Category Archives: Living My Life

How to be a Beta Person

Posted on April 11, 2014 by hessd

The previous post was my best shot at how to be an Alpha—a person who, in the seemingly random distribution of resources, gets a card marked A.  Today, let’s consider how to be a Beta person—someone who got a card … Continue reading →

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How to be an Alpha Person

Posted on April 8, 2014 by hessd

Some years ago, I wrote a short essay on the providence of God.  Here is the scene with which that essay began. Let’s imagine that each of us is on a team with a special skill and that the teams … Continue reading →

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Racism and Sin

Posted on March 28, 2014 by hessd

Am I a racist?  No.  I’m not. There.  That takes care of the substance of the matter.  I have blasphemed in public and I will be chastened by a lot of people whose social and political views are very like … Continue reading →

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Giving up haggis for Lent

Posted on March 21, 2014 by hessd

I’d like to think about “giving up X for Lent” today.  I am honestly respectful of the notion that additional resources ought to be devoted to experiencing Lent—the dark season of the church—fully.  I am pretty open-minded about just how … Continue reading →

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Permanent Love

Posted on March 14, 2014 by hessd

I grew up hearing my mother tell a causal attribution joke.  That isn’t what she called it, but that’s what it is and that’s why I telling you about it.  As she was growing up, both “bums” and “limburger cheese” … Continue reading →

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Why the NCC Works

Posted on February 28, 2014 by hessd

One of the groups I belong to calls itself, modestly, the Northwest Corner Caucus (NCC).  We meet at “our Starbucks” most mornings.  We solve problems; we cause problems—it’s your ordinary group of guys (mostly) sitting around with too much caffeine.  … Continue reading →

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Valentine’s Day 2014

Posted on February 9, 2014 by hessd

I do love Valentine’s Day.  It has taken me awhile to get there, but I am there now. I started having trouble with Valentine’s Day in elementary school.  It was our practice that everyone was to get valentines from everyone … Continue reading →

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Belonging to the Narrative

Posted on February 3, 2014 by hessd

  As a rule, I am pretty sensitive to attributing personal traits to impersonal objects.  You can tell, I am sure, that I am going to suspend that today and you are right, but let me illustrate it first.  It … Continue reading →

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Such a Boy Scout

Posted on January 21, 2014 by hessd

I was a Boy Scout in my younger years.  Scouting didn’t make much sense to me, but it was at a time in my life when nothing much made any sense, so I don’t really blame them.  But you remember … Continue reading →

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Let Even the Old Rejoice

Posted on January 14, 2014 by hessd

  Every year, as close to Epiphany as we can get it and still have it fall on a weekend, Bette and I invite friends over to read W. H. Auden’s poem, “For the Time Being” together.[1]  It takes about … Continue reading →

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