For about 20 years now, I’ve wanted the same thing for Christmas. I often feel much like Ralphie, the main character in the Christmas classic, A Christmas Story. In the movie, all Ralphie wants for Christmas is a “Red Ryder, carbine action, 200-shot, range model, air rifle.” At every turn, poor Ralphie is stymied by the prevailing sentiment that he will “shoot his eye out” should he get one. The...
Entertaining Angels
Over the past eight years I have had the privilege of traveling to various parts of the nation of India several times. Each of my journeys to India have taken me to different portions of the country. This has allowed me to experience a wide range of the cultures, foods, and scenery the country has to offer. It is an incredibly diverse country with an amazing cornucopia of traditions...
Good News
There were few things I loved more in life as I was growing up as the game of basketball. As a native born Hoosier, it was borderline mandatory when I was young. I believed eighth grade was going to be my year. I had finally hit a reasonable growth spurt and, standing a massive 5’ 4,” I was at least approaching the average height for a young man of my age. I had worked with the coach throughout...
Fruit for the Future
One of the hardest things as a youth pastor, and I’m assuming as a parent, is releasing your kids to go out to make their mark on the world. You spend years investing time, energy, and money into them. You lovingly guide and direct them in the hopes that your compassionate care and nurturing will help them become productive members of society. In one of nature’s dirtier tricks, just when you get...
Suffering and Satisfied
I am not a hunter. It’s not for ethical reasons. I find many of our furry woodland friends, particularly deer, to be quite tasty, and enjoy having a freezer full. I do not, however, enjoy getting up several hours before any reasonable creature is up and at it in order to climb up into a tree in the freezing cold of winter surrounded by the thick darkness of night. What was most torturous about...
After Easter
And, just like that, another Easter has come and passed. Billions of plastic eggs have been found, all except that one that was hid a little too well under a tuft of grass in the middle of the yard for you to find with a lawn mower at a later date. Children and adults alike have consumed enough candy to choke a piñata. Family gatherings were had and survived, with or without the presence of...
What’s So Good About Friday?
A study released in 2018 revealed what most of us already knew to be true; Friday is the best day of the week. The study revealed that most of us dislike Monday’s, are indifferent towards the mid-week days of Tuesday through Thursday, and love the weekends, especially the gateway thereto, FRIDAY! The study explained that our affinity for Friday is due in part to the frequency with which we speak...
Not Perfect, but Better than Them
Perusing social media has become an important part of my daily routine. It allows me to stay connected with friends and family around the globe. It alerts me to goings on in the world in which they live. And while social media is a terrible source for finding fact-based world news, it does provide a very interesting window into the way people are processing said news. In recent months, and years...
Moments in the Middle
In the early 90’s, the band Live released a song entitled “Lightning Crashes.” The song paints a very interesting and emotional picture for the listener. Throughout the song, the artist paints a contrasting picture of two major life experiences. At one moment, he sings of the potential and hope present at the birth of a new baby. The next, he turns his attention to the loss and finality felt at...
Competitors or Collaborators
Our society thrives on competition. There seems to be no end to the means through which our competitive streak runs. It can be observed in academics as students and parents alike tout the many accomplishments through the wonder of social media. It can also be seen in athletics on the local, national, and international level; not simply through the actions and attitudes of participants, but also...
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