“Here you go!” My brother-in-law handed me a small cup of espresso. The aroma reached me before the cup did. I took a sip. “This is delicious. Your espresso machine is great.” He laughed. “It is great, but I didn’t use the machine.” He pointed toward the stove. “I made it with that.” Sitting there … Continue reading Espresso (Matthew 22:37–39)

I was downsizing and trying to find a home for some antiquated electronic equipment. Among the pile was an analog video camera. Long ago, I had converted all of my VHS tapes into digital media, and as far as I could tell, the camera had outlived its usefulness. There was a camera shop near my … Continue reading Who Would Want This? (Isaiah 40:8)

Recently I kept running across the acronym FIRE on social media. At first, I assumed it was another investment strategy or perhaps a new mutual fund. It turns out FIRE stands for Financial Independence, Retire Early. The idea is straightforward: save aggressively, invest wisely, and accumulate enough wealth that you can leave the workforce years … Continue reading Who Was the First FIRE Investor? (Luke 12:16–21)

Hundreds of ads bombarded me with campaign pitches, maligning opponents and trumpeting reasons why the populace should vote for one candidate or another. Finally, after months of campaigning, the big day arrived. The radio was filled with pundits explaining the issues. At the end of one of these programs, a tongue-in-cheek statement was made: “So… … Continue reading Vote Early, Vote Often! (Joshua 24:15)