One day when I was in seventh grade, I was playing out in the rain when a pickup truck screeched to a halt just a few yards away. Corey Parrott jumped out of the passenger’s side. I froze.
Category: Loving Your Neighbor
Loving a Mormon Never Hurt Anybody
One Sunday last summer, my wife and I pulled out of the church parking lot, and there was an elderly woman walking down the street in her Sunday best. It was 12:15 in the middle of a sweltering August day, and I felt sorry for her.
Using Facebook to Use People
I got on Facebook one day last year and noticed that an acquaintance had posted a rant about a sensitive social issue. I was a little surprised – the status update, which was sure to offend a significant portion of the population, seemed unnecessarily caustic and over-the-top.
Proposed Resolution for 2014: Stop Lying
Last July, my wife requested that we meet about our finances before the end of summer. I wasn’t particularly inspired — I don’t like to talk about finances because crunching numbers and talking investment were never my strong suit. But September was a couple of months away, so I said yes to appease her.
Somebody’s Going to Mess Up Christmas
Let’s be clear about one thing from the start: I have no doubt that my dad meant well. I was 10 years old, and Dad thought it would be a great idea for us to trek out into the woods behind our house and cut down our very own Christmas tree. At first, it seemed like a splendid idea, but then we dragged home a scraggly pine tree that looked like something from a very special Christmas episode of Little House on the Prairie. Dad rigged it up onto this wooden box in the back yard and prepared to haul…
Go Find Your Fifth Grade Teacher
If you follow this blog on Facebook, you already know that this past weekend, I had a conversation with Mrs. Saucier, the inspiring fifth-grade teacher featured in my recent post, “If Jesus Were a Fifth Grade Teacher.” Here’s the story of how it happened (from the Facebook post) . . .
If Jesus Were a Fifth Grade Teacher
By the time I entered fifth grade, I was well-acquainted with the principal’s office. I mean, I wasn’t the kind of kid who started fires in the bathroom – I was just a helpless, talkative instigator.
The False Reality of Facebook
Movie producer David Cronenberg gave an interview one time where he talked about the messed-up world of Hollywood and explained why so many celebrities are out-of-touch with reality.
Keeping My Wife’s Story to Myself
If I didn’t love my wife, I wouldn’t be sitting here at 10:09 on Monday night scrambling to rewrite this post. But I do love her – a lot – which brings me to this desk, in front of this laptop, at a time when I would normally be flossing my teeth.
The Problem with that Facebook Friend
I used to enjoy seeing my old college friend in my Facebook news feed – but then she had her baby boy. From the moment that child entered the world, his image littered my news feed multiple times every day.
An Answer in Grief
In almost four years of writing my blog, I’ve never had this happen. On Tuesday, guest writer Rachel Wilhelm posted a dark, but lovely, tribute to her sister, Errin, who died in 2010 after a long battle with mental illness. I thought that was it.
The Other Victims of Mental Illness
If you’re a regular reader, you should know that today’s essay is slightly disturbing. It is an honest, painful glimpse into the life of guest writer Rachel Wilhelm, whose sister died in 2010 after a long battle with mental illness.
I Got an iPhone Infection
I thought I would never purchase an iPhone. I figured I didn’t need it (I had a perfectly functional cell phone), and I was afraid if I got one, I would end up like those annoying iPhone users who were constantly checking their phone like they were looking for their own vital signs. But it was the camera that got me.
I Beg You to Help this Girl
There is a little girl in Washington, DC, whose face is badly bruised this morning. I’m not sure what she will tell her teachers today if they ask what happened, but my dear friend Paul Perkins knows. He witnessed it. So did a number of other people, but Paul was the only one who did anything about it. And thanks to Paul’s relentless efforts, DC authorities know what happened – but unfortunately, they chose to ignore it. Below is the email Paul sent to DC Metro’s Office of Customer Relations this morning. He received an auto-response assigning his complaint the number…
Facing Insecurity, Finding Friendship
It was a Friday night; I was in the first few weeks of my freshman year of college, and I had nothing to do. I needed some friends. To be fair, I had actually made some friends at my new church, but I wasn’t sure I fit in there. Everyone was nice to me at church activities, but our friendships didn’t go much further than that.
Joshua Rogers 