Good Gifts

Good Gifts

When I was in the second or third grade, I got an unusual haul from Santa Claus. Before I indicate the actual gifts, I probably ought to tell a quick story. As a kid, I loved to work with my dad’s tools. I frequently would “borrow” them and then leave them scattered...
Luther’s Christmas Tree

Luther’s Christmas Tree

I love Christmas stories that give us insight into real people. One of my spiritual heroes is Martin Luther and a cool anecdote surrounds his family’s Christmas tree. It seems that Luther was in route home after a worship service in his hometown of Wittenberg. As he...
Laughter is a Gift from God

Laughter is a Gift from God

I believe that Jesus loved to laugh. I think that as He and His disciples sat around a campfire at night, they rehearsed some of the silly things of the day. When someone remembered the squabble James and John had that day, everyone would laugh, including Jesus. When...
Prone to Wander, Lord, I Feel It

Prone to Wander, Lord, I Feel It

When I was 6 or so years of age, my father got transferred to Hawaii (yea, Navy!). My brother was two going on three and he was a mover and a shaker. He never sat still, always on the go. Our mode of transportation was a special cruise ship for military families. It...
Your Jar

Your Jar

I read a good modern “fable” this week. A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the...
Names

Names

I am fascinated about how things get named.  Here’s one good example.  Apparently during the 15th century, English hunters were given the job to assign names to groups of animals. Those names were quite whimsical. A group of parrots were called...