The past week offered a study in contrasts. It began with our nephew’s photo welcoming his new baby son into the world and ended with old friends bidding their youngest son goodbye in the wake of a tragic accident. Both scenes occurred in local hospitals, but the accompanying emotions could not have been further apart. …
Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up (Proverbs 12:25). One day I messaged a coworker and just asked how she was doing. She said it made her day—just that I asked! That stuck out to me. And while it is easy to get wrapped up with myself, I have since …
A couple of years ago I noticed some crabgrass in my backyard. I’ve always been diligent to uproot it when it appeared in my front lawn. But for some reason I ignored this little patch that popped up out back. It had emerged in a place that was stressed by relentless hours of sun each …
The writer of a business book popular some years ago urged readers to consider hiring virtual assistants to offload tedious tasks and save time. In one amusing section, he recognized his preoccupation with anxious thoughts over a particular situation. Seeking to free his mind for other tasks, he contacted his virtual assistant and instructed her …
What are you good at? My soon-to-be-married daughter recently asked me to address her wedding invitations. I’ve hand-lettered since I was twelve and once ran a calligraphy business, so I told her, “Of course!” You confidently say “Yes” when asked to perform tasks at which you excel. But what if God asks you to act …
Growing up with a dad who was a research scientist and chemical engineer, I occasionally found things in our garage one wouldn’t consider a standard household item. One of these was a little jar of silver fluid curiously heavy for its size. I recall playing with it and pouring some of it in my hand. …
In the midst of uncertain times, there is always opportunity for alarm. The economy appears to be at risk, and you learn a coworker was just let go. Your next thought may naturally be, “Am I next?” The unrestrained mind can race far down a negative path in an instant. Before you know it, you’ve …
Never having been a coffee drinker, I don’t tend to meet up with people for java. My favorite way to connect with another guy is to go for a walk on a trail. One friend I enjoy walking with told me he recently got some new walking shoes that make him feel like he’s gliding. I …
A new internet company laid fiber optic cable in our neighborhood last winter, digging deep holes for junction boxes between every home. They eventually came back and patched the grass they’d dug up with new sod around the junction access lids. Walking through our neighborhood this summer, I noticed many of these nicely laid pieces …
There are some things you just have to do. You don’t necessarily do them because you want to, but because you know you should, or you somehow feel obligated. Websters defines obligation using words like duty, responsibility, and demands of conscience or custom. Maybe you made a promise, or you were committed by someone else, …
As newlyweds we lived in a third-floor apartment. One floor below us lived a fellow who liked to play an electric guitar which boomed through the walls and floor, posing a definite distraction. It was one of those features of sharing a roof that made us eager to buy a house, a feat we we thankfully achieved …
“Put your hands up! We’ve got you surrounded!” These words, familiar in films, usually indicate the end of a struggle, a prelude to surrender, where one side has overcome the other. They typically signal victory for one and decisive defeat for the other. And in those where the protagonists find themselves surrounded and the enemy …
