“Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains.” – James 5:7 Growing up as a Southern Baptist kid in the evangelical tradition, I didn’t go to a church that was all...
Read more →No doubt this has been done by someone else out there on the web, but I thought that for my perusal- and for my future reference- I’d jot William Strunk’s rules (with E.B.’s additions) about writing from “The Elements of Style” here. I. ELEMENTARY RULES OF USAGE 1. Form the possessive singular of nouns...
Read more →The theme in the new series that started at church today is “Defining Moments”. It’s a series about Peter the disciple, but today Todd talked about the moments you and I encounter infrequently where we make single decisions that impact the course of our lives. Similarly, I finished Steinbeck’s “The Winter of our Discontent”,...
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On my list of things I hoped to get done this spring/summer/fall/maybe-winter were a few bigger item dealies. I wanted to build and seed a garden box in my backyard (check). I wanted to get screens for all of my-non-screened windows (uh, no). I wanted to put down wood floors in my living room...
Read more →It was 2009 when I came across Somaly Mam’s heartbreaking memoir “The Road of Lost Innocence”, in which she described in detail her traumatic early years after she was taken from her family and village by a “family friend” into a foreign city to be first a slave, and then made a prostitute in...
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Last night, I started reading one of a number of short writing books I picked up over the last few months. At the turn of the year, I thought if I read more writing books, I’d write more, so I scoured a few writing book lists from decent sources on the internet for recommends....
Read more →I’ve been on a productivity kick lately. It could be that now that I am deep into 45, I hear the clock ticking more than ever, and since I do not have children, I am clamoring to create or craft something- anything- that will help me to feel that my life has been worth...
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Tonight after a good but laborious day at work, I came home and decided I had better keep on the project. Resistance tries to steer you away from creativity, Pressfield says. I sense that strongly now, and as I try to listen to my interests and intentions, I am also trying to hear Pressfield...
Read more →Soon shall come the day when every light goes out, when golden leaves quit falling, and lark and jay shall fail to sing. The water will not break against the rocks, the sun will finally surrender, and the moon will hide from sight. Alto and soprano will all be silenced, every lip will be...
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I had it in mind a year ago to take a rock-filled strip in my backyard and convert it into a garden dealie. Naturally, last summer, fall and winter came and went, and with the return of spring this year, the idea returned. And then it evolved- seeing some planter boxes in an open...
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It’s the middle of April, and so Easter is upon us again. Active in church, I can easily forget the big picture of it all, and so when Easter comes around, I try to take some time to remember- why is church important? Why do I pour so much time and thought into this...
Read more →While overall today was a well executed day, it was also a challenging one. I started the day working off of my newest to-do list, which I am trying to incorporate into my life because I so often need help getting things done, and I had two items on it that were going to...
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Today was a good day, and by all accounts, it felt that way from the get go this morning- despite another cat gift found in the front room. After dressing, I discovered that French Roast in the coffee maker is actually a blend that I like (with French Vanilla). At work, I felt like...
Read more →Today was a normal Tuesday in most aspects. I got up. I made coffee. I went to work. I had small group. It was different in two ways though. Before work, I had a medical appointment with a specialist whose office was on the west side, in a direction opposite from where I work...
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Regardless of anything else, I am always aware of time passing. I always have been. I’ve always had a sense that my life began at a point on a line, and at some point in the near or distant future, it will end. I know my days are numbered. I am fairly healthy right...
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In some seasons of my life, it can feel like being is divided into three layers. On the surface is the layer of action, where the day to day bustle of life happens. In the innermost one, people meet and share their souls, and find camaraderie and sympathy and compassion, and it’s there they...
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