11 RED

One Thanksgiving Night ___ …List out the things she wants. List out the things they want. List out some things we NEED.. …Check the major sites I hit online (to find things I will NOT see organized the same way in the store). Waiver over whether to get this one thing online or in person. (Oh wait, it says I have to activate that price online but scan from the shelf with my app in person? ) Be intrigued by plenty I don’t need. Remember I haven’t told anyone what I WANT…  …Send out what I want. Can’t bear getting clothes identical to what I wore in high school again or another gadget for my junk drawer. Graphic socks seem to be in this year though (or have I slept a few years?) I’d better tell them what i’m into these days… Mark the sales I need for myself. Never gonna see that cheap again… Gotta get last few drops of caffeine in so I can, I c, an , I’m fa   d   i         n         g    … Wake up, groggily hit the car. It’s ...

Here I am again, standing at the crossroads of seasons. It’s that fleeting moment when swaths of color still linger, the earthy scent of decaying leaves fills the breeze, and life seems to have settled into a rhythm. But the vibe is on the brink of a dramatic shift—toward winter thoughts, evergreens, woodland creatures adorned with festive scarves, bustling shopping areas filled with Christmas music, and a schedule that regularly flies in the face of normalcy (for many good reasons). Two distinctly different seasons, and culturally, the transition feels sharp, quick, almost like a razor’s edge slicing from one to the other.  It’s in this space that I submit to you some thoughts that I should have earlier in the season of fall. And some that are perfect for this week as well. Because, there will be plenty of thoughts to share once we cross that thinly-carved threshold! Plenty of time to journey together on the enormous meaning of THAT season (and I will be all-in for that I can assu...

“Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on you.” 1 Timothy 4 : 14 NIV One night in December, I was hanging some ornaments that were still in a small box by one of our Christmas trees. This tree is particularly tricky and probably has only remained the one that I setup in my home office because of pure nostalgia. Its simplicity accents the woodsy, outdoorsy ornaments I usually like to put there, and its cheap sparseness allows for some more rustic red ornaments to show through. In truth, it's a tree I set up to reflect both a bit of my history and some of my dreams. It is, however, literally on its last leg, balanced by a mis purposed D-clamp laying along its base and (interestingly) most of the heavy ornaments we own, placed carefully on the side I can’t even see. We have a great bay window in that space and, given that I’m able to look at the tree, the lights and the outdoors all from my desk, I find it very ...