Living the Dream
I think we have all had those dreams, the ones where we aren’t prepared for something important. Back in my high school and college days, when I was in athletics, I had them a lot. I would dream we...
View ArticleThe Best Decision
Back in the late eighties and early nineties, when the internet was new, I was the director of internet services at a small religious college. Even email was new, and one semester we had an interesting...
View ArticleInternet Ethics
When the president’s council at the university wanted to force a student to send out a retraction on a nasty joke he emailed, I advised against it, suggesting it would be better to do nothing. That way...
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Pranks and April Fools
My computer science class was comprised of forty-four boys and one girl. That was typical back then. If I even had one girl, I felt lucky. A girl in the class always added a dimension that I can’t...
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Pranks and April Fools (Part Two)
Tasha, the only girl in my computer science class, had played a joke on every boy in the class. They wanted my help to get her back, but I told them I was staying out of it. That is, I was until she...
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Pranks and April Fools: The End of the Story
Read the two previous parts of this story HERE and HERE. Tasha, the only girl in my computer class, had played a prank on every boy. After she also played one on me, we organized an April Fool’s joke...
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Helping a Neighbor, or Not
Seth was busy working on his four-wheeler for a trip into the mountains the next day with a group of mid-teen boys. That was when his neighbor showed up. “Good morning, Seth,” the neighbor said. Seth,...
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A Matter of Independence
Arthur was both independent and stubborn. As he got older, it was hard for him to accept help. His good neighbors kept asking him what they could do for him, but he always told them he was managing...
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It’s More Than the Building
It is a tough time to be building. I should know; I’ve been trying to do just that since February 2021. I have added on to my current house twice. The first time I worked with a contractor. The second...
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Learning to Eat Anything
Our daughter called in complete frustration. “Dad, Mom, how in the world am I supposed to get my children to eat their dinner? I’ve tried everything to get them to try new things and eat things they...
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A Matter of Honesty
One evening, my daughter, Celese, heard a noise outside her house. She flipped on the outside lights, and she and her husband went to investigate. What they found made Celese’s heart sink. The tires on...
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Careful of Wording
My three-year-old daughter brought me her toy. “Daddy, you fix for me?” It was a little wooden duck and just needed a little glue. I got some glue, put it on the broken joint, and pushed the two pieces...
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The Dress
Terri received a call from her sister, Lori, one morning. They often talked on the phone, but she could tell this call had a special purpose. “Terri,” Lori said, “I need your help in getting rid of a...
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The Case for Heroic Masculinity
The following is excerpted from the Public Square Magazine. To read the full report, CLICK HERE. When my little boy was four years old, he had a hard time going to school. He was in a Pre-K program and...
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The Couch
James taught religion in a small building across the street from a university. The students often saw it as a place where they could not only take a religion class, but could unwind from the stress of...
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Freedom and Peace
Olena sat in my class, staring straight ahead. Her eyes seemed glazed. When I called on her, she didn’t respond. I didn’t want to embarrass her, so I called on someone else, but I continued to watch...
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A Fun Dog
Buster was part of a litter of pups born at our house. We told the children they could have only one dog. They chose Buster, and we gave the other puppies and the mother away to good homes. I’ve shared...
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First Calculator
I had just worked an algebra problem on the chalkboard and told my students to do the calculation on their calculator. Before they could punch it in, I told them what I thought it should be. This is a...
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Calculators and a Changing World
To read part one of this series, CLICK HERE. My students were fascinated to learn that I had never used a calculator until just before going to college. I promised them I would tell them about what the...
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Ringtone Tales
I was sitting in a meeting recently when a person’s phone went off. His ring tone is a quacking duck. He is getting older and has his phone is usually turned way up, so all discussion stopped. The...
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