I have a spiritual mother, and she punches me, a lot, and really, really hard.
I’ve heard a lot lately about spiritual mentors. Certainly it is gaining ground as a staple of true, intentional discipleship. And while I see this as an invaluable tool, I think there is one more opportunity that’s perhaps even more effective than spiritual mentors Read the rest of this entry
Yup, that’s us!
Welcome back to WHEEL WEDNESDAY! (aka Monday.)
On February 15, 2012, my wife and I appeared on Wheel of Fortune during their valentine’s couples’ week. I am writing a detailed account (in parts) for those interested (and because in the months before our show we read as many blogs as possible from former contestants). I plan to post one new part each week for the next few weeks. My original intent was to have a Wheel Wednesday, but I started last Monday, thus, the reason for the first line of this post.
You are about to embark on the second leg of our journey together.
In my last post, I discussed the loss of a friend. If you haven’t read it yet, you can read about it here. I’ve wondered how to follow up such a serious and emotional post. I’m dry, witty, and sarcastic by nature, but unfortunately sometimes my humorous ways don’t feel all that appropriate. (Although, I often still try, much to my wife’s dread. Tune in next week for the return of sarcasm! See, I just did it right there.) I spent this whole week trying to help my friends in any way possible as they planned a major, city-wide funeral. And in the midst of that, we lost another friend, who’d been struggling with cancer for some time. We spent our entire day yesterday, (from 9-9) attending funerals. And amid all the death and tragedy, I realized, or was reminded of, how important relationships are. Read the rest of this entry
Some think I’m slightly insane. After reading the following, you may agree, and I’m perfectly okay with that.
Yesterday we spent some time with our nearest and dearest friends, Nate and Dawniel. They just lost their brother-in-law, a local police officer named Justin, while he was on duty. The entire town has quickly rallied to support his widow, Danielle, and their three young sons, all under age 6. We sat with our closest friends, and we talked, and we shared, and we cried. It was gut wrenching. Read the rest of this entry
Kristi and I have a friend, and for the sake of privacy, we will call her Alicia Rose Klepper (post-marriage) or Alicia Rose Elliot (pre-marriage). She is constantly doing things for others and never seeks credit, so I thought I’d take a moment and honor her with a post. Read the rest of this entry
Yup, that’s us!
On February 15, 2012, my wife and I appeared on Wheel of Fortune during their valentine’s couples’ week. I am writing a detailed account (in parts) for those interested (and because in the months before our show we read as many blogs as possible from former contestants). I plan on posting one new part each week for the next few weeks. Perhaps we can start a Wheel Wednesday (of course, this is Monday, so we’re already starting off poorly, let’s pretend so we can keep the catchy Wheel Wednesday phrase). HAPPY WEDNESDAY! Only two days of work left. Congratulations. Have yourself a long weekend. Oh, and keep reading… Read the rest of this entry
Emotions are such sweet sorrow. Or are they such sweet joy? As a married man, that often depends on how my wife is feeling on a particular day.
I can never tell how my emotions are going to react to any given situation Read the rest of this entry
One of the things that bugs me most about theologians is, well, how theological they are, particularly when they try to explain things.
I was putting my 5-year-old daughters (yes, plural, I have identical twin girls) to bed recently and, after prayer time, Abby looked up and, out of the blue, asked, “Daddy, how can God know everything?”
WHOA, where did THAT come from? Read the rest of this entry
What does that say? It’s pronounced “di-shipe-uhl-shmip.” I REALLY wanted to make that the name of this entire blog site, but everyone I pitched it to shot me down. I need more humorous friends. They just don’t get it. (If you’re my friend and you’re reading this, I’m NOT talking about you, just everybody else. You have a great sense of humor. I like you. We hate them.)
I think we have a discipleship problem in America, so I’ve decided to dub what we do “dischpleshmip.” At some points we’re close to true discipleship, and at other points, we’re a million miles away.
We all know someone who’s always unpredictable, but technically, doesn’t that make them predictable? Or at least predictably unpredictable.
My Dad was always unpredictable, but a few incidents rise above the rest. We had spent one morning enjoying the outdoors, and around ten or eleven in the morning we packed up the truck and headed home, or so I thought. He decided to take a few scenic tours Read the rest of this entry
