Life Stage

Presidential Pastries

mcherkezian — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 09:33:06 -0600

After working at some of the world's top hotels, Chef Roland Mesnier landed a sweet position in the White House back in 1979: Executive Pastry Chef.

For the next 25 years, he served several presidents his delicious creations.

Line in the Water

admin — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 16:04:23 -0600

I am an education professor at Central Christian College. Sometimes when I'm teaching a class full of glassy-eyed, bored students, or when I'm stuck in an interminable faculty meeting, I feel like calling it quits and heading for home. It's times like those I remember a fishing trip I took with my dad in 1956, when I was 12 years old.

Daydream Believer

jbloustein — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 14:52:05 -0500

Did you ever have a crazy idea that wouldn’t go away? A nudge so persistent you couldn’t ignore it?

Let me tell you mine. I wanted to start a business, making aprons. You know, those 1950s Suzy Homemaker ones with big bows in back like you see in old TV shows, the perfect thing to wear when sliding snickerdoodles from the oven or serving pigs in a blanket at a party.

Like the ones my grandmother wore. The kind of retro apron you couldn’t find just anywhere, at least I couldn’t.

Maggie the Rose

mheller — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 14:49:30 -0600

Maggie appeared in the doorway, ready for a trip to the park. She was dressed in the height of four-year-old fashion: fancy velvet dress over an old striped turtleneck, flowered tights and black boots.

“Look, Mom,” she said, gesturing toward the sparkly red headband in her blond curls. Tucked beneath it was a toothpick. “I'm a rose. This,” she said, pointing, “is my thorn.”

Findings: 5 Tips for Fueling Your Child’s Faith

mcherkezian — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 09:56:14 -0500

As every parent knows, children possess a very active inner life and can be surprisingly curious about religious and spiritual matters.

Consider a few of the questions our daughter, Katy, and her little brother, Brinck, asked when they were young:

Opposites Attract

jbloustein — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 10:21:30 -0600

Oil and water, that’s us, I thought when I met Teri 20 years ago.

She was outspoken. I’m reserved. Teri didn’t wear makeup; I wouldn’t leave home without it.

Back in the day, Teri loved hitting the road on her Harley. I preferred curling up with a good book. We’re just so different, I thought.

Until I went through a devastating divorce. I passed the days in a fog, sobbing for hours when I got home from work. Friends and family called, worried.

Sacrifice: Forfeit to Win

mcherkezian — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 12:58:03 -0500

Those who sacrifice deny themselves something in order to serve a higher cause.

Another way to say it is that when we sacrifice, we surrender something of value for the sake of something—or someone—else.

Living with less requires sacrifice. If I want to live on less, I may need to sacrifice a hobby I love. If I want to have less stress, I may need to give up volunteering for my favorite cause.

A Blind Date—with God

jbloustein — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 14:30:59 -0600

“God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life.” She smiled at me, holding a small pamphlet in her hand as she read these words.

“You’re kidding,” I remember saying.

“No,” she said, “I’m actually quite serious. May I continue?”

He's a Player!

jbloustein — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 08:49:34 -0500

Ben Kneller was pretty decent at basketball.

The six-foot-six forward/center captained his Westlake (California) High School team, leading it to the California Interscholastic Federation Division I playoffs, while earning all-league honors.

But he knew he wasn’t nearly good enough to play Division I college ball. He didn’t even bother trying out when he enrolled four years ago at San Diego State.

Holding on to Faith

jbloustein — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 12:54:56 -0600

Leogane Plain, Haiti. Tuesday, January 12, 2010, almost 5:00 p.m.

My fourth day in Haiti with the Florida-based outreach group New Missions. We’d been up before sunrise visiting villages, handing out shoeboxes filled with toys, school supplies and other necessities. Now it was almost dinnertime. I sat in the New Missions dining room—a screened-in porch with rows of wooden tables and chairs.

There were about 40 of us on this trip, mostly high school students and some churchgoers from Orlando.