Phil’s Blog

And the One who gets things right Have you ever misspelled something? Years ago, I interviewed a popular band for a cover story that would go into 101 countries. As editor, I oversaw the cover design with a photo of the band, and their name in huge letters. Instead of “The Newsboys” it read, “The…

A reporter called to interview me about my long marriage. We’d surpassed the 30-year mark and we qualified. “How did you meet?” she asked. “Well, Ramona moved in next door. So, I chose my life motto, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” The reporter laughed and asked. “Have you been together ever since?” “Pretty much. She…

If you’ve tried to type something into a computer or a phone lately, you may have noticed that these gizmos come with auto correct, a wonderful invention that has almost done away with our spelling mistakes but created a whole list of new problems. Just ask the guy who sent his friend a message, “I…

Few things are quite as funny as a good typo, that one misplaced letter that turns perfectly harmless sentences into unforgettable goof-ups. Take, for instance, the newspaper that featured a recipe for “honey mustard chicken diapers.” I’ve…changed…some of those diapers. I much prefer chicken dippers, though they’re nowhere near as funny.   One lady’s pill…

Can temptation become a force for good in our lives? Have you reached the age where temptation is avoiding you? Me neither. On the golf course I’m tempted to kick my golf ball from behind a tree while pointing at wildlife. And to cheat at Dutch Blitz. My kids know this. They watch me like…

How fast-track cultures always undervalue the joy of anticipation   Patience is that quality you admire in the driver behind you, but can’t stand in the driver in front of you. Back when they used to throw rice at weddings, a young guy dated a girl for years. She dropped subtle hints and dreamed he…

In my book Family Squeeze, I tell of the time we found ourselves wedged between children and aging parents. My dad was picking out hearing aids while my kids were strapping on headphones and cranking up the volume. Nothing prepares you for this in high school, but we tried to do the next right thing.…

Why I wouldn’t trade the teen years for a good night’s sleep When I was a teenager, my mom said, “Follow your dreams, Son.” So, I went back to bed. We had our children fast. Three in three years. The anaesthetic from the first birth was still working for the third. Before long, we had…

I loved the great hymns we sang in church, but sometimes they confused me. We sang: “round yon virgin mother and child,” and I thought, Who is John Virgin? And why was he so round? A child heard, “Gladly the cross I’d bear,” and wondered why they would name a cross-eyed bear Bradley. Remember the…

Have you, at least once in the past week, told someone, “I’m tired?” One guy said, “I’m so tired that if my life was measured in dog years, I’d be dead.” I don’t even know what that means. One evening when my son was small, I brought home a thick briefcase and sat down at the…