How to ruin a perfectly sunny morning: STEP 1: Find yourself snarled in stop-and-go traffic. STEP 2: Come to a complete stop and wait until… STEP 3: Another car bumps into yours. That was us. In God's kindness, the collision claimed no casualties. The airbags didn't go off, and when we surveyed the damage, it seemed apparent this was a rather minor accident. Thankfully, the other driver was insured, and the fender-bender left our car drivable. No drama, mama. One month later, we were reminded that things are not always as they appear. The voice on the other end of…
Mutts Gone Nuts
Mutts Gone Nuts. That's how they billed the evening. Five dogs—all rescued from animal shelters and trained by Scott and Joan Houston and Sam Valle—delighted the audience with their antics and agility. We smiled as the dogs scampered on rotating barrels. We chuckled as these furry friends danced on two legs. Then trainer Samantha Valle—who has appeared on Kelly and Ryan—introduced us to the greyhound that holds the record for the highest jump of any dog in the world. But the thing that blew my mind was watching one of the dogs jump rope and then do Double Dutch jump…
The Remarkable Manish
You probably never met Manish Sukhadev. He recently succumbed to the Coronavirus wave sweeping over India. But before he died, Manish lived. Really lived. He was an Awana missionary in central India, and that’s where I met him back in 2011. Born a Dalit—India’s lowest caste—he was a short guy with a big smile and an impish laugh. Manish was one of those guys who was “on” 24 hours a day. He was never not a missionary. Flipping through our India photos, one of my favorites is a shot of Manish parked on the cement floor with someone he had…
When Hymns are on TV
Did you watch the American Country Music Awards last weekend? Despite having fewer viewers than last year, the ACM awards show still drew a larger audience than its network competitors combined. Though I like a lot of modern country music, award shows are not my thing. But I’m so glad Diana was watching. I was working on a sermon in my office when the sounds of Amazing Grace echoed down the hall. Sauntering into the family room, I watched Carrie Underwood proclaiming, "was blind, but now I see!" Then gospel music legend CeCe Winans joined her for a stunning rendition…
Routine Maintenance
Do you enjoy routine maintenance? I don’t, for two reasons: “routine” and “maintenance.” There is nothing fun about either one. In my experience—and perhaps yours as well— routine maintenance is rarely routine. Drive your car in for a "routine" oil change, and they invariably present you with an $850 list of "critical" issues you "absolutely must address!" Stroll into the dentist's office for a "routine" check-up, and you walk out with a $1,500 quote for a crown. Last weekend, we decided we'd be good homeowners and clean out our dryer vent—routine maintenance recommended at least annually. But…
Giant-Sized Exaggeration!
How big does something have to be for you to consider it giant-sized? For cereal makers, the answer appears to be “not very big.” Consider two boxes of cereal in my hands (see photo below). On my left is what Quaker calls a “giant” sized box of Life cereal. In my right hand is what Kellogg’s considers a “mega” sized box of Frosted Shredded Wheat (don’t judge our cereal choices, please—that might be another blog). I’d say that one box is certainly full-sized—-maybe even large. But mega? No way! The “giant” box of Life cereal weighs in at 24.8 ounces. Yet a quick bit of…
How much money?
Flipping through The Ultimate Book of Randomly Awesome Facts, I stumbled upon the following statistic: The total amount of money in the world adds up to 60 trillion dollars. That’s a 60 with a whole lot of zeroes! John D. Rockefeller was the world's first billionaire and, at one point, the world's richest man. Since he was a billionaire in the early 1900s (when a billion was actually worth something), he is still regarded as the wealthiest person in modern history. When a reporter asked him how much money it takes to make a man happy, Rockefeller famously replied, "Just…
Step Counter
The phone screen says the same thing every morning. As I swipe to look at yesterday's step count, it speaks of the new day just begun, "No data." Meaning, I haven’t taken a single step (okay, not technically true—it’s about 50 steps from my bed to the phone in the office). The point is, there’s nothing to report. Hence the statement, “No data.” But that doesn’t last for long. Like many folks, I’m hounded by the daily drive to get those magical ten-thousand steps in. So when working at home, having finished early morning devotions, I’m off for a 40-minute…
Which Country?
Call it a case of nostalgia. Or maybe it’s proof of our advancing age. Many of us miss the America that was kinder and gentler toward folks who revere the Bible and its Author. We miss the old country. That’s well and good to a point. The problem is, I want that country too much. Maybe you, too? We’re not the first. I'm pretty sure believers in the first century longed for the "old country" of safety once persecution broke out. But that didn't stop them from taking a stand for Christ. Noting their legacy of endurance, Hebrews 11:16 says…
Turf Wars
Who would believe it was even there? In the first week of March? Under a pile of melting snow? A weed! Not just any garden variety nuisance, this was a tuft of the dreaded Creeping Charlie, the wicked weed that battles us for lawn supremacy every summer. Diana and I were raking off the flower beds in our front yard when we spied the modest growth. With no small sense of grim and grit, I pried the thing out of the soil. Satisfaction was mine! Until I found another. And another. Yanked those out, too. The war against Creeping Charlie…