People are different in so many ways. One distinction I recall was whether you were a people person, an idea person, or a thing person. I think I’m all three to varying degrees, but my wife would nod vigorously to my identifying as a thing person. For example, I would typically rather buy a thing …
While living in South Florida over two decades ago, I often saw a bony-legged young woman briskly walking down long stretches of road. Her determined stride and gaunt appearance revealed her inner struggle. After moving to Colorado, I repeatedly noticed a tall, emaciated woman swiftly ambling down the path behind our house. She wore a …
On a business trip to Nashville a few months ago, Carrie and I had an interesting experience with a Lyft driver. As we’ve accustomed ourselves to using ride share apps to get around in other cities, we’ve noticed how different the drivers can be. Some say nothing, in some cases because they may speak little …
Each December we usually hear the nativity account from Luke 2 read in church. It can become so familiar that we often don’t pay attention. This year, however, I suddenly realized something I had not thought about before. The first five verses explain that Caesar Augustus took a census, requiring Joseph and Mary (his betrothed) …
We’re having a different kind of Christmas this year. Part of it is because I caught Covid at the company holiday party right before Christmas and we’re isolating. It’s the first time ever for us not to gather at our house Christmas day. We’ll gather virtually with our kids, and in person when we’re well …
It’s the time of year for parties, food, and gifts galore! None of this relates to the original nativity… or does it? While we may go overboard, might we actually have the basics down for celebrating Christ’s birth? In the Old Testament, God established feasts, basically commanding the Jews to hold seven annual parties—many of …
Recently we stopped by Sam’s Club to replenish a few things we’d run out of. Always one with an eye for a good deal, JB spotted a sale on some lights we might use in landscaping our yard next spring. A woman on that same aisle noticed, and kindly warned, “Don’t buy them!” She went …
As I stood in church recently during the worship time, I noticed someone repeatedly turning left and right with her hands raised as she sang. The combination of her posture and rotating movement reminded me of a lighthouse. The US National Ocean Service says that lighthouses serve “to warn mariners of dangerous shallows and perilous …
It’s late November and most of the trees in our neighborhood have long been bereft of their leaves. As usual, the stubborn silver maple in our backyard has refused to relinquish its foliage, having reluctantly dropped only half. What has fallen, we’ve raked up twice in the past week, and both times we wondered where …
J.B. and I (and two of our kids—all in different departments) work at a company that distributes software to IT providers. We provide solutions to help small businesses track their inventory, backup their data, and work more efficiently. But a threat to them all, regardless of their industry or business model, is cyber attacks. We …
