“Here we are as in olden days…” Are we? In many ways, we are. Christmas rolls around again as it has for centuries. Hasn’t always been so universally celebrated; nevertheless, no one alive in the western hemisphere remembers when it wasn’t celebrated. The other night, we went for a Christmas…
While working in my study, I usually have Calm Radio playing in the background, as it is right now. Featuring dozens of genre channels, Calm Radio’s niche is expressed in the name—the music isn’t blaring, driving, and overpowering. Some channels have vocals, but I don’t think I’ve ever listened to…
A few weeks ago, my bride came across a promo for the 365 Adventure Challenge and suggested we take it on. The idea is that we hike a total of 365 miles within a year. I, too, thought it’d be a fun challenge we could pursue together, so I sent…
Thanksgiving 1998 didn’t happen. At least, not in our home. It almost did, until…. Shelburne, Vermont was our home at the time. I served as the Pastor of the Baptist church located just north of the village, right off Rt. 7. The church held a traditional Thanksgiving Praise Service at…
Sitting by the window overlooking a swath of woods, my eyes scan the mostly bare trees, their branches a dark gray silhouetted against a light gray sky. It’s one of those gloomy November days when the sun’s been hiding since night faded into pale light, and color seems to have…
The air was cool and crisp, but not cold—the sun’s warmth kept any discomfort at bay. The occasional clouds were not a nuisance or obstruction; they added to the texture of the brilliant azure blue sky. Dry leaves swooshed and crunched beneath our feet. Those they had left behind on…
If I wanted to simplify things greatly, I’d say the difference between Mrs. Hughes and Miss Case had to do with appreciation. Mrs. Hughes was my 6th-grade teacher at Lincoln Elementary School in Niles, Ohio. When I walked into her classroom on the first day of school in September 1969,…
A recent first for us, in between a couple of conferences, my wife and I spent a few days in Gulf Shores, Alabama. As the name implies, the town is right on the Gulf of Mexico a few miles west of the Florida-Alabama border. We’ve been to the gulf before,…
We moved into our home almost 19 years ago. Obviously, there were many things we liked about the place, but one of my favorite features was the mature Blue Spruce on the north side of the house. It offered refuge for numerous varieties of birds and provided a bit of…
I’m currently in the middle of listening to an audiobook on one woman’s through-hike of the Pacific Crest Trail—the 2,650-mile path from the California-Mexican border to the Washington-Canadian border. The author-hiker shares innumerable difficulties, hardships, dangers, injuries, fears, and failures along the journey. Imagine having to run along the trail…
