You know those super awkward moments where everyone is standing in an elevator and no one is talking? They seem to happen anytime we find ourselves in a contained area with a bunch of strangers.
I had a moment like that recently when I was flying somewhere by myself. I had parked the car in the cheapest airport lot, which meant ... Read More
Want to really enjoy this holiday season? Try giving to others out of delight, not duty.
Sure, there are gifts we feel obligated to give. But the magic of Christmas comes when we re-create the spirit of the season for another person just because we feel like it. It’s not hard.
Ask Katie Kringstad, the director of children’s ministry at First Lutheran ... Read More
Over the years, Saul and I have added to our family. First it was a dog (RIP Robby Dog Phillips). Then it was our three biological children. Then it was another dog (Dakota is currently sleeping next to me in my office). Then it was two precious boys, the same age as our middle son, Charlie. One of the boys ... Read More
Have you ever bitten off more than you could chew?
I’m not talking about the Christmas ham — I’m talking about a project you thought you could handle, but couldn’t. That’s what happened to Oscar Bergos from Moorhead, Minn.
Luckily, kindness pulled up to save the day.
“About 15 years ago, I had a cottage out near Detroit Lakes, Minn. Although I was ... Read More
I’ve been followed around the last few weeks by these words…
“Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay.”
My youngest son, Ben, and I have been having some deep philosophical conversations about decision making. Ben is eight so usually his biggest ... Read More
For the record, you should never do anything in front of children that you might find embarrassing when talked about in front of adults.
When we go on vacation, I like to hunt down the town’s best specialty bakery. I have a tendency to buy two flavors of cupcakes at a time because it just feels like too much pressure to ... Read More
Have you ever had to draw a hard line with the “tinsel” in your life? You know, those little, seemingly harmless things that quickly take more than their fair share of attention? I sometimes think I have to jump in and fix every subtle snag in my life before it gets completely out of control, but more and more I’m ... Read More
Sometimes it’s not the first blow that knocks us down, it’s the second or the third.
We can hold it together for the initial bad news, but all too quickly comes a totally unrelated problem that causes us to come unglued. I think they call that the straw that broke the camel’s back.
Jolene Rohde has been going through a tough time. ... Read More
Sometimes my head spins. How about yours?
It’s not yet 9am and already I’ve worried whether my child has strep, how many mice might be living in my house, if I’m doing enough to support my friends, and how long my parents will live.
My head seems to be extra spinny these days. (And yes, according to auto-correct, I just made ... Read More
We never really know what someone’s going through, do we?
The clerk at the grocery store who stands on her feet all day and then goes home to take care of an ailing parent. The teacher who pours lessons of kindness and sharing into beautiful little hearts and then realizes she’s been sharing her husband with another woman. The teen who ... Read More
