January 1st is a unique day. There are eleven other “firsts” in the year that all signify a new month, but only January 1st does double duty of also signifying a New Year. This wasn’t always the job o...  Read More

What do you do when you wake up with a feeling of anticipation that something important is going to happen today?  Fear and uneasiness seeps in.  Overwhelmed by the magnitude of unexplained change…the...  Read More

When is the best week of the year? It is this week, Dec 25–31! It has long been my favorite. Why? Many reasons, not the least of which is that my birthday, Dec 28, always falls exactly in the middle, ...  Read More

When I was growing up, my parents got together every-other weekend with two couples to play a game called Aggravation. I think they liked it because they played guys against the girls, and someone alw...  Read More

When we look deep below the ocean's surface, some of the stuff we see can be pretty wild. For example, did you know that the Sarcastic Fringehead, Sea Pig, Royal Gramma, and Bloodybelly Comb Jelly are...  Read More

The “Christmas story” of wise men, shepherds, and the baby in the manger comes from Matthew and Luke. But John’s gospel presents a different birth narrative, one that crystallizes the glorious truth a...  Read More