Rev. Michael Davison,
Associate Regional Minister
the Spirit of Christmas
Ray Charles sang about it. Someone you follow on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, a Blogger, or your social media of choice is probably influencing about it.There is a personalized Ad waiting to popup in your feed to sell you something to help you experience it. Jacob Marley tried to warn Ebenezer Scrooge about living it. And Charlie Brown just wants someone to tell him what “Christmas is all about.” Linus tells a bit of the spotlight Christian Christmas story about a savior, who is Christ [...]
Appreciative Inquiry
appreciation (noun) a feeling of being grateful for something; an ability to understand the worth, quality, or importance of something; full awareness or understanding of something. (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/appreciation, accessed September 29, 2021) Has the pandemic made appreciation easier or harder for you? appreciate (verb) to understand the worth or importance of; to admire and value; to be grateful for; used to make a polite request. (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dict [...]
Problems worth dancing with
Progress is a trade It’s easy to imagine that over there, just a few steps ahead, our problems will disappear. Pessimists, of course, are sure that instead of disappearing, tomorrow will make things worse. The truth is pretty simple: All we do, all we ever do, is trade one set of problems for another. Problems are a feature. They’re the opportunity to see how we can productively move forward. Not to a world with no problems at all, but to a situation with different problems, ones that are worth [...]
Intentional Christian Community
From/to Freedom has a partner, and its name is responsibility. It’s easy to insist on all the things we should be free from. But then we realize that we also have the freedom to act, to lead and to confront our fear and our selfishness. Once we realize our own agency, freedom begins to feel like a responsibility. The freedom to make a difference.(1) Last month that is what we practiced at church camp: responsibility. Intentional Christian Community, or any intentional community, is something y [...]
What Matters Most?
“Take your time” It means two very different things. When a person or a marketer takes your time, they’re stealing. Something irretrievable is gone. If your time is taken for selfish reasons, if it’s wasted, there’s no good way to get it back. On the other hand, when you have enough confidence to take your own time, to take your time to be present, to do the work, to engage with what’s in front of you right now, it’s a gift. This is precisely what time is for. We’re not in a race to check off a [...]
Community. Belief. Faith.
A mass noun is one that doesn’t take an S when we have more. “Butter” and “Information” are both uncountable in use, because when we only have only one unit of butter (or information) we use the same word as if we have four or six units. Butter is butter. Uncountable words are understandably difficult to measure at a glance. They don’t fit easily into the industrial mindset, and we’re often pushed to find things that are less mysterious. But it turns out that uncountable words like trust, hones [...]
Following Jesus . . . it’s a daily journey
“What Can You Do Once You’re Vaccinated?” (nytimes.com) Out there, beyond Easter, is a journey through the looking glass. It’s always been that way, even before Covid-19 restrictions, politics, science, grief, and prayers. Out there beyond Easter, we have to apply what we’ve learned about ourselves, our communities, communal medical health, citizenship, faith, and following Jesus. The Regional Youth Council’s Lent devotional suggested that Lent is a daily journey. And like Lent, those who cl [...]
What will it be like?
"Count me in." That’s the opposite of, “count me out.” Either you seek to unite and be part of it. Or to divide and watch it go away. Whatever ‘it’ might be. We can seek to trigger those we’ve decided are our enemies, undermine the standards and burn it all down. Or we can commit to the possibility that together, we can create something that works. It’s not that hard to realize that even if we can’t always see the gunwales on the boat, we’re all in the same one. (Seth Godin, 02/28/21) How do yo [...]
Question. Experience. Reflection. Relationship.
What motivates you to learn and to grow? ("The Daily Question", gratefulness.org. 1/31/21) Question. Experience. Reflection. Relationship. There was so much happening. I was trying to take in all the moments. I spotted my family several rows up from the floor. Chancellor Tucker was talking about what it means to be a graduate of TCU. This idea, more a paraphrase than direct quote, is all I remember. “You’ve been educated to consult many sources, to weigh the validity of the information from t [...]
Advent Moments
Think back through the last couple of days. Watch with your mind’s eye. Rewind the tape all the way back to getting out of bed. Remember . . . Your morning routine; school or work or waiting; The places you’ve been; The things you saw; The people you talked to; and then; home, dinner, what you watched or read; Your evening routine and to bed. Look back and find that moment when you experienced hope. Bring that moment to the front of your mind. Who is there? What does it sound or smell like? St [...]
Who gets to decide what is “right?”
Forward motion is possible if we can extend the sentence to, “That’s not what I meant, but that must be what you heard, how do we fix this? Will you help me make things right again?” [Seth Godin, "That's not what I meant." October 22, 2020] The question is, "What does 'right' mean given the situation?" Do you remember a specific part of a single day like it happened yesterday? I don't remember much about the day my father drove me to TCU for the first time to move into the dorm. But, I do rem [...]
Choices
Each day we all have choices. Some of us have more choice than others because of the randomness of birth and the systems that govern our society. What will we do with our choices? Are your emotions driving or informing your choices? Do you need more of Mr. Spock's logic to help you balance your choices? Yoda tells the wisdom of the cosmos: "Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering." We've seen this happen. We are seeing this happen. It may have happened to you. Which [...]
Clean Up to Do
"ashes and diamonds foe and friend we were all equal in the end." (Pink Floyd, The Final Cut, "Two Suns in the Sunset." 1983.) While it is true that we all pass from this life into the next equally silent and we come into this life equally crying, that is where the idealized equality of persons created in God's image begins and ends. Try as we do to distract ourselves from this truth, we are reminded of it in plain sight, again, and again. No matter how much TV we binge, Youtube you surf, vide [...]
A Letter to Graduates
“It is unimaginably hard to do this—to live consciously, adultly, day in and day out.”(1) This is the time of: end of semester tests, parties, invitations, measurements, proms, formals, special recognitions, special meals, gifts, cards, crowded schedules, and advice. Little feels “normal.” The meaning of the rituals that mark the passage from one phase of life to another remains important. Drilling down on that core meaning is not as easy as we think, but we don’t have to make it harder than i [...]
On the Road with Jesus: Holy Week
Is everything going to be ok? That depends. If we mean, “Is everything going to be the way it was and the way I expected it to be?” then the answer is no. The answer to that question is always no, it always has been. If we mean, “Is everything going to be the way it is going to be?” then the answer is yes. Of course. If we define whatever happens as okay, then everything will be. Given that everything is going to be the way it’s going to be, we’re left with an actually useful and productive ques [...]
On the Road with Jesus: Week 5
The Budding Fig Tree Where is this parable? Matthew 24:32-35 Like a lot of people, I am now working from home. After 7 hours sitting in front of my computer working on spreadsheets, emails, documents, etc., I decided to take a break. I headed outside to my backyard and take a seat upon a rock ledge that overlooks a pond that sits behind our house. Looking at the reflection on the pond I can see blue skies spotted with white and gray clouds, I can see trees opening their purple and white blossom [...]
On the Road with Jesus: Week 4
BE A GOOD SAMARITAN Where is this parable? Luke 10:25-37 Today while thinking about what Parable I wanted to write about, my thoughts turn to the Parable of the Good Samaritan. At this very moment, the world is struggling to get a handle on the COVID-19 virus. Store shelves are empty of the daily essentials that we are accustomed too being able to pick up at our leisure, I’ve heard stories of people walking by others carts and stealing products as you turn away to look for something on the shel [...]
On the Road with Jesus: Week 3
Persistence Pays? Where is the parable? Luke 11.5-8 My husband and I don’t have children, but we do have cats. Over our 15 years of marriage we have had seven cats total. Although each of them had their own distinct personality, they all had one thing in common: they knew how to wake us up in the morning. No matter what their past life was like, they all knew that purring very loudly and/or licking our faces would get us out of bed. And they were persistent…and I can’t confirm it, but I wo [...]
On the Road with Jesus: Week 2
We Are Family Where is this parable? Luke 15.11-32 The parable of the prodigal son is a familiar one to most of us. A father has two sons. One requests his inheritance early, squanders it, and returns home begging to be welcomed back. He is welcomed back, and he is received with a party! The other son, who stayed home, worked tirelessly for his father, takes issue with the way his brother was celebrated upon his return—after living wildly and dangerously, using up all of his inheritance. T [...]
One the Road with Jesus: Week 1
The Lamp Under a Bushel: Intentional Shining Where is this parable? Matthew 5:14-15, Mark 4: 21-25, Luke 8:16-18 What does being “the light of the world” mean to you? It’s pretty clear that everyone on this earth is unique. There are no two people who are exactly alike and that is exactly what God intended. God has given all of us a specific talent, a light. It could be a variety of different things. From being the best pianist in your town to just being able to talk to and relate to others. Wh [...]
What will you do during Lent to help you touch the image of God that lives inside you? How will you be different after Lent? Your social media may have already brought the suggestions about fasting from Pope Francis to your attention. If so, and if not, they remain good suggestions this election year Lenten season, or any season of life, as you journey with Jesus toward Jerusalem. It has been a long, long time since I fasted with a religious purpose as the motivation. And when I did I joined [...]
On the Road with Jesus: lent 2020
“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”(1) Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent. It is a day when many Christians remember we are all equal in the end. You are dust and to dust you shall return. The story about Jesus has tumbled through time as if we climbed aboard Bill and Ted's phone booth time machine(2), and followed Jesus from birth to young adult. Pause, and think about the speed of the story we journey through each year. A [...]
Blessed, bless-ed, blessing
"This will change your mind." How often is that true? Not very. Changing a mind is difficult work. It won’t happen with a standard intervention, and it probably requires enrollment on the part of the person you’re engaging with as well. (Seth Godin, Jan 30, 2020) This gospel Lectionary text for this Sunday, Feb 2, is one of those that I think is a primer for understanding the person of Jesus and what following Jesus means. The Regional Youth Council centered on the theme, "We are t [...]
Epiphany Humility
Last year at this time I was in final prep mode counting down to the beginning of the first sabbatical of my vocation in ministry. Those days just before moved as methodically as the ball descending on New Year's Eve in Times Square. One of the last things I did was attend staff meeting in January. During the devotion, Pam asked us to pull a piece of paper from a bowl and keep it with us during the year. EPIPHANY! I pulled the one pictured here. I've kept that star on my desk and carried it [...]
Make a list. Start early.
The Regional Youth Council invites you to join them on a journey to Bethlehem this Advent season by reading along with the Advent devotion they created. Click here to visit the Families & Youth webpage to download a copy. As Thanksgiving gives way to the Advent season and Christmas I imagine that, like me, you have people to whom you want to offer a word of: gratitude, encouragement, grace, or vision. Make a list. Start early. This time of year it seems [...]
Complex, Useful, Thoughtful Things
If we only forward the easy, short and funny things we read online, why are we surprised that our inbox is filled with nothing we’ll remember tomorrow? What would happened if instead, we shared the most complex, useful and thoughtful things we discovered instead? (Seth Godin, "Short and funny." Oct 26, 2019) One of my favorite movie quotes is, "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it." Ferris Bueller uttered that philosophical musing in the [...]
Listening is a skill
The heat index confirms that summer is still with us even though children, youth, teachers, and administrators have returned to school. Family schedules are adjusting. My neighborhood’s morning schedule has changed as commuters remind themselves to watch for kids crossing streets and waiting on the bus. The last season of my sabbatical (July 15-August 16) was filled with travel, family, continuing education, and a bit of rest. But before that, June and July were a whirlwind of activity focuse [...]
Making things better
When has collaborating with others made something better? The Daily Question. gratefulness.org (June 30, 2019) Outdoor ministry (summer camp / church camp) is a collaborative ministry in our Region. No one person does it all. This is a unique characteristic of the intentional Christian community that our brand of Christian witness offers and celebrates here in Oklahoma and in the other Regions of our little frontier movement. There are no celebrities. Everyone is a celebrity. Some have more [...]
Sabbatical: Season 2
The invisible limits Words like חמץ and kx’āhã don’t appear in English. These words, like thousands of others, include sounds that aren’t part of the normal spoken range of the language. We don’t have difficulty saying or hearing these sounds, they’re simply sounds we have rules against. The question is: Is the alphabet we use missing those sounds because we don’t use them, or is it that we don’t use those sounds because we don’t have letters for them? If you can’t see it, you can’t say it. And [...]
What does our church sound like?
It seemed like an odd question to ask from the pulpit. I was the ministry apprentice in a community just west of Houston, TX. The minister of this new church start walked to the pulpit and began, “What does our church sound like?” That question rattled through the double-wide trailer that served as sanctuary and office space, just a short distance from the shell of the new building under construction. He continued, “Does our congregation sound like an old, durable lawn mower that, with some TLC, [...]
Resources for Children’s Ministry
During Season 1 of my sabbatical I finished work on resources for children's ministry. Specifically, the resources are designed to help the persons, lay or clergy, that are crafting the children's sermon each week. The resources, Sacred Steps, follow the Lectionary and offer ideas for ways one could craft a children's sermon on the texts each week. Sacred Steps provides a starting point for your imagination and thinking about the Lectionary texts as they pertain to the lives of children. Sacre [...]
A Sabbatical Prayer
I created this acrostic prayer for one of my books, Scared Steps: Lectionary Year B. I didn't do the full on acrostic style, like Psalm 119, where each stanza and each new sentence in that stanza begins with the same letter of the alphabet. As you can see, I decided to complete a thought or sentence with a different letter of the English alphabet. Yes, that is cheating a bit. I'll be back to my responsibilities on February 2 as the first Season 1 of my sabbatical this year comes to a close. A S [...]
Sabbatical Segment 1
Go find a ladder. While it might be fun (or appear expedient, or brave, or heroic) to try to scale a cliff with no tools, it turns out that ladders are a more effective way to level up. When it’s time to drive a nail, a hammer is a lot more useful than a rock. Even if you have to invest in obtaining one. Often, we spend most of our time throwing ourselves at the wall instead of investing the time to find a useful ladder instead. Perhaps, instead of restating our audacious goals, we can spend mor [...]
Curate Memory or Induce Confession?
Do they know it's Christmastime at all? Feed the world Let them know it's Christmastime again. (Bob Geldof, "Do They Know It's Christmas." 1984) What is on your Christmas watch list or play list? I'm one of those people that doesn't want to see Christmas ads or hear Christmas music before Thanksgiving. Growing up, we didn't do Christmas kinds of things until you saw Santa appear in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade and finished the Thanksgiving feast. Then, let the Christmas ritual and routin [...]
a Pause
What is on my “not to do” list? The Daily Question, gratefulness.org (October 24, 2018) I’ve been gifted sabbatical time in 2019. It would be natural for readers to conclude that I am excited at this opportunity. Apprehensive and privileged are better descriptors of how I feel about sabbatical. So, I put my liberal arts education to work and began with a definition to better frame the time. Definition of sabbatical for English language learners: “A period of time during which someone does no [...]
Value
High Value … is not the same as low price. The price is obvious. It can be seen from a mile away. But value is more subtle. It often needs to be experienced to be understood. The price is the same for every person who buys that item at retail. The value is different for everyone. Low price is the last refuge for marketers who don’t have the patience or guts to demonstrate value for those that need it. (Seth Godin, "High Value." September 27, 2018) What kind of value would you assign to your prac [...]
Sacred connections . . .
What connects me to a sense of the sacred? (Daily Questions, gratefulness.org, Sept 1) For me, I experience a sense of the sacred through nature, music, art, people, and silence. And you? What connects you to a sense of the sacred? [...]
Thinking About the Teachers: Thank You
What are my greatest hopes and aspirations for how I want to be in this life? (Daily Question, Gratefulness.org, July 27, 2018) What would others say are my greatest gifts? What can I learn from this? (Daily Question, Gratefulness.org, August 1, 2018) Summer break ends for many this month. Teachers are back in classrooms preparing to greet students, and in a few instances, some have already begun school again. Let's begin the school year 2018-19, saying thank you those that teach in our public [...]
What If There Is Reconciliation?
Walls turned sideways are bridges. Word for the Day, gratefulness.org, April 30, 2018 Reconcile (def) to cause (a person) to accept or be resigned to something not desired to win over to friendliness; cause to become amicable to compose or settle to bring into agreement or harmony; make compatible or consistent to reconsecrate to restore (1) This summer, Chi Rho and CYF youth will explore ways to reconcile and pathways to reconciliation through engaging biblical stories, reflecting on their own [...]
Gratefulness and Ungratefulness During Lent
Balancing Gratefulness and Ungratefulness During Lent by Drew Kirtley One of my favorite books is a collection of prayers and meditations called The Prayer Tree(1), by Michael Leunig. It is a thin, green, pamphlet-sized booklet (of which I need a new copy because I should know better than to lend out my favorite books) compiled of prayers, meditations, and illustrations. The little cartoon person on every page is illustrating a scene, which mirrors the prayer/meditation that precedes it. In one [...]
Regional Youth Council Application Due April 8
The Regional Youth Council (RYC) is seeking rising juniors and seniors to serve on the next evolution of RYC. Typically rising juniors serve a two year term. RYC is the Region's youth group of leaders that plan and lead weekend retreats for Chi Rho (grades 6-8) and CYF (grades 9-12) youth groups. RYC is made up of youth and adults from around the Region and is typically 22-25 persons. RYC meets in person twice a year, typically late January and mid-August, and uses technology to stay connect [...]
RYC Blogging Lent: Week 4
A Balanced Faith: Jesus & Honest Abe by Rev. Drew Kirtley Sometimes a film comes along that demands more attention than the average hour and a half runtime in a theater. For me, that film was 2012’s Lincoln[1], which was directed by Academy Award winner, Steven Spielberg, and starred Daniel Day-Lewis in one of his three Oscar-winning roles I remember watching this movie on the “big screen” upon its release, and the feeling of uncertainty that entered my mind as the lights dimmed and the open [...]
RYC Blogging Lent: Week 3
Rocks, Plastic Army Men, Hot Water, and Brown Sugar by Travis Carlson This sounds like a recipe my sister would have tried to feed me growing up. In actuality, these are the ingredients to my favorite children’s moment. I would always go in and make sure I had everything ready the night before. Almost always, there was no brown sugar in the church kitchen so I would have to go buy some. I would also have to get army men because I’d always forget I melted them during my Priests of Baal lesson. [...]
RYC Blogging Lent: Week 2
Memories of Life Travis Carlson (RYC Adult) First Christian Church in Cyril When I was growing up my mother would talk about those important moments in time that she could clearly recall where and when she was. I would say “Sure mom.” and keep on doing the stuff I thought was important. As I grew older one of those moments happened to me. I was in seventh grade sitting in the school office waiting to be picked up because I was sick. When over the radio I heard that the first teacher who was [...]
Queasy lent
Lent (def) verb: simple past tense and past participle of lend. Lend (def) verb 1. to grant the use of (something) on condition that it or its equivalent will be returned. 2. to give (money) on condition that it is returned and that interest is paid for its temporary use. 3. to give or contribute obligingly or helpfully; 4. to adapt (oneself or itself) to something; 5. to furnish or impart; [lent. Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. http://www.dictionary.com/browse/lent [...]
Regional Youth Council: blogging through Lent
You may be wondering if the Regional Youth Council will ePublish a Lenten Devotional this year. Well, no and yes. RYC is taking over this blog, "Old Camp Hat", during Lent. Beginning on Ash Wednesday, members of RYC will publish at least two posts each Wednesday during Lent, and there could be a guest post along the way. What is Regional Youth Council blogging about? I selected themes that encourage a broad Lenten experience that includes: self reflection, curiosity, memory, engaging with bi [...]
Heart Imposition
Knowing that commitment unleashes energy, what can I commit myself to today? (Daily Question, Gratefulness.org, Jan 31, 2018) It's that time of year that followers of Jesus begin thinking about a discipline or practice for the season of Lent. This year, Ash Wednesday is February 14. Yes, if you've not thought about it yet: Ash Wednesday on Valentine's Day. If I was in Godspell, I would expect to receive a heart imposed on my forehead rather than a cross. Maybe that's what we need in our con [...]
A Steward of Experience
“The true price of anything you do is the amount of time you exchange for it.” Henry David Thoreau, Walden The cool northern breeze, however brief of late, reminds me that soon fall and winter will sweep into life. Daylight is growing shorter as the earth spins the sun below the equator and another year into memory as the two busiest holidays approach. Halloween, All Hallow's Eve, Day of the Dead, All Saints Day, provide a moment of pause to remember the significant ones, loved ones, and mom [...]
Justice, Love, and Hope
The Children's Defense Fund created the idea of a National Observance of Children's Sabbath back in 1992. During October of each year many places of worship, non-Christian and Christian alike, will participate in Children's Sabbath by following a devotional, holding a special worship service, participating in service projects benefiting children, holding an educational event, or adding something to worship through October 22. This year's theme is, Moving Forward with Hope: Love and Justice for [...]
Goodness is Instinctive
"Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all." Romans 12: 17-18 Noble or nobility are not words we use much in our context. When we do it is associated with board games, the latest HBO or Netflix period piece, or with European history of a hereditary class of persons. Noble (def): of an exalted moral or mental character or excellence; admirable in dignity of conception, manner [...]
The Gospel According to . . .
How would you tell it? Has your discipline during lent done for you, or to you, what you hoped it would? Have there been surprises? We’ve wandered in lent seeing Jesus through the eyes of the writer of John. This gospel is more a theological handbook than a story of the life and times of Jesus of Nazareth. From it’s opening word, John has gone about providing a theology of Jesus as the Christ of faith more than telling a story about Jesus the traveling prophet, turned preacher from Nazareth. [...]
Parables Can Connect Us
This year we meet Jesus through the experiences of Matthew. He probably used a few of the letters of Paul and the Gospel of Mark as his source material filling in the details that Mark leaves out. Yes, the author of Matthew may have embellished a bit based on his experiences and the time he lived. All the gospels and epistles do it. You may think that never happens today, but well, you know different. A couple of weeks ago we met the first disciples (Matthew 4:18-23) that Jesus called: Simo [...]
Intersection gets a new look for 2017
"Time may change me, but I can't trace time." David Bowie, "Changes" 1972 The flow of information into our lives has increased. Some by choice and some simply by being awake. It is the product of living in an information age. Every TV service offers users a way to create a favorites list. SiriusXM encourages users to create a favorites list and within a specific music channel gives users the ability to filter the kind of music heard on that channel. Email programs can be set up to filter our [...]
That we could always see
I may have said it before, so my apologies if this is redundant. Christmas is not my favorite holiday, sacred or secular. I've lived long enough to remember how it was 'back then' knowing that the old days were not always good, but those days and the experiences shaped who I am. I am in touch with how my past informs my present and continues to teach me how I follow that inner moral compass into the future. My past has a voice, but not a vote. Hard as it is to change your narrative, change [...]
Seeing Ripples
Is there another way to re-frame our view of the other, our congregation, youth group, person in the opposite political party, or reading of the biblical text? Our culture is caught up in 2 dimensional thinking, governing, religious ritual, and survival mode. The characteristics of our current politics is evidence that we've become more transactional and less transformational since 2000. There are some simple 'right and wrong' actions in our culture, but followers of Jesus are called to live i [...]
Commencement Words
"Don't throw your hat at the end of graduation. If you don't bring your hat back you cannot receive your diploma." Those are the words I remember from my high school graduation. The school rented the caps and gowns. You had to return what was signed out to you to receive your diploma. I somewhat remember walking across the stage to get my diploma from the principal and school superintendent. I remember my parent's faces as I passed them in the procession and recession. I'm sure someone sp [...]
Da da, da doo, ah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, boo. Summer!
“A lot of people like snow. I find it to be an unnecessary freezing of water.” (Carl Reiner) As quickly as the new year has entered our lives, so too winter. But, not far off in the distance past the sneezing and storms of spring, out there beyond the perimeter of Easter and Pentecost is summer. Da da, da doo, ah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, boo. Summer! June and July are the months that Disciples trek into the wilderness. It is ground here in Oklahoma, and in every Region, that is made holy, [...]
Advent Around the Corner
How will you prepare, wait, and journey to Bethlehem this year? What kind of messiah are you expecting to meet at the manger? What messiah are your searching for? Sometimes we know a few of the biblical stories so well, like the Christmas and Easter stories, that we embellish portions or skip over portions. This year, read closely and spend some time with the stories. Note what is not part of the biblical story, but is a layer of tradition's story about the biblical story. The Regional Youth Co [...]
Monday Thank You Notes
Do you remember that last time you wrote, hand wrote, a "thank you" note? Getting anything that is hand written these days is something to marvel. I can remember sending and receiving hand written letters a long, long time ago. The Internet has made it easier to say "Happy Birthday," "Happy Anniversary," or just "Thinking of You," as it only takes a couple of minutes. It is one way that technology has changed our culture and daily lives. Social media, specifically Facebook, has become the digita [...]
Connection and Collaboration and Choice
For the longest time I would make a hotel choice based on two criteria: non-smoking rooms and free Internet, either wired or wifi, in the room. I am brand loyal between three companies. One offers both, non-smoking hotels and free Internet which is where I most often stay when I have a choice because it fits me best; and a perk is that if fits my budget though I do pay a little more. When I was in third grade, my family chose the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) because First Christian in [...]