A Thinker's Dozen
When you order a dozen donuts at our local shop, they provide your dozen and then they throw a stack of donut holes on top. I think it's their version of the baker's dozen. In that vein, here is a Thinker's Dozen with 13
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Elvis Has Fun in Acapulco.
It was 61 years ago this month that "Fun in Acapulco" was released. This was the last Elvis movie before Beatlemania really started to take over. It was peak Elvis and is my favorite movie with him. Join me for a recap (with spoilers because the movie is
Japanese Storytelling and Illegal Dump Trucks
When we travelled to Japan earlier this year, I learned about a type of story telling called Kishōtenketsu. It is a story told in four parts that doesn’t have to include conflict for interest. This structure is commonly used in short stories, movies, and anime from Japan. It can
See a Need, Fill a Need
When our boys were young, they enjoyed a movie called “Robots.” It was fun, uplifting, and didn’t have any annoying high-pitched voices so we didn’t mind that they watched it over and over in the car. One of the characters, voiced by Mel Brooks, is named Bigweld. He
An Invitation to Slow Down
The other day I learned some math that really made me think: The earth is rotating at 1,040 miles per hour. This means that even if you are standing still, you are still moving that fast. But also the earth itself is orbiting the sun at 66,600 mph.
Fishing for Pigeons
It's that time of year again. The sun is shining, the pool water is glistening, and those stinking pigeons are coming back to bathe in the pool. They bring the sounds, the feathers, and the other things that they leave behind. In the past I've tried
Notes From: James Taylor at the Hollywood Bowl
In 1985, James Taylor released an album called "That's Why I'm Here." It's full of good songs and the title song is one of the best. James recalls that the song was inspired by the death of his friend John Belushi, a
Some Thoughts on Ignorance
I've been learning a lot about wisdom, knowledge, and ignorance. It's been fascinating to connect the three. Here is a small collection of thoughts on ignorance: Ignorance can be bliss I've always enjoyed creme brûlée. The crack of the crispy top. The chill of
To Be Sure of You
A.A. Milne wrote that Piglet sidled up to Pooh from behind. “Pooh?” he whispered. “Yes, Piglet?” “Nothing,” said Piglet, taking Pooh’s hand. “I just wanted to be sure of you.” In an always changing world, how nice to have someone you can be “sure of” forever. Someone who
Three ways we use Notes app as a family
The Notes app comes on every iOS and macOS device by default. In the early days, it wasn't very reliable or feature filled and that turned some people away from it. The current app is great though. You can easily scan text or full documents to a note.
The Heart and a Willing Mind
It was 25 years ago today that I entered the mission field to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I arrived with two suits, a heart, and a willing mind. I barely fit the suits. Luckily only the latter two are required. I am thankful for the friends, the mentors,
Switch from Eero to UniFi for Home Wifi
On a recent trip to Bolivia, our family enjoyed much of what this overlooked gem of South America had to offer. One thing we did not enjoy was the slow access to internet. The cellular was slow because of the terrain. This made it hard to get around. Even worse
Force an Apple TV to remain as the Home Hub for HomeKit
In order for HomeKit to work properly, you need a home hub in your house. This can be any HomePod or Apple TV on your network. (iPad no longer operates as a home hub...thank goodness.) Ideally, all of this operates flawlessly and "just works." In reality though,
Site Update: Move to Ghost
After 21 years of blogging on Wordpress, I decided to move to Ghost. It's strange to be using another platform. I installed my first wordpress blog in 2003 soon after the initial release. But things have changed a lot on the Wordpress front. I decided it was time
Some Thoughts on Dropcam, UniFi Protect, HomeKit, and Notifications
In a few days, Google is going to drop support for Dropcam and Dropcam Pro cameras. It’s understandable considering the age and history of these products. They also gave plenty of notice and offered a couple free current cameras so at least they did things the right way. But
Healing in His Wings
The tomb is empty. I knew it in my heart before I saw it with my eyes. “they will crucify him; and after he is laid in a sepulchre for the space of three days he shall rise from the dead, with healing in his wings; and all those who
Travel
Around the World in Eighty Days
In his classic 1872 book, author Jules Verne wrote: It’s really useful to travel, if you want to see new things. That’s true. And it’s not just seeing new things. It’s also learning, feeling, smelling, and trying new things. As we flew out of Las Vegas,
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Notes From: Peru
It’s been more than a decade since I was last in Peru. Some things have changed but much is the same. As with all our stops though, it’s fun to see it again for the first time as Candace and the kids explore The Land of the Incas.
Travel
Notes From: Bolivia
La Paz is the beautiful city in the clouds. It seems overlooked among the great South American cities but it can take your breath away in multiple ways. I was so happy to be back. Catching your breath You can’t talk about La Paz without mentioning the altitude. It’
Travel
Notes From: Brazil
Another week, another ocean, another continent. We flew across the Atlantic and landed in Brazil. Welcome back to the Americas! City Life We began this stop in the South America’s biggest city, São Paulo. It was nice to be back in a metropolis where people drive on the right
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Notes From: Zambia
After exploring Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, for no particular reason, we decided to walk to the edge of the park. When we got there, we thought we’d go on the bridge to see the view of the waterfall. And when we got there, we figured since we walked that
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Notes From: Zimbabwe
Our next adventure took us North to Zimbabwe. Candace’s love language is waterfalls so surely we had to visit one of the Seven Natural wonders of the world: Victoria Falls. We’ll break this into four parts: The Town Victoria Falls is also the name of a small town
Faith
Don C Tingey: A Grandpa and a Hero
As we continue our trip around the world, we received news from home that my Grandpa Don C. Tingey passed away. It was expected but no less piercing. He was my last living grandparent. Life is definitely darker without any living grandparents. It’s impossible to sum up all that
Travel
Notes From: South Africa
In our family, the year that a child turns twelve they can choose anywhere in the world for a trip with just me and them. Cole chose Bolivia. Will chose Japan. Samm chose South Africa. Well, here we are 10,319 miles away from home. (A new record if you’
Travel
Notes From: Singapore
Singapore was our final destination on the Asian continent. I’m still still wrapping my brain around this interesting city-state. It’s different but familiar. In many ways, it feels like “The Las Vegas of Southeast Asia.” The Name The history of this Singapore island is long and short. Having
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Notes From: Malaysia
It’s not that I had never heard of Malaysia but I didn’t know much about it. That seems to be the situation for most people I know. When they heard Kuala Lumpur was on the list they always asked, “Where is that?” It is the home of the
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Notes From: Thailand
Thailand is known as the land of smiles. It could also be known as the land of malls, traffic, food, and energy. I was happy to be back in this country and show the family around. A Place to Call Home Our house was very comfortable and sat atop a
Travel
Notes From: Vietnam
Our next destination was the largest city in Central Vietnam: Da Nang. Most people will visit the much larger cities in the North and South but we wanted something a little less touristy. We got it. (It backfired a little bit because when Sunday came, the closest worship services where
Travel
Notes From: Hong Kong
For the next leg in the trip around the world, we took a five hour flight over the East China Sea and landed in Hong Kong aka The City of Skyskrapers. For this flight we took the airline HK Express because it had direct access at the right time. (In
Travel
Notes From: Japan
The flight was long as we passed the equator back to Winter. (Jane prepared for the return to cold with plenty of hot chocolate on the flight.) This is my fourth time in the Land of the Rising Sun. It remains exciting and new. If you like to explore, there
Travel
Notes From: Australia
After our week in the Auckland suburbs, we decided to plan a downtown stay for Sydney. We still rented a car because we knew there were some adventures with distance but mostly it was walking around the city blocks. (And that’s good too because driving with a right wheel
Faith
The Legacy of Samuel Stucki
Of all the men I’ve never met, perhaps none have influenced my life more directly than Samuel Stucki. He was born 200 years ago today in Switzerland. It was January 18, 1824. It was he who decided to have faith unto repentance, join The Church of Jesus Christ of