Author: Jon Gauger

Today we bury Elsie.    At 92, she was still young.  She emailed.  Used Microsoft Access.  Was an ace at Wheel of Fortune.  She was a regular out at our campfire, spinning stories into the sparks and dark.     We will miss her.     Born in 1924 in Chicago, Elsie once met actor Charlton Heston, at the time a student at Northwestern University.  She attended a production at the Goodman Theater.  Later that evening, Charlton Heston gave Elsie and her girlfriend a ride from the theatre to their home.   Elsie commented that she wasn’t very impressed with…

Swimming.  Boating.  Horseback riding. For most kids, that's standard stuff at summer camp. Not when you’re a special needs child.  But the ministry of Joni and Friends is quietly rewriting the book on all this.  One chapter of that story played out last week in Michigan at a gathering exclusively for people like Michelle and their caregivers. She has Down syndrome and lives with my friend Dan and his wife, Joan. Michelle was one of about sixty-five “kids” (many of adult age) who attended, along with their caregivers.  And everybody—everybody—was treated lovingly. “The whole point is to let the kids experience normal life,…

An open letter to the Honorable Bernie Sanders, United States Senator   Dear Senator Sanders, I read transcripts of the conversation you had last week with Mr. Russell Vought, President Trump’s nominee for deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget. During that exchange, you quoted Mr. Vought as saying, “Muslims do not simply have a deficient theology. They do not know God because they have rejected Jesus Christ his Son, and they stand condemned.” Senator, you reacted by saying, “In my view, the statement made by Mr. Vought is indefensible, it is hateful, it is Islamophobic, and it…

In any given week, approximately 79 credit card offers find their way to our mailbox.  So awhile back, I caved in to an invitation from American Airlines to receive their Platinum Select card.   In addition to one free checked bag for my wife and me, the big pay-off this card dangled was Group 1 boarding status.  Diana and I were excited to try out these new perks, standing in line at O’hare airport. Our suitcases were checked in free, just as advertised.  The boarding process, however, was another story.   Turns out Platinum Select is not nearly as exclusive a…

Camping has a way of making you sleep well at night.  I mean really well.  Especially if you’re a kid.  Once, when our grandson Caleb was with us, his “batteries” ran so low, he was unable to finish buttoning his pajamas before slumping over on the couch, out cold.    Recently, Caleb paid a visit to our camper again, along with his three-year-old sister, Lucy. It was bedtime, and the spunky little girl was winding down in a hurry.  So we quickly flopped down the camper’s couch, made the bed and tossed her in it.     I usually end…

With graduation and wedding seasons upon us, my wife and I have lately been to more than our share of parties. Sprinkled into that mix: three funerals.  Recently, Diana and I attended a gathering that stretched our comfort zone.     He clutched secrets of his own… For example, there was the newly married couple, both at least in their sixties or maybe seventies.  Theirs was not a wedding that we attended, but mixing with them was easy. She blabbed effortlessly—unendingly.  He was as silent as drying paint.   Still, the white-haired groom clutched secrets of his own.  A financial…

Death is a strange thing.  But some have made it even stranger by preserving body parts of the deceased.  I am completely serious.  Following are eight examples from an article in The Ultimate Book of Randomly Awesome Facts, published by Scholastic. Scientist Isaac Newton’s tooth was set in a ring and is now said to be worth thousands of dollars. Russian leader Vladimir Lenin’s brain was sliced into 31,000 slivers so that it could be studied (wonder what they’ve discovered). A lock of George Washington’s hair is kept in a locket in a Maine museum. Scientist Albert Einstein’s eyes were…

It's one of my least favorite parts of travel: car rental. It begins with a wrestling match online, where it is nearly impossible to gauge the total price of your car before you hit the “Purchase Now” button.  Airport surcharges, city taxes, “recovery fees” and other cash-snatching schemes pile on to the price.  Forget about "naming your own price!" That's why I make it a point to low-ball any offer I make online.  Contrary to the ad campaigns, they really don't want you to “name your own price.”  Evidence?  They nearly always discourage me from making my bid, while very “helpfully” suggesting…

Everyone knows about camping.  And most of us who camp know all about “glamping.”  It's a marriage between glamour and camping.  Think upscale trailers with luxurious amenities.  Trust me—if you haven't been to an RV dealer recently, you have no idea how cushy camping can be. Yet an English charity, Britain's “Churches Conservation Trust,” now makes it possible to fall asleep in church—and not get hassled.  The Trust, which preserves some 350 “disused” churches, is a creative fundraising scheme to provide for their maintenance.  With no congregants to supply funds, it's tourism that now helps finance roof repairs, tuck-pointing and…

Easter is in the air, which means there's a spring in our step. Enough spring that many evangelicals are prepared to hop right over Good Friday.  Again. We love to celebrate Christ's victory over sin and death—as we should.  But is it possible we shortchange the sufferings of Christ on Good Friday?  Wouldn't you agree there is no point to the victory party, if you don't—or won't—embrace the struggle that came before? Not Good at Doing Somber It's a peculiar observation of mine that we evangelicals, for the most part, are just not good at doing somber.  Or pensive. Look…