Year in Review, Year in Preview: How Our Annual Couple’s Date Strengthens Family Bonds

Some years ago one of our pastors recommended that my wife and I have a big end-of-the-year date where we discuss the highs and lows of the previous year and goals for the next. We call this our โ€œYear in Review, Year in Previewโ€ date. We have done this almost every year since 2015 and… Continue reading Year in Review, Year in Preview: How Our Annual Couple’s Date Strengthens Family Bonds

Chickens and Social Contracts

In a previous post, I pondered man's resistance to authority and said that we tend to tolerate it when there is a perceived benefit. This is an example of a social contract. We have unconscious social contracts all around us in everyday life.  For example, in my backyard, a solemn pact governs our family's relationship… Continue reading Chickens and Social Contracts

How To Topple Tyrants

Tyrants are not all-powerful. History shows us they get toppled and defeated regularly. Julius Caesar was stabbed by his closest advisors. Everyone had finally had it with Nero and he was semi-forced to kill himself. Saddam Hussein was found hiding in a hole. Muammar Gaddafi was found in a drainage pipe. Adoni-bezek had his thumbs and big toes cut… Continue reading How To Topple Tyrants

Bury the Hatchet: Additional Thoughts on Loving Your Enemies

I recently wrote a post on the blog of The Well Community Church titled "How To Love Your Enemies," which you can read here. I felt it necessary to add some thoughts lightly playing devil's advocate, or at least, to clarify when there may be a time for justice rather than what many might feel… Continue reading Bury the Hatchet: Additional Thoughts on Loving Your Enemies

So what happened to the business?

Nothing, and thatโ€™s the trouble of it. I learnedโ€”or relearnedโ€”several things about myself through trying to create a small business. First, I learned that I donโ€™t think like an entrepreneur, and I donโ€™t really want to. Second, I learned that I may not have the talent, personality, or strengths needed to be a natural at… Continue reading So what happened to the business?

Watson Abbey Farms Origin Story

We were on our honeymoon in Scotland, traveling on a bus to Melrose Abbey, a 900-year-old Cistercian abbey south of Edinburgh. Watching the green glens roll by, we saw sheep and farms dominate our view out the window. One of us turned to the other and said, "Wouldn't that be nice to do one day?… Continue reading Watson Abbey Farms Origin Story