Family

The Last Step

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On our visit to Cambodia a couple of months ago to see the WCG (don’t worry, we saw his parents and our other kids in Cambodia, too), we went to a magnificent, magical, and mystical place for kids. No, Disney Cambodia isn’t (yet?) a reality, this place is called Kids City.

Kids City is ten-stories of fun. Laser tag, go-karts, bumper cars, playgrounds, science galleries, and plenty of other thrills for kids of all ages. And… clip-and-climb.

Clip-and-climb is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a climbing gym with all manner of different climbing stations. The climber puts on a harness, clips onto an auto-tightening rope at the chosen station, and heads for the clouds.

Blog

Reborn

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As a nation, we tend to be lovers of second chances, especially when it comes to talented athletes that play for our team. But it extends to the business world, too — Apple’s rise from being thirty days away from bankruptcy to the  company with the largest capitalization in the world in just a few years, or GM’s rise from the brink (with a little government help).

In the spiritual realm, Jesus called our ultimate second chance “being reborn” or being “born again” (John 3:3), and said it was the only way to the kingdom of God. Nicodemus wasn’t sure what He meant, and I’m not sure many of us do, either. 

In the context of this post, “reborn” refers to what’s happening to the blog formerly known as The Rice Paddy Two.

Generosity

A Better (or at least more productive) Christmas Gift

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Here’s a little quiz I often give the people we counsel on finances. You only get ten seconds to answer each question, so put that fancy phone to use. Keep your eyes on the first question only right now — no peeking!

What’s the most memorable Christmas gift you’ve ever received?

Got it? OK, next question.

What’s the most memorable Christmas gift you’ve ever given?

In my experience, most people can answer the second question without a problem, but often struggle with the first one. That shouldn’t surprise us, because Jesus told us that it’s better to give than to receive.

Music

Do You Care What I Hear?

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The title’s a slight play on words for one of my favorite Christmas songs. Ryan and I have been giving each other ideas for posts for the last couple of months, and he did it again today (although this time unintentionally).

I should pause now and encourage you to use that link. Ryan’s one of my favorite people to “listen” to about music, even though I often disagree with his tastes. He’s knowledgeable, articulate, has a good ear, and the vocabulary of a good music critic. For all of those reasons, I forgive him his obsession with Charlotte Church and his dalliance with 4HIM.

Music

The Magical Music/Movie Tour

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I gave my music-savant friend Ryan a challenge the other day, and that in turn led him to a post on fandom. The circle must be unbroken, so these are some musings on his musings inspired by my question. (We have Dramamine available in the lobby.)

The (Not So) Sure Thing

Back before anyone knew who John Cusack and Nicolette Sheridan were, they made a movie called The Sure Thing (how could that possibly be thirty years ago!). In it, Sheridan played the title character (and that title is how she’s credited) who was the object of desire of every boy in school for obvious reasons.

Family

Meet Ten of Our Kids

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That title might come as a surprise to our daughter, who for twenty-nine years has thought she was an only child. (She’s really thirty-two, but children aren’t really cognizant of much those first three years, right?)

John and Ashley

Ashley is the one whose birth certificate has our names on it, but John got here as soon as he could. The most important person in this picture, however, is the little guy on the lower left. He is known to all who know me as the WCG, the World’s Cutest Grandkid, for obvious reasons.

The Phifers are currently phollowing the Lord twelve timezones away in Cambodia.