More than a Peck

I think I picked quite a bit more than a peck of peppers to pickle and freeze.  Our chili pepper patch was pretty prolific this summer.  They are still coming on strong, but we just missed a hard freeze last night and may have one tonight, so I went out today in the chilly wind [...]

Separated by Circumstances

Sonja has gone to take care of her mother in Arkansas.  She took a leave of absence from job here; she is working part time, two days a week, there.  She is also enjoying spending time with our niece and nephew, Kayla and Justin.  Sonja and I are separated by circumstances, not separate in our [...]

Haskel’s Passing

Haskel passed away last night.

End of Life Choices

President Obama’s health care reform proposals never included euthanasia. Nevertheless, proposals to reimburse health care professionals for end of life counseling have been dropped.

Watching Trains

I love watching the trains with my grandchildren

In Memory

My aunt Alice passed away today, Good Friday, 2009.

Free TV

So, they found a way to send the television signal over the air instead of through a cable.  Who’d have thought it–wireless TV!
I’m walking through the parking lot of Big Lots and this guy steps out of the shadows beside a van and says,
“Hey buddy, let me show you something.”
“Sorry, I don’t need any gold [...]

Full Moon Over the Fertile Crescent

Klint sent this picture from Iraq.  The moon was the closest to earth that it has been in several years last week.  We made sure our grandson got a good look at it.  He has been a fan of the moon since he was one year old.

Two New Voices

I’ve discovered two new writers today–new to me that is, but I may be reading what they have to say.
Stephen C. Rose wrote a book in the sixties called the Grass Roots Church, and more recently Abba’s Way.  He agrees with me–or maybe I agree with him; he’s been around longer–that we need to dethrone [...]

Shameless Commerce Division

OK, I don’t usually do this kind of thing here–but my daughter is selling some handmade original artwork photo greeting cards on ebay.  If you are interested, visit the LINK.

Soldier and Mom

Our friend Margaret passed on this exchange of emails she had with her son Klint, who is stationed in Iraq, regarding the election of Barack Obama as our next president.

Mom to Soldier the day after the election

Klint,
I got your message yesterday evening on my cell phone voice mail.  Did you send it on Tuesday?  Anyway, good to hear your voice!
Don’t know how you feel about the elections, but I am so excited, I could “pee my pants” so to speak.  I’m so tired of “Old white men” running the country  This [...]

Sweet Lectures

Leonard Sweet was a guest lecturer on our campus the past two days.  Last night he spoke on facing storms.  He said the only way to survive a “perfect storm” is to head straight into it; ships that hug the harbor get smashed to pieces.
He wrote the book Soul Tsunami, by the way, ten years [...]

Keeping a Perspective

In about a week I will be casting a vote that will influence this boy’s life, one way or another.  What kind of world will he grow up in?  Of course, many other factors will affect the world he grows up in, besides the election.
I may not post as often as I otherwise would, because [...]

Taxman (Voodoo Economics -4)

No one likes paying taxes–even the Beatles had a song against the “Taxman.”
Yet, someone has to pay for the services government provides.  Voodoo economics has waged a war against taxes for nearly thirty years.  It is now considered unpatriotic to pay taxes.  Taxes are called a penalty for success.

The rich should pay more taxes because [...]

Income Redistribution (Voodoo Economics -3)

In spite of the claim by advocates of Reaganomics that “the rising tide raises all ships,” the poor and middle class have seen their incomes fall during the recent economic boom.  Several policies of the “Reagan Revolution” have led to this kind of income redistribution from the poor to the rich.
The War on Unions:  Corporations [...]

Beautiful Prague

I am traveling again.  I am in Prague with my daughter Tabitha.  We are going to present a paper at the International Bonhoeffer Congress, which is meeting here this week.  We arrived early to do a bit of sight seeing.  I am learning to speak without vowels and type on a european keyboard.  Well, thez [...]

Dobson and Obama

It used to be common for ministers to neglect their wives (ministers used to be mostly men in most denominations) and children while they were out doing “the Lord’s work.” James Dobson taught a generation of evangelical men that attending to the need of their wives and children was the Lord’s work, their first [...]

Seven Words

I have been traveling and recovering from traveling, so I haven’t posted anything in a while. I’ve had several things on my mind lately, so I should get back to regular posting, maybe two or three times a week, maybe even more for a while.
Today I will record my thoughts on the passing of [...]

Looking Back

Thursday afternoon I took back the bicycle I had borrowed from Bernard Brown. I got a little bit lost, spent a few minutes visiting with the village blacksmith, but finally found my way back to the right path. When I got to his house, it seemed like just a few days had gone [...]