from Rachel: The Little Horn

Please read Daniel 7:7-28 carefully and list every fact about the little horn under its proper heading. These ‘successes’ or ‘failures’ may be implied or obvious. Be sure to note the verse locations with each fact. The little horn’s successes:“crushed and devoured its victims (7)“trampled what was left under its feet (7)“was waging war againstContinue reading “from Rachel: The Little Horn”

Ignoring Dubai

Dearest Rachel – Seeing as I have so little time to put this together, what with having to assemble today’s shore excursion videos and another list of things that have been occurring to me as this trip has been winding down, I may not do a lot about Dubai’s history and culture. I covered thatContinue reading “Ignoring Dubai”

What I’m Not Gonna Miss…

Dearest Rachel – I mentioned the other day about how the shower stall in my stateroom would inevitably soak the bathmat, and continue to flood the bathroom, no matter how little water I used. Well, since then, it’s proven me to be something of a liar, as it hasn’t flooded since. In fact, the bathmatContinue reading “What I’m Not Gonna Miss…”

“Let’s Just Get This Over With”

Dearest Rachel – It probably wasn’t the best idea for me to totter off to bed by nine-thirty, but by the time Logan realized we were home from having dinner at the folks’ and joined Daniel to watch anime with him, I was barely able to keep my eyes open. If it weren’t for theContinue reading ““Let’s Just Get This Over With””

Side Quests

Dearest Rachel – On what I expect to be my last walk through the corridors of the Hyatt convention center, I found myself pausing at the sight below: It might be a more common sight at an anime convention than most times and places, but it was a new idea on me. I decided thereContinue reading “Side Quests”

A Star Is Dying

Dearest Rachel – Yesterday, I wrote to you about places that we used to frequent that have since been shuttered for whatever reason; we will never be able to go to this or that place again. No longer will being there remind me of the times we spent there, because ‘being there’ is no longerContinue reading “A Star Is Dying”

There Are Places I Remember…

Dearest Rachel – On my way home from walking with Lars the other day, I stopped at a bagel shop to pick up a dozen for Daniel and myself. Since I’d just eaten, it was clearly an act of nostalgia rather than actual hunger, because it was an outlet of a chain of such storesContinue reading “There Are Places I Remember…”

An Ungodly Hour in God’s City

Dearest Rachel – There are many cities around the world that seem to pride themselves on being ‘the city that never sleeps.’ New York and San Francisco come to mind in particular, being celebrated in song to that effect. Jerusalem is not one of those places. On the contrary, part of its pride lies inContinue reading “An Ungodly Hour in God’s City”

It’s Not Them…

Dearest Rachel – “It’s not you, it’s me.” It’s amazing to realize you never heard those words directed at you, but I know it to be true. You never dated anyone – indeed, you never considered dating (although you admitted to having a handful of childhood crushes back in the day) – until I cameContinue reading “It’s Not Them…”

I Remember This Time

Dearest Rachel – I’m not sure how it happened that last month I forgot about it – maybe it’s because I was dealing with unforeseen circumstances, maybe it’s because I didn’t have as much time to write as I do this month – but it certainly isn’t happening today. It has now been eighteen monthsContinue reading “I Remember This Time”

The Curtain Can’t Come Down Soon Enough

Dearest Rachel – In a different context, you’d be forgiven for thinking that I’m about to break my promise to myself and you about keeping politics to a minimum with a title like that – it’s the sort of sentiment anyone with our belief system (or even dealing with the struggling economy) has to beContinue reading “The Curtain Can’t Come Down Soon Enough”

The End of the Road

Dearest Rachel – I’m beginning to wonder if my running shoes should have come with an odometer, or some other means to indicate when I’ve gotten to the end of their useful life. They still cover and protect my feet from the elements, both above and beneath, but I can feel the difference in supportContinue reading “The End of the Road”

To Everything…

Dearest Rachel – So much for the need for a wake up call. My mind is going through this past week, and as I’m lying here trying to get another hour or two of sleep, it’s coming up with a few rules for future reference. Much of it sounds a lot like the third chapterContinue reading “To Everything…”

What Was So Important, Anyway?

Dearest Rachel – You might remember how, back when the magazine still existed, I would buy myself a copy of Life at the end of the year as a sort of memory refresher; their “Year in Pictures” issue. This is what happened in the world during the year, the important stuff, the important people, theContinue reading “What Was So Important, Anyway?”

One Last Task

Dearest Rachel – And so it ends. As I said, the convention always ends on an anti-climax. Not with a bang, but a whimper, just like the end of the world. But there’s always something that needs doing, and since we always contemplated the idea of doing… something… it falls to me one more timeContinue reading “One Last Task”

Il Faut Manger

Dearest Rachel – This letter is running concurrent with the previous one, because there are that many impossible things to do at the moment. All I’m doing at this point is waiting for the marketplace to open, and then I’ll be going to breakfast. ‘One must eat,’ after all… The contrast between last night andContinue reading “Il Faut Manger”