Category Archives: Musings

Independence Day: Still Worth Celebrating

Today is “Independence Day,” and we celebrate all that it means. Thanks to the brave men and women of 1776, we enjoy a nation of unprecedented #freedom, abundance, and prosperity unlike anything in the history of the world. But, as Benjamin Franklin would famously say later, it’s our republic, “If we can keep it.”  WeContinue reading “Independence Day: Still Worth Celebrating”

Standing Up for Your Convictions Without Changing Your Profile Pic

There’s a word that’s been used a lot in the last couple days over social media in regards to the decision by the Supreme Court to legalize gay marriage.  Don’t worry, it’s not a word that is offensive.  At least it shouldn’t be. There’s been a lot of yelling, back and forth, about convictions.  OneContinue reading “Standing Up for Your Convictions Without Changing Your Profile Pic”

“Birdman” Beating “Sniper” Wasn’t Surprising, And Not for the Reasons You May Think

As much as I wanted American Sniper to win Best Picture last night, I knew it wouldn’t. And this has nothing to do with “liberal Hollywood.” If you know the Oscar game and have studied its history for 87 years, this is just another example of Hollywood getting it wrong because it’s swept up inContinue reading ““Birdman” Beating “Sniper” Wasn’t Surprising, And Not for the Reasons You May Think”

10 Things Parents Can Do for Their Kids to Help Them Succeed

I have four children, so I get it.  Parenting is hard. As James Dobson once wrote, it’s not for cowards.  That beautiful little sleeping newborn is actually the beginning of a full grown human being, with wants, desires, attitudes, feelings, and emotions.  And as that baby grows up, it will ask more and more ofContinue reading “10 Things Parents Can Do for Their Kids to Help Them Succeed”

10 Things You Can Learn from Disney’s “Frozen”

It’s the biggest movie in years, crossing over from family and little girls who love princesses to being a global phenomenon.  It’s a two-time Oscar winner with thousands of YouTube covers of its songs, and beginning its 16th week in theaters, even after it was released on Digital Download, it was number 6 at theContinue reading “10 Things You Can Learn from Disney’s “Frozen””

What the Seattle Seahawks Can Teach Parents and Kids Everywhere

I’m not a football fan.  I don’t obsess about records or scores.  I can remember the names of players from my childhood better than the players who currently take the field.  And yet, living in Seattle, it’s hard not to give in to the 12th Man. They’re everywhere.  The people I work with are obsessed. Continue reading “What the Seattle Seahawks Can Teach Parents and Kids Everywhere”

Top 10 Books of 2013

The best books I read this last year. Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin.  The Pulitzer Prize-winning book is one of the most amazing biographies and histories I’ve ever read.  When it comes to a historical figure as well-known as Lincoln, it may seem like there would be veryContinue reading “Top 10 Books of 2013”

Sorry, Pilgrims, Thanksgiving Isn’t About You.

Forget “Black Friday” sales or pumpkin pie or mashed potatoes. Thanksgiving isn’t about them. Forget the Pilgrims or the Plymouth Rock or the Wampanoags or Squanto. It isn’t about them either. At least it wasn’t in 1863, when Thanksgiving Day, as we know it now, first came to be. Abraham Lincoln wasn’t thinking about starchedContinue reading “Sorry, Pilgrims, Thanksgiving Isn’t About You.”

Thoughts After the Wedding

I had the privilege of officiating at a wedding yesterday. I’ve done a few weddings since becoming a pastor, but this one was extra special.  I’d known the bride and groom since high school.  I was the drama teacher where both of them were students.  In fact, I’d cast them both in the classic playContinue reading “Thoughts After the Wedding”