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Category Archives: Cultural Observations
Homosexuality, State Dogma, and the Censoring of Christians
A lot of attention is being given to two recent legal cases regarding Christian counseling students who are being censored because of their views on homosexuality. Last week a federal court upheld Eastern Michigan University’s expulsion of Julea Ward, a … Continue reading
The Thrill of Destruction
Why do we love to watch things blow up? I’ve been pondering that question recently, especially since the July 4th fireworks in my hometown of Fairmount, Indiana. As my kids and I marveled at the spectacular pyrotechnics, I reflected on … Continue reading
Posted in Cultural Observations
Tagged destruction, explosions, fireworks, transformation
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Turning the Cultural Tide
Anyone who has spent any length of time with me—like let’s say more than five minutes—will be able to tell you that being counter-cultural is something that I am very comfortable with. In fact, to go with the flow often … Continue reading
Hodgepodge #3
From the department of the Hard To Believe: It was shocking enough that Helen Thomas, a living journalistic institution, would make such blatant anti-semitic remarks (which precipitated her recent retirement). But even more astounding the fact that some media folks refuse to … Continue reading
Posted in Cultural Observations
Tagged Helen Thomas, Josh Ritter, Phil Jackson, Rosie O'Donnell
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Destinations, Loyalty, and a Trail of Popcorn
Friday morning I packed up my beautiful children into my less than beautiful mini-van and headed out into the world. As a stay-at-home mom of four and a homeschooling one on top of that, I have discovered that while you … Continue reading
Acronyms and the Art of Exclusion
Recently a friend amusingly used a clever nickname for our local KFC/Taco Bell combo restaurant (Mexican food and fried chicken—such a natural combination, don’t you think? Just picture the Colonel dressed in his Sunday best with a large sombrero perched … Continue reading
Leading the Way to the Middle Ground
One of the cool, and often exasperating, things about being a parent is that you get to be somewhat omniscient. Not in the observing-the-thoughts-of-billions-people-at-once kind of way, but rather in the seeing-things-from-multiple-perspectives sense. Each time a disagreement breaks out in … Continue reading
Posted in Cultural Observations, Politics
Tagged compromise, Dora the Explorer, health care, middle ground
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Tips for Working Out
Several weeks back some friends treated us to a weekend away at their family cottage in Michigan. While snow fell gracefully outside, my dear friend and I sat catching up on recent events. She chanced to mention that she was … Continue reading
The Best and Worst of 2009
It’s been another exciting year, and we want to thank you all for reading and, if applicable, posting comments on our blog. Once again, we would like to close out the year with summary remarks about good and bad stuff related to … Continue reading
It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas
Our daughter Maggie, age 5, loves classical music. Now, please don’t take this as obnoxious mommy-bragging. She has chosen this genre completely on her own. But to balance that statement, I will add that our three-year-old’s favorite song is “Smoke … Continue reading
