Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Communication: Real or “Phone-y”

Yesterday I bought my 10-year-old his first basic cell phone.  (He would say 10 ½)  I had always said that I would not get him one until he was driving, but apparently I was wrong.  We saw his last year’s teacher (last year as of 4 days ago) at the phone store.  He was so excited to see her, but me…well, I was a little embarrassed that I was buying an ex 4th grader (yet soon to be 5th grader) his own cell phone.  My son goes over to say hello and very excitedly he tells her what we are doing there.  I, without haste, said that my plan had always been to wait until he was driving, but that he was taking two separate unaccompanied airplanes trips this summer…(but it's not like he hasn’t done this before; it’ll be his 3rd time)  She quickly said that it was a good idea and also since he walks or rides his bike the 1 mile to and from school each day.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Bucket List: Yours or the Divine?

Though Webster’s Dictionary does not define it this way, insanity is often described as doing something the same way over and over again and expecting a different result.  I’m not sure how Webster would define jumping off a perfectly good bridge while strapped  by the ankles to a bungee chord. 

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Parenting?...Where are the Cliff Notes?

I became a parent about 23 years and 8 months ago.  I was old for my age, or at least I thought I was.  As I look back, age 16 was age 16; there was nothing “old” about it… but then again, most 16-year-olds will tell you differently; they’re supposed to, it’s in the Cliff notes version of The Guide to being 16: How to survive and not kill your parents either (just maim them.)

Friday, June 17, 2011

Inside or Out?

Are you the same person on the inside as you are on the outside?  This is a really tough question to answer honestly.  If you are not…why?  Me?...well funny you should ask.  In reality this is a trick question…who asked it anyway?  Okay, back to me the “asker” and the “answerer” of this question; are you the same person on the inside as you are on the outside?  

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Summer Camp and the Real World

I spent yesterday afternoon up at Lake Tahoe at Galilee, the Episcopal camp and conference center for the Diocese of Nevada.  My wife Tricia and I will be camp chaplains up there for a week this summer, so I went to represent us at the Staff and Chaplain training.  In the group of 12 who were able to be there we had four over 40, two in their thirties and six in their twenties.  In the group we had 1 bishop, 2 priests, 1 full time camp and conference center director, 1 full time camp program director, 1 missionary, 1 seminarian, 3 school teachers and 2 college students. 

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

The Road to Reconciliation

Here is something I recently told a friend who is standing tall in the midst of life's struggles...

God does not punish us for our sins, it is the sins themselves that do the punishing...

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Blogging should be easy...right?

I have blogged before... it was easy; it really was.  It was during my time in "Nam"...ya, really it was, but not the normal usage of the term "Nam".  Since I was born in 1970, I did not spend any time in the war against North Vietnam, but as an adult I spent two weeks there in the summer of 2007.