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The snow we received on Tuesday was the most powdery I’d seen in a long time. It was nothing like the dense, icy precipitation that has stuck around underneath. The contrast reminded me of an old claim that Eskimos have more than 50 different words f…
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Judging from the photographs taken on Inauguration Day, the Bible in Jill Biden’s hands for the swearing-in ceremony must have been at least 10 pounds. With a five-inch thick binding and metal clasps to hold the pages together, that was one big Bible…
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Among the more wondrous moments of 2020 was the appearance of the “Christmas star” in the early evening southwestern sky. People from many walks of life and across the planet took note of that infrequent conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn – the solar…
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On one of the bookshelves in my office sits a small piece of driftwood. I picked it up along the shores of northern Lake Michigan while on vacation several years ago. It was a beautiful long weekend at a cabin with good friends where we enjoyed lots…
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I still use a paper planner. They’re filled with pencil written appointments, services, reminders, and to-do lists. While our family shares an online calendar to make sure we never abandon the kids at choir practice, I still use – and love – my paper…
I am a last-minute wrapper, I admit. If I used glue, it would still be damp when the person was opening the gift. Christmas Eve has usually included a late candlelight service, followed by cocoa and cookies at home, and then a final wrapping session…
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“What’s the difference between a wish and a hope?” JP asked us this question, but he didn’t answer it. We didn’t answer it either that night. We shared some ideas, but the conversation remained unfinished. Youth group went on, but the question stuck…
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A few years ago I met a friend for coffee. We ordered our drinks and sat down and my friend cut to the chase. “How are you?” she asked with a certain pointedness that suggested she wasn’t interested in small talk. “Work is hard,” I said. The church I…
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Earlier this year, a police officer in Slidell, Louisiana, made what had every appearance of a fairly routine traffic stop. Only after they pulled over did realize there was more to discuss with the driver than originally anticipated. The officer ran…
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As I write this, I can hear my kids doing remote school with their amazing teachers here in Davenport (Thank you, teachers!). I am continually distracted by the unexpected joy of my third-grade daughter learning multiplication through a screen. It tu…
If you were to step into the kitchen right now and bake a cake from scratch, how would you rate your skill as a baker? What about your coordination for catching a ball? Or your talent for dancing? How would you evaluate the level of your compassion?…
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With the changing of the seasons, I imagine many of us have similar routines where we prepare our houses, yards, and wardrobe for the colder weather. I don’t have a lot of household decorations for the fall but I do enjoy putting out a few pumpkins,…