I dated the Obamacare girl. And why wouldn’t I…she was so optimistic and promising when we first met. Big brown eyes and a warm smile. She even wore those long, dangly earrings – those get me every time. She told me, “If you take me out, you’ll find that I’m more than a date. Much more!” Wowsers! That’s a hard promise to pass up. So, we went out. Well, sort of. O-girl told me to pick her up,... Read more
I’m a bowhunter because… …sitting in a tree, knowing that anything, or nothing, could happen at any moment invigorates me. …it gives me the chance to participate directly in the cycles of life and death to which all of creation is subject, and on which all of nature depends. …it is satisfying to provide healthy meat for my family, and take responsibility for the entire food acquisition process: the hunt, the recovery, the processing, and the preparation. …the sport gives... Read more
I say no a lot as a parent. My son asked if he could watch the Broncos game with friends on Sunday. “Not tonight, Bud.” A few moments later, my 8-year-old daughter, the breadaholic, asked if she could have a third dinner roll. “Nope.” Later, all three of our kids asked if they could stay up late. “Not going to happen. Love you.” I’m not an ogre…I do also say yes quite a bit. The amount of requests I field every... Read more
A 49-year-old man from Brazil had a stroke last month that dramatically changed his personality. In a sense, that’s nothing new—personality changes are normal following a stroke. People often become apathetic, struggling to feel concerned about or interested in other people. But that’s not what happened to “Mr. A.”…in fact, quite the opposite. Mr. A developed “pathological generosity,” an extremely odd condition that results in an “excessive and persistent” desire to help others. When Mr. A left the hospital, he... Read more
I’m going to occasionally throw up a brief book review on this blog. I’ll be reviewing books that I have interacted with as a pastor, or that have addressed something I’m going through. Or both, which is the case with What Are You Afraid Of? by Dr. David Jeremiah. What Are You Afraid Of? examines ten of the most common fears we face, such as the fear of financial loss or the fear of being alone. The chapter that hit... Read more
I attended the Nebraska FCA banquet last night to celebrate what God is doing in the lives of coaches, athletes, and entire communities through the gospel. And then I came into the office this morning, and read a story about a football team that proved that football is not ultimately about winning games—it’s about using the sport as a platform to honor God and serve others. Fairview, Colorado was one of the communities hit hard by the September floods. Homes were... Read more
I read a great Man on the Run-type of story this week: Minnesota Vikings’ standout, Christian Ballard, just quit the NFL. A 24-year-old man living his childhood dream and making almost $700,000/yr. walked away from professional sports. Why? Other things mattered more. Ballard told USA TODAY Sports: “Making that much money—that was fun. But money is still a material thing. You can always make money. You can’t make that time you lose with your friends and your loved ones. Time... Read more
Occasionally, a story breaks that illustrates just how utterly backward we are as a society when it comes to standing up for those who can’t stand up for themselves. Here’s such a story: A meant to be warm-and-fuzzy piece on The New York Times’ “Weddings/Celebrations” website describes how Miami Heat’s team captain Udonis Haslem and his new wife, Faith Rein, fell in love, in part, while overcoming a tremendous challenge together. What was the challenge, you may ask. A forest... Read more
From Robert Kennedy Jr.’s “Dirty Journal”: “Despite the terrible things happening in the world, my life is . . . great,” Kennedy wrote on Nov. 5, 2001. “So I’ve been looking for ways to screw it up. I’m like Adam and live in Eden, and I can have everything but the fruit. But the fruit is all I want.” The fruit Robert Kennedy Jr. wanted was sex with women other than his wife, Mary Richardson Kennedy. Robert kept a journal about... Read more
From the movie “Ray”: Ray Charles: I hear like you see. Like that hummingbird outside the window, for instance. Della Bea Robinson: [astonished] I can’t hear her. Ray: You have to listen. Della: [closes her eyes and listens] YES! Ray: Yeah. Yes, you can… Uh-oh…did you hear that? Della: What?! Ray: Her heart just skipped a beat. We have several ruby-throated hummingbirds migrating through The Briar Patch these days. Their hearts (the size of a grain of rice) beat approximately... Read more
Cedars and Sandhills
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