Christmastime
One of my favorite words is Christmastime. Not only because of the warm feeling it evokes when I think about it--but because of the way…
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Joyful noise
"The cork at last came out of the bottle with a heart-cheering noise."C.S. Lewis, Out of the Silent Planet, 17. My kids can hear the…
Now or later?
Relevance is time sensitive. This is why breaking news "matters" more than yesterday's news. Except when it doesn't. A tiny fraction of the breaking news…
Say what?
Peter Kreeft, in his introduction to his book on Pascal, says, "There is a higher and a lower mode of teaching. Books are the lower;…
Humor
I've been tremendously blessed to grow up and through institutions that knew how to laugh. Though, I can't pretend that the humor was always appropriate--it…
The revolving door
We lived in an apartment in Dallas. At first we were outgoing--trying to introduce ourselves to our neighbors, trying to remember their names, greeting with…
Rivalry
"Last one into the house is a rotten egg!" Making ordinary tasks into competitions can be a powerful way to motivate behavior. But it also…
Proof out loud
I had a word omission in the very first sentence. And another one missing just a few lines later. How does this happen? Haste. I…
Gifts
Some people love to give gifts. Throughout the year they are paying attention to you in a different way. They are listening for and taking…
Tell ’em
We hesitate to encourage people. For a variety of reasons. We worry that we'll sound cheesy or fake. Or that the moment will be awkward.…