I thought it would be just a hike.  It turned out to be much more.This past Saturday, I took our dog Ella on a  hike in the hills above Hollywood, just a couple of miles northeast of our church campus.  Just a chance to exercise myself and our faithful Labrador.  But it seems God had … Continue reading A View from the Top, and Our Lives Together

How was your day? No doubt, full of small problems of the First World. Alright now. Stop. Take a moment and watch this. This is tangible proof that new life and joy can rise from the ashes of great and dark tragedy. "......…..the most beautiful gift a person can give." Rachel Beckwith's Mom Visits Ethiopia. … Continue reading The Most Beautiful Gift

This is my favorite song of 2012: Sun is up, a new day is before youSun is up, wake your sleepy soulSun is up, hold on to what is onTake up your spade and break ground[ Lyrics from: http://www.cloverlyrics.com/e86708-sara_watkins~take_up_your_spade_lyrics.html ]Shake off your shoes, Leave yesterday behind youShake off your shoes, But forget now where you're … Continue reading Sara Watkins – Take Up Your Spade

Each year for the past decade or so, it has become a Christmas tradition for the homes on our street to light luminarias on Christmas Eve.Although more recently seen as a form of secular Christmas decoration, the hope among many Christians, and in our home, is that these lights will guide the spirit of the … Continue reading Christmas on Bushnell Avenue, South Pasadena

Tonight marks the third season of the Downton Abbey series on PBS, and I am nearly beside my white, balding, middle-aged self with anticipation.For those of you who have been living in a yurt in the Mojave desert for the past two years, Downton Abbey is a series of very well told fictional stories set … Continue reading Downton Abbey and our Place in this World

I just stumbled upon this thoughtful article from an economist that reminds us why there are some things that are best left unmeasured.

Santa with his most excellent helpersThis past weekend, I was gifted with the chance to become someone magical.  For two hours on a drizzly evening, I became Santa Claus.With the aid of a big fluffy pillow around my middle, a bright and cheery costume from our Academy Award winning neighbor (Art Direction in 2010!), and … Continue reading On Being Santa

Celebrating Heather's graduation with family and friends - June 2012 “He went to the church, and walked about the streets, and watched the people hurrying to and fro, and patted the children on the head, and questioned beggars, and looked down into the kitchens of homes, and up to the windows, and found that everything … Continue reading Norris Family Christmas Update for 2012