In Gennesaret

A couple months after a dear friend’s husband left her with a two-year-old and a baby on the way, she called and asked my husband and me if she could borrow some money. She had a large credit card bill she needed to pay off so she could get on her feet and move forward. We loved her. We really wanted to help her. And we had the money to loan her, but it would be a sacrifice. We trusted her, but we also knew it was risky; financial arrangements like that can really do damage to relationships if they go south. But we loved her. So, we took the risk. She eventually paid every penny back. In fact, she paid us something every month, without fail, until the debt was gone, even if it was only ten dollars. I don’t tell this story to toot our horns for our generosity, or even to toot hers for her perseverance. This story is a significant one in my life because it changed the way I view my money. Scripture speaks clearly and frequently about the importance of helping those in financial...

I had a sleep study done a couple weeks ago. This is my fourth in the last twenty years or so. I’ve written about my sleep saga in earlier posts if you want to catch up. It's a LONG saga. See, I haven’t been using my CPAP for a year. I was trying a mandibular advancement device (interesting concept – look it up), but it gave me serious jaw and ear pain, and I didn’t think it was helping my sleep anyway. And I really don’t want to go back on the CPAP if I don’t have to. I mean, I don’t mind actually wearing it at night; the main problem is the maintenance . You have to clean the thing all the time and replace parts constantly. It’s ridiculous – especially when I don’t think it helps that much. However, I’d been noticing in the last month or two that I was markedly sleepy – the kind of sleepy that made a doctor suggest a sleep study in the first place twenty years ago. The kind of sleepy that made a neurologist about fifteen years ago remark, “You know, there are states that hav...

My daughter is in the bedroom watching a horror video game with her friend in Atlanta. A few things I find fascinating about this fact. 1)      There exists a genre called “Horror Video Games”. 2)      Video games are apparently now an online spectator sport. 3)      She is able to do these things in real time with a friend a thousand miles away. Technology . But #4 is the one I want to talk about today: 4)      She and her friend are choosing to watch something meant to be frightening. And enjoying it. When did being scared become something fun and desirable? I suppose it’s nothing new in civilization. For centuries, people have done risky and dangerous things for the thrill of it, I guess. But I don’t get it. It is not fun to be frightened . As I sit here listening to the dramatic screams coming from her computer, I’m trying to remember if I’ve ever found delight in fear. I remember the firs...