“I see you got the good garbage bags,” said my husband. He meant the white tall kitchen garbage bags with the red drawstring—sturdy white plastic that I can easily grab, tote out to the garage, and fling into the big […]
Commentary
Our Commitment to Our Kids
Nancy and I have been blessed with three awesome daughters, Amy, Alissa, and Lauren. Given their age spread, we faced the daunting prospect of having a teenage girl in the home for seventeen consecutive years. Lauren, the youngest, just turned […]
Extravagant Devotion
Be pondering this as you read this column. Is now the time to make an extravagant, costly display of devotion in gratitude for all God means to you? In my personal Bible reading I have been looking at a series […]
What We Know About Energy
One morning, I was the last one in the shower, only to find that the twelve-year-old had luxuriated so long that all the hot water was history. Grumbling and shivering, I wondered when I had last reminded her about taking […]
Our Connection to Trees
I’ve had trees on my mind lately, mostly because I’ve been shopping for one to replace a fallen tree in my front yard. I don’t often plant a new tree, so I spent a while searching through catalogs, flipping through […]
Righting Our Upside-down World
The superhero movie The Avengers, which unites comic-book icons Iron Man, the Hulk, Black Widow, Thor, Captain America, and Hawkeye to save the earth against nasty aliens from outer space, has racked up stellar reviews and huge audiences. I saw […]
A Gospel for All
In the gospels there are particular times when Jesus watches a person and then stops everything, stops all of the proceedings, and says to those around him: “Hey everyone—did you see what that person just did? Now that is what […]
Keeping Nature in Mind: Green Picnics
My idea of a picnic is lingering over a delicious gourmet meal under the spreading branches of a tree at my favorite park, in the company of adult friends who understand the art of conversation. However, the picnics I usually […]
The Alaska Story
This is the season for regional annual meetings. The Covenant, though one church, has eleven regions within the United States and Canada known as conferences. Each year delegates from churches within those areas gather to celebrate what God is doing […]
Where Do All My Recyclables Go?
The town I live in recently started single-stream recycling. Instead of sorting our recyclables into separate piles, we toss them all in one big bin for collection. I have to admit that it felt strange at first to throw everything […]
What Might Happen
You just never know what you are setting in motion through a simple act of faithfulness. A single unassuming, unpretentious, inconspicuous deed can be the precise moment God begins a movement that results in something that is, as the Apostle […]
Downsizing My Wardrobe
Lugging the huge dresser up the stairs to our bedroom was no picnic, but I was thrilled to inherit the beautiful old piece. I thought my mother had emptied it, but when I opened the top drawer, I found a […]