What We Get Wrong About Gift Giving
Starting in late November, Americans will spend upwards of $579 billion on holiday gifts. I count myself among this elite group. Though self-gifting is on the rise, most of us are focused on finding the perfect presents for all 37 people on our list, including:...
Favorite Illustrated Christmas Books
Though our three sons are sadly past the age where they want us to read to them, each Christmas, we continue to enjoy several picture books together. The following three texts rarely make any top ten lists but have been favorites of ours for many years. Prolific...
Space at the Table: Working Toward Diversity, One Meal at a Time
Our family moved from the inner city eight years ago. I could no longer tolerate the crush of humanity 24/7. We knew that moving outside of Rt. 128 (Boston’s loop) would most likely mean that our community would be less diverse. We planted ourselves in a small,...
How the Cross Confronts Broken Sexuality
Can a Man's Out of Control Sexuality Be Controlled by Castration? Or Does He Need the Cross? This week in Mass District Court, the defense attorney for a convicted child molester asked the judge if his client could undergo castration in the hope of reducing the...
Relevant Magazine: Why We Hide When Life Gets Hard
Last fall was the most difficult season in our 23 years of marriage. I was afraid to leave the house. It seemed each week brought more disaster and grief. In the midst of it all, I started shutting down, disappearing, going into a self-imposed relational and spiritual...
Halloween and the Gravitational Pull of Evil
One Ring to rule them all, One ring to find them; One ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them. When I was in middle school, my father made the unfortunate mistake of bringing home a stack of Cosmopolitan magazines. Having little discernment...
What If Your Dreams Cost More Than You Imagine?
Thousands of years ago, God gave a series of dreams to a teenage boy. The young shepherd intuitively understood they predicted his future. He imprudently shared the dreams with his already envious older brothers in a move that demonstrated both his immaturity, as well...
Establishing and Navigating Relational Boundaries
Inevitably, when individuals have served on my teams for a length of time, the lines of demarcation begin to soften. Mutuality, trust, and affection grow and lead to the dismantling of earlier boundaries. This can be wonderful, and also fraught with...
Autumn Quinoa Salad
Eating gluten free definitely does not have to be boring. This salad appeals to the eyes as well as the taste buds.If you have not ventured in to try quinoa yet, I highly recommend it, whether or not you are able to consume gluten. It has zero trans fat,...
To Those Who Need to Hear It, Well Done!
As a Bostonian, it’s difficult to get excited about anything that happens in Yankee Stadium unless the Red Sox sweep a series. But as I watched the clips* from Mariano Rivera’s final exit from the mound in last night’s game, I was powerless to stop the tears. ...