Welcome.

☊ I took a plane trip earlier this week and happened to receive a book recommendation just the day before I left. A good story always makes a long flight more bearable, but I was skeptical. The book is titled “Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals.” While a couple of close friends highly praised it, it sounded like just another “life hack” program—like a “Marie Kondo, tidy up your life in bento boxes and all your dreams will come true” kind of thing....

☊ According to my porch thermometer, it dropped to 57 degrees last week. I don’t know about you, but after the sizzling summer we’ve had, I felt like I had a new lease on life. Stepping outside in the morning and being hit by the crisp, cool air prompted a reflexive deep breath. It even smelled like fall–a hint of pumpkin spice on the breeze, perhaps? But it being September in Arkansas, I knew this lovely weather wouldn’t last long, so I decided to make the most of this gift from God....

☊ My sister recently bought a cabin near the Buffalo River outside the town of Gilbert. It’s in a gorgeous location, perched on the banks of Tomahawk Creek in Mud Hollow, nestled in a maze of hills and cut off from the rest of the world–a classic Ozark landscape. Every time I’ve gone up for a visit and passed the Gilbert General Store and canoe launch, I’ve dreamed about how great it would be to float the Buffalo from there, down to the mouth of Tomahawk Creek and walk up through the hollows to the cabin....

☊ Recently my son ranked up in his martial arts class. It was a big deal. He’s been a student of Coung Nhu for seven years, and by passing this latest test, he has graduated into the more advanced classes with the adults. Coung Nhu is a branch of karate that combines both quick, explosive movement with a softer, more contemplative, flowing style similar to Tai Chi. Luke did a fantastic job during the test....

☊ There is a priest in this diocese who was once a regular on the supply circuit, and I could always count on him to get along well with the members of whatever congregation he was serving. Whenever I would call him up and ask him to preside at Sunday services in Stuttgart, Helena, Marianna, or any number of congregations across the diocese, his response was almost always something like, “Sure!...