Why You Should be Glad When You Have No Reason to Be

We’ve been extremely fortunate in our foster-to-adopt situation with Baby A. More fortunate than most people. In a few weeks the State will change Baby A’s permanency goal from reunification with her birth parents to adoption. We’re hoping Baby A will officially be a Toy by Christmas, which is feasible as long as there are no

Chuches, Why Have We Not Yet United?

Pastors, deacons, elders, church members, Sunday school volunteers – I’m curious. (And please know that I ask myself this same question.) Two questions, actually. Two questions that could revolutionize the world. A question that could shout volumes to the planet of God’s love. And here’s the first question: Why are our orphanages so full? The

She’s Not a James, But…

I’ve been married for five years, and I just fell in love again. You’re probably aware that Sarabeth and I have been in the process of becoming foster-to-adopt parents. We’ve been longing for a child all these years. Well, we finally got a call last week for a little girl born a month-and-a-half early. So

My Grouchy Morning

It’s our tradition to have the news on in the mornings while eating breakfast. Sometimes I must not get enough sleep, or I’m just a grouch. This morning was especially bad, as I made one sarcastic comment after another about the world news and the people that are screwing everything up. Sarabeth doesn’t appreciate these

Disappointment

“Did you know about this?” Sarabeth asked me yesterday as she held out the iPad to me. I read the headline: “Philip Seymour Hoffman, Oscar-Winning Actor, Dead at 46.”  “What?!” I said. I read that he had overdosed on heroine, then I cursed. People aren’t calling him this generation’s greatest actor out of pity for his

Unmet Plans

I just turned 30 this year, and it was a difficult milestone, as I’m not yet the self-made millionaire I was supposed to be by this time. I’m a tricky guy; I eat cookie dough and get giddy over a tacky Christmas light displays with all those cheap plastic light-up Santas and snowmen. But deep-down

A Cause to Pause and Reflect

Three decades. I’ve been driving for almost half my life. I’ve lived through two spaceflight accidents, been to three funerals, lived in four states, witnessed five presidents, owned six dogs, and I’ve seen the clocks change 60 times. I’ll probably never again be the best man at a wedding as all of my friends are