As the clock passes six in the morning, I anticipate the sound of little feet and a very loud voice entering my room. My son is a loud talker from 5:30 to 9:00 in the morning. I used to wonder why the volume and the intensity at these God forsaken hours only, but here’s what I have learned. Although...

Life through a four year old’s eyes is so much more. More colorful. More emotional. More fantastic. My son has an obsession of late. Not pancakes or superheroes, but George Lucas’ world in the galactic Empire. Most of you know it as Star Wars. My wife has less hair from pulling and less breath...

Lent is a season of learning to lose. This may not seem like a huge revelation for some, but learning to lose is a virtue for Christians seeking a well-rounded spiritual life.  It’s true for our Lord and it’s especially true for us.  We Christians occupy the gracious reality of the larger perspective....

Advent candles lit round the world declare our longing for the coming of Christ. We wait. And, in our waiting we hope, we pray, we yearn. Advent is a season where our energies and passions for all things to be made right are kindled. Christ, the precious Baby in the manger, is coming for us all to celebrate....

I never realized jury duty could be so awful and so illuminating. Probably the most redeeming factor in my recent stint of prolonged observation of mutually egotistical litigious blathering was this pearl of wisdom. The case details are insignificant for this story. I’ll spare you all the nonsense....

As you’ve probably heard, American rock band R.E.M. officially broke up on Wednesday, September 21. In the ’80s, along with Irish rock band U2, R.E.M. was the most prominent voice adapting underground sensibilities to mainstream radio. In the ’90s they got huge and became elder statesmen...

People hurt us. Misrepresent us. Abuse us. Sometimes we have an advocate. But many times we are left with wounds and painful memories. I considered this in the last piece “Spare the Son.” As writers and readers we participate in a ceaseless dialogue that can destroy, confuse or distract....

Sitting atop a tree limb, Peering down, I pray. There’s a preacher in town. Some say he’s a Messiah. I just want to see him. Humiliated on my perch. No better than a raven. A short man. Hardly taller than a child. Searching for an answer. My life is a paradox. My name means “pure and...

Somewhere in March I stumbled upon a call for poetry “This is my Story” and knew that I needed to participate. I resonated with the need to share our stories and lessons learned along the journey of faith.  I assumed my submissions would fall by the wayside like most other efforts, but I was pleased...

In the last piece “Whose Banner?“, I challenged us to name our loyalties and reveal our hypocrisies. This piece takes us one step further. Not only do we need to consider for whom we do battle but a deeper question must also be raised, “Why fight?” The philosophical-religious...