I was hiking through Platte River State Park last Saturday morning. Such a beautiful place. The park is peaceful and quiet early in the morning. The animals move through the forest as the sun rises. Some playing. Some searching for…

It was 3:00 on Saturday afternoon. A giant knot stamped out its authority on my stomach. I sat with about 2,500 people in Skoglund Auditorium. 750 of them were incoming freshman class at St. Olaf College. They arrived the day…

I wish I could do it all over again.  It started eighteen years ago in a hospital room in Sioux Falls. The baby wasn’t breathing. It couldn’t end this fast and it didn’t. With some help from a doctor and a…

Benjamin and I made pizza Sunday night. After 18 years we have it down.  Brush an egg yolk on the crust.  Put the pizza sauce on top of that.  Then the pepperoni. Then the homemade Italian sausage. Then the cheeses.…

Clutter contaminates. We live in a complex, confused, and complicated culture. Simplicity is calling our name. Cutting through the clutter welcomes a clear, calm, and compelling life. Decluttering is not an easy task and society (distraction) and science (entropy) will…

I live on a busy corner in West Omaha. It worked great when starting a church. I gave people two familiar streets and they could easily find the meeting or the small group. These days I take two giant dogs…

I loved Denmark. Spending two weeks there, three years ago wasn’t enough. Hygge is a Danish word and is pronounced hoo-ga. It doesn’t translate into English, but you need it and so do I. It is experiencing things like friendship, rest, laughter,…

I look at all the lonely people. –The Beatles The woman sits in crowded room full of friends. They are laughing and sharing stories and complaining. Her best friend sits to her left. A new friend sits to her right.…