One of the most striking things about the weekend was the sharp contrast between where the wedding and the reception took place. The wedding was at a very small, even quaint Missouri Synod Lutheran church nestled in the midst of a working class neighborhood on the north side of Chicago. . . a congregation struggling
Kathy and I spent Friday and Saturday in Chicago for the wedding of her second cousin, Tim Marler, to a lovely young woman named Jennifer. It was a wonderful and exciting two days, although one bit of excitement was not so wonderful. As we finished up the rehearsal Friday night and were about to depart
If you walk up to the front door of our church, Holy Communion Lutheran Church, you won’t see any signs saying “Welcome to this House of Worship.” Instead, there is this sign in big, red, insistent-looking letters: DO NOT ENTER - NO EXCEPTIONS? Sounds like a rather odd evangelistic effort, don’t you think? It’s as
As I see my 50th birthday looming ever nearer (as of yesterday, exactly 8 months away) I’m impressed by the subtle and not-so-subtle ways in which the world around me says I’m old. Some of it comes from embracing antiques such as newspapers (I read at least one a day - and I mean the
Today was one of those mornings when it is especially fun to be a member of the media. It was 7:58 a.m. and I was just getting my morning show tape cued up when the phone rang in the production room. I’m glad I answered it because it was my boss, Dave Cole, who was
For all of the good things I have managed to accomplish in my life, God has this way of keeping me thoroughly grounded - chiefly in how almost every moment of glory will be paired with a moment that doesn’t just gently nudge me off of my self-made pedestal but blows me off of it
Our household expanded by one dog this morning, which is one reason why it looks like I won’t be getting to church for the first time in I can’t tell you how long. Our friends the Barrows are out of town and their dog sitter bailed on them at the last minute (kids, these days!)
I have long been a zealot when it comes to great movies that I think everyone should see . . . but when it comes to “Up” I become a combination of Moses, Hulk Hogan, and William Jennings Bryan. I do not hesitate to implore my friends, acquaintances, colleagues, - and even a few complete
I have been sitting here in the living room, itching to get on the computer - and I mean that almost literally because I practically developed a case of hives while waiting for my turn while Kathy finished up whatever she was doing, That says something about my terribly impatient nature (it’s a trait that
Susan Boyle has been on my mind lately, the woman who made such a gigantic splash on the television program “Britain’s Got Talent” . . . which isn’t even shown here in the United States. But through the wonders of the internet and websites like YouTube, just about any American with a pulse has seen
