In a New Year’s article called “Resolve to Stop Making Resolutions,” the humorist Dave Barry wrote, “Many people give up because they set their sights too high.” He suggested pursuing more realistic goals. • Unrealistic goal: “I will learn to speak Chinese.” • Realistic goal: “I will order some Chinese food.” • Unrealistic goal: “I […]
Our planet’s shorelines, canyons, and deserts bear the marks of gradual destruction from wind, water, and ice. Most days the small creek near my house minds its own business, but in the spring, heavy rains turn it into a small river. Over time, soil erosion has changed the course of the creek. A different kind […]
We call them Magi, but they weren’t magicians. We associate them with the first noel, but they weren’t the first to see the baby Jesus. Carolers sing “We Three Kings of Orient Are,” but the Bible doesn’t call them kings and “the east” probably doesn’t mean the Orient as we know it. We call them […]
In real estate deals the seller is required by law to disclose any reasonable information the buyer should know about the property. Has there been a fire? Disclose it. Did you repair a leaky roof? Let the buyer know. Our Lord believes in full disclosure. He doesn’t act like an ethically challenged salesperson who will […]
Why do we say that something “rings true”? The expression comes from the way manufacturers would test the quality of metal or glass by striking it and evaluating the sound it makes. Bells can clang with dissonant noise, but it’s better when they chime with pleasant tones. Based on intuition and experience we say things […]
