I was at Chipotle recently, one of my favorite restaurants. I was going to say, one of my favorite Mexican restaurants, but I don’t really consider it to be Mexican food. Probably because I usually get the “burrito bowl,” since I don’t like their tortillas.

I’m excited to begin teaching a new financial class this week. As you’re probably aware, I’ve been for quite a while a strong proponent of Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University. For some reason, however, interest in the class at my church has been minimal. We offered it two years ago and had a great response, but not much since. This lack of response led me to reevaluate FPU, and I discovered that I no longer wanted to facilitate it.

I’ve taken to carrying what I call a man bag. Like Seinfeld’s “European carry-all,” I carry just about anything I need in it. Sounds like a purse? Well, you’d be mistaken, my friend. This is no purse. It’s simply a downsized version of the computer backpack I used to lug around.

I may have mentioned before that I love playing Words With Friends. I’ve always liked Scrabble. I remember once when Cindy and I were playing with my twin sister and Cindy’s two sisters — I think they were both there. My mother may have also been playing with us too. Team play. I just remember Becky (my sister) getting frustrated and tossing the board, tiles flying every which way. Good times.

I’ve been in the confessing mood lately, I suppose, for I have a few posts I plan to roll out in my Confessions category. There’s something we Protestants are missing out on, because there aren’t confessionals in or near our sanctuaries — we have basketball hoops in mine. Now, I’m [...]

I’ve been thinking about the resolutions I halfheartedly made for 2011. I wanted to learn a little Spanish, take off some weight, write some fiction. Was I wanting to learn the mandolin? Well, I lost weight and put a little back on. I never learned any more Spanish. I haven’t written a word of fiction, unless you include some of my more outlandish posts here. And I haven’t touched a mandolin.

I was standing in line at a grocery store recently and saw a magazine teaser on a usually pretty safe periodical. This on the cover of Prevention magazine: Sexier Sex – When and How You Want It.

Maybe you’ve seen those inspirational tips-for-life kind of posters. Things like “do less,” “accept what you have,” and “enjoy the journey.” Well, I’d like to add a trite saying of my own. Or maybe I took it from somewhere else, I don’t know. Whatever the case, here goes …

I learned my backhand incorrectly. Just as I learned to hold my pencil wrong. But does it matter how you get your results? I started playing tennis when I was about 11 or 12, but my brothers relegated me to the backboard, instead of allowing me to hit with them. The backboard is a formidable opponent that never lets you win and forces you to develop agile feet. It is not, however, a good coach. It’ll keep returning the ball but won’t help you with your form.

If you weren’t aware, October is Pastor Appreciation month. Many churchgoers might night know about this month-long opportunity to lavish praise and gratitude on their ministers, but most of us men and women of the cloth do. Very often we receive greeting cards of thanks and gift cards to area restaurants. Sometimes it may simply be a check, which for our family has on more than one occasion been a timely resource for an urgent need.