Scrambled Eggs & Corn Flakes

A good friend of mine , while I was dating Susan, pointed out to me the best thing to do would be to date for six months before you got engaged. November 18, 2007 was exactly 6 months from our first date, and that would be the date I would propose. You know when she said yes to my second date would have been enough to convince - but I did show some restraint. This led to my planning to buy a ring and the proposal. November 18th was on a Sunday, so that worked out. I could propose to her at the church where we met, the kids could have handed her roses, and the rest of the congregation along with us would break out into a Grease-like song and dance number. The choreography worked out in my head. I now had an awesome plan. I bought the ring at the mall nearest to Susan's condo (but out of my way). Susan was out of town with friends for a bachelorette party, so I knew she wouldn't run into me there. I found the right ring while with my nephew. I did threaten him under penalty of ...

There is this inherent hope when we have done wrong that the consequences will not be severe. This starts when we are small children and continues into our adult lives. If we do something wrong, we truly want the offended party to believe our excuses, to show empathy - anything so long as to escape any punishment. We want that person, whether it be our parent, spouse, or boss to go easy on us. We want them to show us mercy and understanding. On the other side of the coin, we hope that when others have wronged us that they will be shown the error of their ways. That whatever punishment they get will be memorable and the wrong-doer will never do it again. To prove my point, just drive along the highway when you see someone speeding - you hope that the cops will nail them. However, if you get stopped while speeding - well you hope to get off with just a warning. This brings us to the story of the prodigal son in the book of Luke. A lot of people know this story, but I always enjoy revie...