Christina and I were talking and we realized that for some people it was a bit weird when they heard that we were going to spend Thanksgiving with former members. But we have built a great relationship with them over the years. In fact, they were the first couple that we married in our church. […]
The Madness of Black Friday
In the last two years, Christina and I have participated in the Black Friday madness. We have been able to get some good deals last year, but this year we decided to take a break from all the madness. It might be rooted in a slight protest from all the consumerism. In fact, the last […]
Oh the Power of Twitter
We need to be in prayer for the situation in Mumbai, India. It is just humbling and heartbreaking when some of the craziness is happening in places that you have visited before the bombing. Here is a story on the power of Twitter
2008 Thanksgiving Reflections
Recently, I read an interesting reflection by Jill Carattini, who is a managing editor for a Ravi Zacharias International Ministries newsletter. She writes, “To our grumbling prone lips, these words are quite revealing. If being thankful is by nature being aware and appreciative of things beyond ourselves, complaining is refusing to see anything but ourselves. […]
Writing My Paper
I have been afforded a couple of days by my family to make some progress on my dissertation. I have locked myself in a hotel room and I do not plan on coming out until I have accomplished some of my goals. It is my hope that I can continue to make advancement on this […]
Chicago Trip 11.22.08
I just arrived to Chicago late night. Wow… it was probably the fastest plane ride to Chicago in all my years of flying. The pilot got us to Chicago in 40 minutes!! It is usually a 53 minute ride. I knew something was different because when we approached Chicago, the pilot had to slow down […]
A Day in the Life of Karissa
Today, Karissa and I headed out to her school at 6:30PM. It was a special day. All the kids in her class invited one of their parents to come and experience what a day in school is like for them. I decided to go and make it a daddy/daughter thing. Karissa’s excitement was contagious. Even […]
“24” is Back (Finally)
After a one year hiatus, the T.V. show 24 will be premiering a 2-hour special movie this coming Sunday, November 23rd. It is called, “24: Redemption.” This will try to explain what happens between seasons 6 and 7. I think many people were disappointed with the last season. The first 3 or 4 seasons were […]
Daisy Girl Scouts
Karissa went to her first Daisy Girl Scouts today. You should have seen her face when she came back. She was so pumped for a 5 year old! Karissa ended up showing me her whole 7 month schedule (page by page). She also showed me her pledge or commitment card that she had to recite. […]
The Bigger Man
Photo: Reuters Now that the elections are over, the president-elect Barack Obama is in the process of forming his cabinet. This has been in the news for the last couple of weeks. But the thing that has caught my attention and impressed me about Obama is that in the last few […]
Seven Days of Sex
I have always been challenged and inspired by Pastor Ed Young from Fellowship Church when it comes to creativity and doing things with excellence. He has done it again. Fellowship Church is starting a new series called, “Seven Days of Sex.” Provocative? Yes. It even made the ABC News reporter blush a little bit. You […]
Northwestern vs. Michigan 2008
This is a big game. Michigan is trying to salvage whatever they can from this losing season and Northwestern is trying to get into a bowl game. To the average Michigan and Northwestern football fan, it is all about identification with their team and bragging rights. So what do we do […]
Faith is Always Required
I was ministered by the Holy Spirit with a quote that I read today. It is by George MacDonald (1824-1905) in his book, “Weighed and Wanting.” MacDonald said, “The principal part of faith is patience.” One major weakness that I have is impatience. Since I am an ENTJ, according to the Myers-Briggs personality test (you […]
Veteran’s Day 2008
Today is Veteran’s Day and a time to remember many of the men and women who have served in the armed forces. It is also a time to remember some of the people who are serving right now in Iraq and Afghanistan. With some of our members serving in the military […]