Headlines this week delivered a gut-punch that has become tragically familiar: A prominent pastor and supposed “devout servant of God,” arrested for solicitation of a minor on a dating site. Details; the brazen listing of same-sex attraction while maintaining a position of married clergy, coupled with the chilling casualness of the offense, do more than…

Each year, I put on my big boy shorts, suck it up, and go shopping with my wife, Amy, for our children. It is one day out of the year that brings such joy, fun, and excitement… for Amy! (Not really, probably, because she must listen to me complain.) When asked what her favorite hobby…

It’s the day after Thanksgiving; the official, time-honored start of the holiday shopping season in the US. Or is it? As we emerge from our turkey-induced stupor and brace for the Black Friday/Cyber Monday whirlwind, a far more profound change has swept the retail landscape: the phenomenon known as “Holiday Creep.” Once, the unspoken covenant…

I have been in the newspaper business since I was a little boy. The first job I ever had was cleaning up waxed paper off the floor. In return, my Dad, Max Gardner, would pay me with a shiny 50-cent piece. Next, I started helping insert the newspapers and then progressed through practically every position…