When I was a sophomore in high school, I was 6’3” and about 230 pounds. I wanted to play basketball in a youth league, so I decided to lose weight. In about 2 months, I dropped 50’ by eating salad, running two miles a day, and playing sports. I actually maintained that weight for more than 6 years through college. Later in life, I would drop 50-60 on two other occasions, but normally, over a 2-3 month period. It goes fast when you starve! Problem is, as you get older, it's c

Throughout my career, I’ve had stints where I’ve been bi-vocational. During one such time, I worked selling office equipment to schools and government sites. I didn’t broadcast to the staff at my company, or to my clients, that I was a part-time pastor. In fact, I tried to just blend in as “one of the guys,” so as to not make anyone feel uncomfortable. Like the famous "Unknown Comic," I was the "Unknown Christian." Interestingly, one day as I was stopping by the office to dro

One of my jobs as a security guard in TX was to thin-out and reduce the armadillo population on campus. From time-to-time, our boss would call and say, “Landscaping is complaining about too many armadillos destroying the flower beds again—round-up a few guys and ‘send ‘em home.” “Send ‘em home,” was code for killing a few as soon as possible. Easier said than done due to their toughness and speed when running back to their dens. I’ve always referred to an armadillo as a possu

I loved to hunt small game as a young man growing up in Western NY. Fall was my favorite time of year because my father, uncles, cousins and I would hit the woods to hunt for partridge, rabbits, ducks, and even an occasional woodcock. Woodcock are small, migratory birds with long beaks and lightning-fast reflexes. Their wings whistle when they fly and they dart in and out rapidly, making them hart do hit even with an open-choked shotgun. Still, they present a challenge and, w