The two verses that begin Chapter 12 of Romans have been much on my mind for over two years now.  Just like Paul’s entire letter, so many of the individual verses in Romans are packed full of meaning and beg for careful reading and re-reading.  The ones I have in mind are familiar verses; you probably know them well yourself: “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform any longer to the…

I am on a recent reading kick and my new obsession is books about habits – how to kick bad habits, yes, but mainly how to start good ones.  It’s natural for me at this point in the summer (my first official day is this coming Wednesday) to feel deep regret over not having used my time wisely over the last two months. I had so many projects on my list at the beginning of the summer.  And so few have been crossed off.  But I’ve come to the even sadder conclusion that it is not just my summers. I…

Yesterday I mentioned a nationwide toxic negativity that is pervading our society. Want a good example of where those negative assumptions can lead? A waitress I know (very well!) told this story just a few days ago: She was juggling several tables during a busy time for the restaurant. At one of these tables sat a sweet and kind older couple. The man was black and the woman was white – a detail I include only because it is relevant to the story. Between taking orders and delivering food, the waitress made happy small talk with the two customers. (She’s a…

It has often perplexed me to hear students in my current school gripe, complain and run the school down because it is “too small” or “too rural”. It’s “lame”. Some students daily mourn, “I wish I could go to Columbus North or Columbus East” – the significantly larger schools in the city. These students honestly cannot think of a single good thing to say about their own school. Literally – I have asked them and they cannot come up with a single positive point in our school’s favor.  The sad part is that this attitude completely poisons their day to…

Cultures are like human beings – On one level they have tons of similarities, but what keeps things interesting is that each one has a  unique set of strengths and weaknesses and personality quirks. I put Maxiane on the spot over lunch one day this past week. I asked, “I know you spent significant time around Americans while growing up in Haiti, but now that you’ve spent seven months immersed in American culture, what do you like most about it and what do you like least about it? Speak freely – I can take it.”  She didn’t really have to…

My parents worked countless hours building a hardware store from scratch. When I was a kid, I was unaware of how many sleepless nights they experienced because of financial worries.  I was, however, aware of the opportunity, about once every other year, for our family to take a week long vacation to South Dakota, where my father had grown up.  On the flip side, though, outside of Christmas and Easter when the store was closed completely, holidays were always family work days: the regular employees tended to want those days off and would have to be paid time and a…