Ten-Year-Old in the House

I don’t feel nearly old enough to have a ten-year-old in the house, but since I’ve got one as of today, I’m very grateful she’s this one.
Happy birthday, Sweet Pea. I love you more than I sometimes show and you know.

The Color of Heaven

We had quite an international experience Friday night. Our friends, the Venkatesans, are from India and invited a few families over for dinner to celebrate Arun’s birthday (he’s a doctor here in St. Louis). In addition to the Venkatesans and us, there was another American family, another family from India, and a family from Pakistan [...]

On Raising Kids Gracefully, part 2

As I have four young daughters – each of whom I dread possibly dealing with the rebellion struggles Jack Miller did with his – I chose to read his book, Come Back, Barbara. The book is not particularly well-written, but in terms of new insight, Miller’s reflection on his relationship in Barbara’s youth sums it [...]

On Raising Kids Gracefully

Though I’m not one for parenting books in general, Tim Kimmel’s Grace Based Parenting is a helpful take on what parenting by principle looks like. I liked his approach, perspective, and evaluation of what’s behind so much bad parenting advice today, namely fear. He writes:

“Parents armed with little more than a vibrant relationship with God [...]

Black Friday on the Farm

I’m doubtful many folks are checking blogs today, but if you are:

We had a great Thanksgiving here on the farm – fun with family, amazing food, some basketball, a star-filled evening hayride, a couple of naps
No one has so much as even mentioned doing a little Black Friday shopping
Megan and the girls are going to [...]

Conflict Resolution from the Six-and-Under Crowd

Overheard this afternoon from the bathroom (I have no idea what the issue was):
6-year-old: I’m telling.
5-year-old: I’m telling Mom.
6-year-old: I’m telling Mom AND Dad.
5-year-old: I’m telling the whole world.
Silence.
I doubt the issue was properly resolved, but they’re not arguing about it anymore. It’s amazing what the threat of public accountability does for the six-and-under crowd [...]

Walking the Line Between Loss and Hope

You may not know it (I didn’t), but on July 27th of 2005, Congress proclaimed October 15th Stillbirth Remembrance Day, also sometimes called Stillbirth and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. Though you might not know it, today is a hard day for many.
It may sound like a gigantic exaggeration, but almost every couple Megan and I know [...]

Cleaning the World, One Door at a Time

“Let everyone sweep in front of his own door, and the whole world will be clean.” Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

It’s a beautiful weekend here in the Lou, and we’re taking full advantage of it…by staying in the house and doing some Fall cleaning. Between the bookstore and assorted weekend plans, it’s been so long since [...]

September’s Third Weekend

For as long as I can remember, my hometown of Griggsville, IL (population 1,300 and self-proclaimed “Purple Martin Capital of the Nation“), has always hosted its annual Apple Festival on the third weekend of September.
Put briefly for my more urban readers, the Apple Festival is a semi-epic celebration of small town life, complete with more [...]

Getting Out of Dodge

Yesterday I asked my friend and bookstore boss, Nick, how he was doing. His response: “Life’s winning.” Seeing as how I feel the same way, we’re heading to the farm this weekend for the Griggsville Apple Festival (and a break).
Megan jokes that the Apple Festival should be renamed the “Corn Dog Festival,” as there’s nary an apple [...]

Being the Minority in the Sorority

Similar to last Friday, I’m suffering from a campaign hangover after the Republican National Convention (I didn’t even watch Senator McCain last night – yawn). With 60 days to go, it’s time for a political break.
In trying to write about what I’ve been thinking of late, I confess I’m at a loss: I’ve not been [...]

The Reverse

As mortgage payments tend to be more than the rent kind, I started a second job this week working part-time in Covenant Seminary’s bookstore. It’s a good schedule for me that works with my teaching: Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays from 4-6 p.m., and about every other Saturday from 9:30-2:30. In addition, Megan will cover the [...]

2:23 a.m.

Megan: (sits up in bed, then mumbles as she falls back against the pillow)
Me: (groggily) What’s wrong?
Megan: There’s a child lying across the foot of the bed.
Me: Is it one of ours?

Summer 2008: Closed

This weekend marked the official end of summer for us, and none too soon.
Thursday saw the start of school at Westminster, and that made for a couple of overwhelming (but still enjoyable) days. I have 106 students (mostly freshmen and sophomores) this year in three sections of Biblical Ethics and two section of New Testament, [...]

Saying Thanks

As part of my Sabbath today, I wrote thank you notes all afternoon – to family who helped us buy and furnish our house; to friends who watched our kids and helped us move; to new neighbors who have been, well, pretty darn neighborly. In doing so, I realized I hadn’t really offered any thanks to you, [...]

Top Ten Ways to Frighten the New Neighbors

10. Introduce yourself…with psychoses.
9. Spread out all your crap stuff across the backyard and explain that, just for fun, you’re re-creating the plane crash set from LOST.
8. Recruit high school students to help you move so everyone thinks you have 17 teenagers.
7. Ask if you can borrow a roll of toilet paper, and then ask [...]

Beauties and a Beast

Here’s a shot from our short 24-hour stint at the farm this past weekend. Pictured above are the ladies with Bruce, a ten-year-old pureblood black lab whose owner thought Bruce needed more room to roam and some country air to breathe in these, the twilight of his years.
Slow and easy in the morning, crafts and [...]

Taking a Break from Boxes Linkage

It’s been a long while since I’ve posted some linkage, so in light of it being Friday, here you go:

We’re still in need of about $1,000 for our home closing (in four days), so if you’ve yet to take advantage of our $10 Gets You 15 Songs deal, now is the time.
In case you’re wondering, [...]

Over Halfway There: Update

As Megan and I are six days away from closing on our house, several of you have asked about the latest on the Remember Not to Forget project. An update would seem in order. Currently:

The download page for the songs has had 116 visits.
We have $1167.49 in hand.
We are aware of at least another $350-400 [...]

It’s Hard to Soar Like an Eagle When You’re a Turkey

In case you didn’t know, Founding Father (sounds like a band name) Ben Franklin thought the turkey should be our national bird instead of the eagle. (I first learned this when I was doing the show 1776 – I played Richard Henry Lee – back in 1990 at the Jacksonville Theatre Guild.)
Though Franklin argues his [...]