A Call to Remember. A Promise to Steward.

April 11, 2025

On April 16, 1978, in St. Louis, Bob Forsch pitched the first no-hitter of his major league career as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals—a 5-0 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies. I know about this milestone because I was there. Or more precisely, Mary and I were there, bundled together in the bleak, drizzly […]

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Solspeil

April 4, 2025

It’s dark. Division, dissension, bitterness, hatred, prejudice, war, natural disasters, and loneliness all seem to be having their day. It’s hard to watch. Job put it this way—and he put it well:“Why do the wicked have it so good,live to a ripe old age and get rich?They get to see their children succeed,get to watch […]

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Kansas

March 28, 2025

Madness. That’s what they call it. 68 teams, all with lofty ambitions, and millions of people pouring time and energy—emotion, too—into making bracket predictions and forecasting outcomes. Our family is no exception. After the first weekend of play, when the pool of potential national champions shrank to just 16, I had a conversation with Abe, […]

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“How are you checking in today?”

March 21, 2025

It’s a question that comes up regularly in a nonprofit coaching group I’m a part of. Kimberly, our leader and guide, asks it, then listens intently as each coach shares their response. So, in 2025, what would be the most common answer? How would you reply? A catalog of familiar words comes to mind… Busy. […]

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Leading From Behind

March 14, 2025

It was our last day at Copper Mountain for the 2025 season, and what a perfect March day it was. The sky was clear and blue, the temperatures mild, the lines short, and best of all, we had grandkids with us on the slopes. Our daughter, Alli, had brought her four kids along for a […]

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The Baby, the Bathwater, and Lent

March 7, 2025

In 1512, a German proverb introduced the phrase: “das Kind mit dem Bade ausschütten.” Translated into English, it reads, “Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater.” The meaning is familiar to most of us. But until an Ash Wednesday service this week, I’m not sure I had ever applied it to my theology or […]

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Follow Me

February 28, 2025

Mary and I pulled into the church parking lot around 7:15 p.m. It was just about three hours earlier that we met there. I had finished a meeting and she had met with a close friend, so we were in separate vehicles. From the gathering spot, we drove across town to catch a high school […]

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Twenty-Three Years

February 7, 2025

February 5, 2002 was the date that my father breathed his last earthly breath. Twenty-three years ago. That means that one third of my life has been lived without him. Lately, the weight of that time apart has felt heavier. None of our children’s spouses, none of our grandchildren, and none of the deeply meaningful […]

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A Legacy to Steward

January 31, 2025

On a recent trip to Chicago to visit three of my siblings, I found myself invited to sift through a collection of family memorabilia—old photographs, reels of movie film, faded letters, and unexpected treasures. Included in the pile, two small booklets caught my attention. One, titled Genealogy of Solomon Sharpe, and the other, Their Legacy […]

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A Gentleman’s Cut

January 24, 2025

“Looks good,” I said, as Viet, my barber, held up the mirror behind my head. It was my standard response after a haircut, but in this case, it wasn’t so much about how I felt about my hairline, my expanding bald spot, or the retreating hair on my neckline. Those were issues beyond his control. […]

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