5
A wave of tidying up took over the country in January this year. Marie Kondo, the bestselling author of The Magical Art of Tidying Up, starred in a Netflix show that motivated thousands to declutter their homes. Kondo invites us to tidy up and find r…
8
A few years ago, I bought a new (to me) car. Before making a pretty major investment, I spent months researching different dealers and car brands, reading consumer reviews on safety and reliability, wanting to make sure I spent my money wisely. Befor…
6
There is a strong human desire to reciprocate when it comes to “balancing the score” for victims of mass murder. Executing heinous killers makes significant emotional and intuitive sense. Most of us feel rage when reacting to the awfulness of a crime…
It seems that no matter how busy we are, waiting is a part of life. We wait for buds on the tree to indicate that winter is finally over. We wait on test results from the doctor’s office. We wait to hear from a potential employer after a job intervie…
7
Today is February 14. Do you have an open bag of chocolate sitting next to you, too? I do. Advertising geniuses around the world work hard to train us to crave chocolate on Valentine’s Day. More often than not, it works. The chocolate I have on my de…
5
I’m not always the most health conscious person, but over Christmas, my younger sister kept fussing with her Fitbit so, growing curious, I asked her what it did. Pulling up the app on her phone, she showed me how it tracked her steps, monitored her s…
17
Editor’s note: A couple of weeks ago, Pastor Sara Olson-Smith wrote about how she loves the snow. Pastor Katy Warren would like to offer a rebuttal. I hate the snow. Hate is a strong word. Perhaps “very much dislike” would be a bit kinder. Some will…
8
Is it ever okay to lie? Our numerous and nuanced responses to this question could fill a library. None of them, however, should mask the fact that we all lie. Most of us are quite adept at it. We may lie to promote ourselves or protect ourselves or i…
1
On Sunday, I met up with 120 of my closest friends from church for no other reason than to put on wheeled shoes and wiggle around on a slick surface. That’s right, we went roller skating. It’s good to switch things up like this. To see the people you…
9
I love the snow. I know I’m in the minority opinion on this. But I love it, even knowing the chaos a snowstorm brings to lots of people. It causes danger on roads and sidewalks. Poor, homeless, and elderly people are vulnerable to its cold. There are…
8
I recently came across the tale of Yuri Gagarin, a Russian cosmonaut and the first person to travel into space. Though the ship that launched Gagarin up into Earth’s atmosphere was quite large, his quarters were quite small – coat closest small. The…
14
My wife, K.D.’s, car battery died a few days before the new year. The engine teased her with a few sputters before it decided to give up. I gave K.D. a ride to and from work that day, and we let the car sit for the weekend. There was a part of me tha…