The Waiting Game

I’m standing in line at Toys R Us as I write this.   Trust me, I’ve got the time.  It’s the Saturday before Thanksgiving, and apparently they’re giving away free money or something because every person in central Kentucky is in line in front of me.   I’ve never seen this many people in the store at one time.   My wife is doing the math and telling me how I messed up and picked the wrong line.  Every line, of course, is moving faster than ours.

It reminds me of how much of Christmas involves waiting.  Every time my daughter asks me how long until Christmas, no matter what I say, she always answers with, “that’s too long!”  We actually have two advent calendars just to give us something to do while we wait.   

Two Black Fridays

Two Black Fridays
Fridays after a feast
One, frivolous
The other, grim
2,000 years apart

The Friday after Thanksgiving
When shoppers flood the malls
The day when store ledgers shift
From red to black
From debt to abundance
A shortfall erased
In a single day

The Friday after the

A Thanksgiving Mascot That Rocks!

Forget the pilgrims.  Forget the turkeys.  I'm nominating a new Thankgiving mascot.  The Good Samaritan!  No, not that guy.  The other good Samaritan.  You, know, the thankful one?  Hello? 

Oh c'mon, don't tell me you've never heard of the other Good Samaritan.  Why does that first guy get all the good press?  Just because he gave some poor sucker a donkey ride to the ER?  Forget that joker.  Let's talk about the real Good Samaritan, the guy who should become the new Grand Marshal of the Macy's parade. 

Thanksgiving 365

When my wife and I first got married, I had this wild, romantic notion to keep a secret thankfulness journal for her.  Yeah, I know it sounds dumb, but I was young and in love.   So, sue me.  Here’s how it was supposed to work.  Every day for a year I planned to write down one thing I loved about her.  Then I would surprise her the next Christmas with a year’s worth of appreciation.  I imagined when she opened it she would swoon and then cook me a really nice dinner.  Women love that kind of stuff, right?   

The Thanksgiving Rip-Off

I used to think Abraham Lincoln was a smart guy until I realized it was his idea to put Thanksgiving between Halloween and Christmas.  I mean, c’mon.  This poor holiday never stood a chance.  Abe, what were you thinking? 

This Week's Life Less Traveled: Me Do It!

For a two year-old, my daughter Kate has an amazing command of the Queen’s English.  Some of her favorite phrases include: 

1.      I want cheese (take my picture).

2.      I stinky (change my diaper).

3.      Dress (put some clothes on me, dummy).

As you can see, most of the words she uses are commands.  I think she’s convinced I’m her butler.  Her favorite phrase by far, though, the phrase that she repeats at least twenty times a day, is the ever-popular “Me do it.” 

The Motions

Life's too short to just go through the motions. What would it take today to make sure you have no regrets? This song inspires and convicts me every time I hear it.

How Reliable Is Your Water Supply?

I grew up so far in the country that we didn't actually have what we called "city water."  In other words weren't connected to a public utility system.  No pipes came to our house.  Instead we had a cistern, a big concrete tank buried in the back yard up to its lid. 

Once a week or so we had to order a load of water from a guy who would pull up in his truck with a metal tank on the back, run a hose to the cistern and fill us up.  The bummer would be when we would forget to order water or not realize we were low until it was too late.  Then we'd just be stuck with no water all.  No showers, no washing dishes, no flushing toilets.  Nothing. 

This Week's Life Less Traveled: Opinon Polls Remix

This week's column is a rewrite of the Opion Polls blog post from October.

When I was a senior in high school, I campaigned to be voted "Most Likely to Be President." It just seemed like the fair way to get it.  After all, we’re talking the presidency here.  So between classes I began to shake as many hands as I could and bombard my fellow students with my clever campaign slogan, "Jason Byerly, most likely to be president.  Vote for me."  Once the votes were counted, it was no contest.   I won my first and only election and have the yearbook to prove it. It was one of my finest moments.

Children Don’t Learn They Matter from the Bible. They Learn it From You.

Here's a great Donald Miller blog post about what a huge impact we have on the kids in our life. It's a fantastic reminder for anyone who lives or works with kids!

Children Don’t Learn They Matter from the Bible. They Learn it From You.