Several readers have asked for photos of our daughter’s wedding. Here is one of the bride and groom, flanked by my wife and I, along with Dan and his betrothed.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
I really like the TV show Monk. The season premier was last Friday. Since we were a tad busy with Laura and Chris’s wedding, we’ve not yet had the opportunity to watch it, but I’m most anxious to do so.
The show features Adrian Monk, a former homicide detective, who has some issues: he struggles with a long list of phobias and has OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder)—which the show takes to entertainingly exaggerated extremes.
With keen powers of observation and deduction, he brilliantly solves every case. Although the department has him on leave until he deals with some of his issues, they hire him as a consultant for the more baffling cases.
Monk is a clever TV show with a compelling story line about colorful characters. That makes for a great show, but my interest goes even deeper.
You see, my bride is a bit like Monk. No, she’s not a crime fighter, and she doesn’t struggle with phobias, but she does exhibit some compulsive tendencies.
These used to immensely irritate me, but after repeatedly watching and being amused by Monk’s over-the-top compulsive antics, my wife’s obsessive manifestations are so minor in comparison that they have grown to be most bearable.
They are even beginning to become endearing.
Thank you Monk for entertaining—and enlightening—me. I owe you.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
Last Saturday, we motored south to Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana to watch Chris (our daughter, Laura’s, betrothed) graduate.
The drive there was overcast and dreary, but the sun emerged about when the outdoor festivities began.
The campus, at least the part we saw, was most impressive.
The ceremony was in two parts.
The first, for the entire University, complete with a keynote address and a speech by Ball State’s president, included honorary degrees and special recognitions; the Bachelor candidates graduated en masse.
The second part was just for the College of Architecture and Planning. It was inside and more intimate. There were more speeches and awards, but in the end, we were treated by seeing Chris walk and receive his diploma.
A recurring theme in many of the speeches was the role the graduates’ parents played in making it happen.
I kept thinking those words applied to me and needed to continually remind myself that Chris’s parents were the rightful recipients of those accolades.
Nevertheless, Chris is like a son to me—and all the more so in a couple of months.
This fall, Chris returns for grad school, so we will get to do it all again in two years. But next year, it will be Dan and Kelli’s turn. (See “An Engaging Situation” for the skinny on our “four” kids)
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
A couple of weeks ago my wife took me out for my birthday. The actual date of the event had long passed, but that’s okay; that’s how we do things.
Precise timing is not important to us, as long as it is eventually celebrated. Sometimes we’re several months late, but if it’s within six, it’s all good.
More than six months means we’re no longer late, but actually early for the next year.
Anyway, she took me to one of my favorite restaurants, bd’s Mongolian Barbeque. In fact, as far as restaurant chains go, it is my favorite. (At this point, it’s regional, so if it’s not in your area, why don’t you open one?)
At bd’s, you create your own recipe: select the items you want, in the quantity you want, and watch their grill masters turn it into a stunning stir-fry delight.
Aside from immensely enjoying a birthday treat, I also had a secondary agenda. You see, for Christmas, I was given a super duper deluxe gourmet wok.
My mission was to take more careful notice of how things were done at bd’s, with the intent of doing my own stir-fry thing at home, in my work.
Well, tonight was the night. Although I fell short of duplicating the total bd experience (highly attentive customer service with a touch of attitude from their grill masters), I did create a meal that delighted my taste buds and filled my stomach with contented bliss.
I should have stopped with the first helping and the second one put me over the top. I am so full but still craving one more delicious bite.
Wait a minute. There are leftovers in the frig. Gotta go!
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
I didn’t have time to post anything last night, but I have a good excuse.
Son Dan’s hockey team was playing for their men’s league championship. They won 8 to 0, for an undefeated season.
Their opponent, having notched upset overtime victories in their first two playoff games, played admirably, but simply ran out of steam by the time they reached the finals.
Dan is the Chief’s goalie—their only goalie. As such, he played every minute of every game.
This is unlike most of his prior hockey experience, where he shared net minder duties with multiple goalies—sometimes as many as three others.
For men’s league, fan backing is minimal. Most players skate without the support of family and friends. A wife or two occasionally shows up, sometimes with kids in tow.
For others, a girlfriend cheers them on. In the game, last night, Dan’s contingency outnumbered all the other fans combined.
Most of the action was on the opposite end of the ice and Dan didn’t have much to do (which is not his preference; he likes to be kept busy).
When called upon, he responded admirably, keeping the puck out of the net throughout the entire contest.
I get tense when Dan is playing and the game is close. This, however, was a game I could thoroughly enjoy: an early lead was established, there is little doubt as to the outcome, and Dan played with excellence!
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
