Every morning, very early, I sit in the same seat. I turn on the same light. I pick up my bible and my journal. The same bible and the same journal I use every morning. I read and write and think about what God has said to me in His word. And I often reflect…
I first learned about measuring when my dad and I were building a house. He was a carpenter. We needed fire blocking between studs in the walls before the sheet rock went on. My job was to cut 16-inch 2×4 fire blocks my dad would nail into place. Instead of measuring every block with a…
How’s it going? How did you ‘do’ today at navigating the no doubt dozens of things you had to do? Those generic, innocent questions we use in everyday life as we interact with others rarely invites a deeper reflection in those we might be asking. “Fine,” is probably the most common response we get when…
I’m not sure how they ever figured it out; those scientists and really smart people who say that we humans are only born with two ‘factory-installed’ fears: The fear of falling, and the fear of loud noises. I’m not a scientist, and I’m certainly not a really smart person, but I do have to disagree…
The other day, my wife and I were in San Francisco, enjoying some time with our son and his family. We drove our car there, but that’s not how we got around, once we arrived. You might say we ‘Ubered’ it. On my cell phone, I ordered up transportation over the two or three days…
I wonder? I do wonder, like most people, I suppose, about a lot of things. But today, I wonder about how different things would be for me, if … If I lived a truly grateful life? What would it mean to the way I think, the way I act, the way I live, if every morning, as my feet hit…
Sometimes, I catch myself saying things I haven’t really thought through. They’re often phrases that I use, but when I really examine them, I discover are pretty empty of meaning, really. They’re almost like ‘fillers’ or ‘fluff’ in trying to communicate. For example, I caught myself the other day using the phrase, “It goes without…
When I was a kid, one of my favorite pastimes was playing hide-and-seek. On hot, Midwest summer nights, the kids in our neighborhood all got together for that game that was tremendous fun. A great game of hide-and-seek needs a good number of players. But, it’s not a team sport. Hide-and-seek’s not like baseball, where…
I am one who has a difficult time keeping track of what I need to remember. Over the years, I’ve developed the habit of writing things down on sticky notes, or keeping lists in a small notebook. I have notes about appointments I need to make, things at the grocery store I need to pick…
I sat one windy afternoon on a bench at Mount Hermon’s Conference Center in Northern California and talked with a magazine editor about writing and about life as a writer. I told my editor friend that at times, I felt very lonely as a writer. He sat patiently and listened as I talked about how…