When I was a kid we ate stewed tomatoes on bread. We'd take a slice of bread, slather some butter on it, pour heated up stewed tomatoes over it and call it dinner. I hated it. Sometimes we had it several times a week. I thought it was pure torture. Of course, we weren't permitted to complain. We were poor and it was sustenance and it fulfilled God's promise…

As you all know, I ride my bike a lot.  :)  Many of my miles come on the weekend - I usually ride early Saturday or Sunday morning (often both).  So far, they've all been solo rides, which is OK, but not great. So here's an open offer - if you're looking to go on a bike ride, call me!  You don't have to go far, or fast -…

While observing the gay marriage debate or the legalization of pot issue or other such 'progressive' trends, I constantly hear those favoring change charging their counterparts as being on the wrong side of history. Cloaking one's self in the robes of enlightenment while painting the opposition as living in the dark ages is a most common debate tactic designed to shut down reasoned argument and thus 'win'. It works…

Eric and I were talking about the Village recently and we started to talk about spiritual gifts. Certain churches are dominated by certain gifts. Some churches are extremely type A and may be dominated by gifts of administration and leadership. Others are more laid back and service oriented and may have many who share the gifts of helps and giving. Still others may have lots of folks with gifts…

Our goodbyes said The tear in my heart is sharp My face I cannot dry Why is it so hard this time? The loss is great My heart breaks Where is my former strength? Jesus be enough Let me feel your touch Hold me while I weep I need to feel your love Three tiny souls Who still need to learn and grow I must be the one To…

God has been working this theme in my life of reminding me that He will never leave me or forsake me.  I have a hard time trusting Him and believing that He wants to continue to take care of me.  And that He wants to care for all of my needs, spiritual, physical, everything. I had a really hard day today.  My emotions have just been so raw and…

Zeke told me that his brother, Christopher, had caught a 'dead koi fish'. I listen to this fish tale with a bit of a smile and then Zeke asked me if I could tell Reuben about catching the 'dead koi fish'. I called Reuben over and told him about this amazing catch. Zeke was listening excitedly and was thrilled that our resident fisherman was congratulating him on his brother's…

As some of you know, Reuben is returning to Alaska in about 10 days, March 2nd. He is going to be looking for work on someone else's boat either fishing for cod or halibut. He is returning so early this year due to financial reasons. Essentially, God has provided immensely in the past 4 months since Reuben's been home. Allowing my Cutco business to exceed expectations in Nov and…

I was listening to an interview on the radio yesterday and I heard a statistic that really alarmed me.  The woman being interviewed, Kat, is a survivor of human trafficking from Florida.  She has escaped from that life and now runs an organization that works to protect kids from that type of crime. What struck me was that 1/3 of the kids who approach her to share their experiences…

Hey all- would some of you mind sharing some elementary schools you recommend or would not recommend for me... trying to do some research from Detroit.... I think we will be living near the mcculley's - but that isn't for sure - and I really don't mind driving if it's a good school.

Rod, Thank you for mentioning the reality of loss in our community amongst our day of celebration and rejoice.  I am so grateful for your tact and gentleness to address the passing of Miriam's husband, Dennis' stepfather, Dave Hyatt.  Thank you for reminding us of Jesus' call to us, to hold both grief and gratitude simultaneously, so that we can feel met in our sorrows and our joys by…

When you grow stir crazy, you'll do almost anything to get out of the house. I needed to cash a check and make a deposit so I bribed my kid to drive me through the bank drive through with the promise of running through McDonalds on our way home. He agreed and off we went. It was so good to get out of the house. At McDonalds I had…

"Be careful what you ask for..." Mom always said. Mom is almost always right about these sorts of things and I would be wise to listen. I'm bored flopped out on the couch sucking down pain medication and watching television all day long. People come and visit and that is awesome because it breaks the monotony. Being the whiner that I am, I tell folks about how bored I…

Well, I screwed up. I went to my surgeon for my first follow up visit on Friday and I told him that I was only taking the muscle relaxants morning and evening and that I had almost weaned myself completely off the narcotic pain killers. The pain has been tough to manage, but I was managing it and was quite proud of myself for doing so. I was excited…

David snagged a book from his parent's house- and when we arrived in Detroit I snagged it and started reading it. Anyone who knows me well knows that I do one thing particularly well... and that thing is to cry. I cry. If you're crying and I am connected to your story- I'm gonna cry. However, I generally don't cry when I read books- I feel deeply inside, but…

I recently wrote a letter to the editor in response to an article where a local doctor had advocated for 'death with dignity' for people suffering from the various forms of dementia. In it I suggested there was nothing dignified about death, I declared it to be the enemy that it is. A woman who served as a chaplain responded by castigating me and talking about all the beautiful…