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…
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…
Like many people this time of year, I got to looking at the calendar and compared how much time is left in the year with how much “vacation time” I have available. More than I’ll use, it seems, but thought I should make a stab at it! I did feel…
We recently took a trip to Pella, Iowa, to visit some friends for a few days. Been there several times before, so I knew the route quite well. West on I-80, take the Montezuma exit heading south. Leaving behind the busy interstate, we ventured into the calming Iowa countryside. The…
Since I’m a pastor, Sunday mornings are a bit…busy…for me. They start early, and all my attention centers on the teaching and preaching responsibilities coming in the next few hours. A couple of Sundays ago, I got up with my stomach rumbling a little. “Growling,” I told myself. I was…
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,…
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…
A gardener I am not. Not even a hobbyist gardener. More like a dabbler. Several years ago, I read somewhere that pastors ought to have a garden. I can’t remember why, but surely the writer gave a bunch of good reasons—enough, at least, to convince me it was a good…
