Tugged
My thoughts have been tugged back to last Thursday night for more a whole week now. The air was cool with the first hint of autumn. A group of young women stood in a semi-circle. They wore strappy, stylish clothing … Continue reading
Category Archives: Prayer
To Olivia, on the Occasion of Her 12th Birthday
Dear Olivia, You’ve probably noticed me organizing our family photographic archives recently. I mean, how could you not notice me, camped out at our family’s desktop computer, blocking you from access to the latest YouTube episode of Good Mythical Morning?!? … Continue reading
Posted in Children, Family, God, Introspection, Nostalgia, Prayer, Traditions
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To Elliot, on the Occasion of His 14th Birthday
Happy Birthday, Elliot! Fourteen years ago, you were just 4 pounds, 13 ounces. Only 18.5 inches long. Today, you’re buying your own running shoes that are about the same size you were back then (men’s size 10!). And you’re making … Continue reading
Posted in Children, Family, God, Introspection, Nostalgia, Prayer, The Bible, Traditions, Transition
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Few Words
I’ve blogged for more than a decade. Two or three posts per week. The pace has slowed somewhat over the last couple of years. Over the last week, however, I’ve had many impulses to blog: about paper cups… about orphans… about terrorism… … Continue reading
To Olivia, on the Occasion of Her 11th Birthday
Dear Olivia, Happy Birthday! What a lovely life yours is to celebrate! To see you wiggle like a puppy when you see a puppy… to behold your creativity in putting a pencil to paper or a brush to canvas, thus … Continue reading
Posted in Family, God, Introspection, Nostalgia, Prayer, Traditions
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To Cor, on the Occasion of His 8th Birthday
Dear Cor, Happy Birthday, my boy! Crazy to think that it’s been eight full years since that middle-of-the-night in the delivery room at the Onze Lieve Vrouwe Gasthuis in Amsterdam! What a night that was… What a special boy you … Continue reading
Posted in Children, Family, Introspection, Prayer, Traditions
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Caught Between
I feel caught between two leadership principles. On the one hand, I know that cooler heads prevail in leadership. I’ve learned to tame my tongue. I’ve experienced the folly of acting out with incomplete information and unprocessed emotion. Knee-jerk rants … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Introspection, Leadership, Prayer
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Deerly Beloved
I made it back to Ohio just in time for another blast of winter weather, and I’m actually glad for it. I mean, Yosemite National Park is about as beautiful as it gets in the natural world, and the San … Continue reading
Posted in God, Introspection, Prayer, Recreation
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Small and Smiling
I’ve been meditating on the 111th Psalm this week, throughout my trip to California. It’s such a wonderful poem! It’s fed my soul as I’ve basked in the beauty of God’s creation in Yosemite National Park (a truly magnificant revelation … Continue reading
Posted in Amsterdam50, Church, God, H2O Kent, Introspection, Prayer, The Bible
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Thanksgiving Week
Since Friday, our household has suffered two severely-sprained ankles, one concussion, and the loss of one large tree from our back-yard. We’ve had trips to the airport, the Emergency Room, and the hardware store. And then, for some foolish reason, … Continue reading
