Recently, I began leading two different men’s groups I’m simply calling D Group 1 and D Group 2. The first includes four guys who are a bit older than I am, and the second includes a twenty-something and a teenager. We just started Francis Chan’s Multiply, a fantastic study on becoming and making disciples—which is…
Blaming My Racket and Buying Fair Trade
When I was learning to play tennis as a young teenager, I used what most of us did back then, an aluminum racket. These were quite a bit heavier than the various ones you can get rather inexpensively today, like the graphite rackets I bought for our girls. I play with a much better material these days when I do get out to the courts, one I couldn't have been trusted with in my early days.
Ignoring Insults and Pretending to Be Rich
When I was a kid my older brothers unrelentingly teased me. Today I don't remember what they teased me about. I was a pretty normal kid. Maybe a little wimpy, but I couldn't say I made a natural target for teasing, except that I was the youngest. I would retaliate by tattling about anything and everything. When I would complain about my brothers' teasing, my mother's reply was always the same, "Just ignore them."
Putting your money where your mouth is … or something like that
When our girls were much younger, we were grateful to be far from our hometown, if anything to be away from some of the negative influences at home, the ones I grew up with. My dad liked to tease, though he did so not maliciously. It was just his way.
The Friendship and the Fear
A repeated theme in Proverbs is the personification of wisdom, how she calls out inviting the simple into understanding. We live in the information age, yet for many, wisdom is elusive. With the Internet, there are boundless opportunities for learning, but there is also the proliferation of inaccuracy. Wisdom still calls.
Oil, Honey and Eyelashes
In high school I had a serious girlfriend for about two years. As serious as a relationship can get in high school, I suppose. By the way, this relationship is one among myriad reasons for not allowing our girls to date until after high school.
What I learned on a zip line in the Rockies
During the weekend we had opportunities for moderately safe adventures, including hiking and repelling. Some men went fly flishing too, though I'm not sure there's much danger in that. There would have been if I'd gone along.
Beast and the Beauty
My second annual review at my first church in Toledo was a hard one to receive. The first year, that honeymoon year, had gone quite well. The second year not as much.
Further Admission and Testimony
I don't know whether this is true or not, because I have no knowledge of the legal profession, but I've seen this on law shows and movies. When one agrees to a guilty plea, typically resulting in a lesser punishment, they must admit their guilt in open court.
Beating Peter in a Footrace
I have a hard time watching baseball teams like the Yankees and Red Sox, not just because they are evil AL East empires with vast (and unfair) payrolls, but because I never know who the players are, since they don't imprint players' names on the backs of their jerseys. In reading John's gospel you'll discover that he never mentions himself by name.
