Yep. That’s…
On the whole, I like to read. And I read a great deal. And I have a great deal to read! I don’t have a “to-read-shelf.” I have “to read shelves!” Just ask my wife; she’ll tell you! My day typically begins early with reading—I read the Bible and a…
I wouldn’t necessarily call it a favorite path, but the Hennepin Feeder Canal Trail is frequently used and enjoyed. We access it about a quarter mile from our house, hence the frequent use. The trail is nice because it’s flat and straight—in other words, easy! From the trailhead near our…
In our year-long quest to fulfill the “365 Hiker’s Challenge”—hiking 365 miles in 12 months—my wife and I look for hiking trails near our home. Within an hour’s drive is ideal. Most of our hikes are along the nearby Rock River Trail or Hennepin Canal Trail—we access both just a…
As 1992 dawned, I was certain I had descended to one of the darkest times of my life to that point. For a variety of reasons, I could no longer continue serving the church I had pastored for the previous 4 years, and December 31, 1991, was my last day…
Late February, several years ago now, my bride and I went for a bike ride on an unusually warm day—well into the upper 50s. Well, that’s warm for February in northwest Illinois. The weather had been like that for several days, so all the snow and ice were gone, and…
Have you noticed how easy it is to slip into bad habits? Look around the next time you go out to eat. Notice how many people mindlessly scroll through the phone while waiting for their order to arrive. It’s so much easier to pull out the phone and swipe and…
Several days ago—before the sub-zero deep freeze enveloped our area!—my wife and I wanted to add a few miles to our annual hiking total. At the beginning of the year, we signed up for the Hikers 365 Challenge with the goal of hiking 365 miles in 365 days. We began…
In 1985, I attended a pastoral staff meeting that included the church’s music director. He was also responsible for the church’s small bookstore, which included several music LPs. For those under age 40, an LP is a vinyl record—used to be the only format for developing a music library, and…
To many, the word isn’t thought of positively, a sort of admission of failure or something. Retreating is something soldiers do when they’re getting whipped, the thinking goes. Like that scene in the movie Gettysburg when the Union army has far outgunned the Confederates, and the ragtag unit of misfit…
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