With money there is no way to avoid the cold, hard facts. You must put at least as much dough into the bank as you withdraw, or else you will run out of money. Maybe your bank will cover some of your overdrafts, but they will charge a hefty fee for their trouble and you’ll be [...]
We live in a culture that is all about instant gratification. If we want something – almost anything – we can just go get it right now, if we have enough money or credit to buy it. Life has not always been this way.
Consider food. Not so long ago people had no access to fresh [...]
Gratitude. It’s what I feel whenever I contemplate the good fortune of being born in a time and place that allows me more freedom and opportunity than women have known before in the history of humanity, and in much of the world still today.
This photo journal and Letter to Young American Women by Gail Collins [...]
Discrimination. Stereotyping. Ridicule. Judgment.
There are people who experience open discrimination in stores, restaurants, and places of employment. Comedians joke about them. Children cruelly tease and reject them. They are regarded by many as dumber, dirtier, and lazier than other people. Social biases work against them in subtle and overt behaviors. All of these actions and [...]
It was 1984 and I was in the 5th grade at Ellis Parker Elementary School. I was still taller than all the other kids in my class, including the boys, and I was beginning to suffer the awkwardness of puberty. We lived in South Eugene, which was the part of town inhabited by children of [...]
It may not come as a surprise that I am prone to a bit of cynicism. I love parodies. I watch the Onion News Network and the Daily Show. I love Christopher Guest movies. I’ve learned to keep it from showing most of the time, but I can roll my eyeballs with the skill of [...]
Bob Wiley said that there are two kinds of people in this world – those who like Neil Diamond and those who don’t. I would argue that the bifurcation of humanity has nothing to do with Neil Diamond and everything to do with sleep patterns. Are you a “morning person” or a “night person?”
If you [...]
I recently listened to a podcast on the subject of public parenting. It discussed what to do when you see a parent losing it with a kid in a public space, and it reminded of something I saw many years ago that still sticks in my head as some of the worse parenting I’ve ever [...]
Does your life ever feel like a perpetual game of Whack-a-Mole? Responsibilities popping up faster than you can beat them down? This is my life. Work today. WHACK! Load of laundry. WHACK! Shower and dress myself. WHACK! Reply to someone’s email (from last week). WHACK! Pay a bill – late. WHACK! Feed the baby. WHACK! [...]
Before the Left Behind book series was consuming the nation, there was Thief in the Night, a sinister and frightening movie venture into the popular mythology of the ‘end times.’ Back in the 70’s, large churches used to fill up their gymnasiums for screenings of this film and its sequels, and Christians were encouraged to [...]
Karlene co-pastors a church plant in Springfield, Oregon with her husband Josh, focusing on Christian community development and emerging church practices. Along with her duties as a pastor, Karlene is a proud mother, diligent student, awesome wife, brilliant blogger, avid coffee drinker, and addicted Sudoku player.
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