Read Exodus 16 and then tell me God, as a rule, wants to give us anything more, materially, than daily bread. I dare you.

Ha! The Lord of the Flies couldn’t make gnats! (Exodus 8:18)

Jannes and Jambres’ counter-miracles, genuine or not, show that supernatural acts are not necessarily signs of godly origin.

Moses & Aaron: the Bible’s first wizards.

OK, Exodus 4:24-26 is the strangest passage of Scripture I’ve read so far.

New (?) public energy saving idea: Install smart street lights that are aware of moon phases and cloud cover—and then dim accordingly.

Like Jacob, I want my last words to be blessings.

“But Dad, what is God? What is he? Is he just a big huge blump of air?”

— Sullivan, overhearing Carla and me talk about God’s kingdom

The Pharisees forgot that the nation of Israel’s eponymous forebear was blessed not because of merit, but despite sin.

Would that we love God and one another with the same kind of unflagging love that made Jacob work fourteen years to marry Rachel.

I’m thankful that unlike Isaac, God our Father in heaven—who blesses us abundantly—can’t be tricked by usurpers!

I’m going to start tweeting some thoughts and notes as I read through the Bible in a year in hopes that they’re edifying to all.

“Mommy and Dada, the other night, when I was asleep, my eyes went ploop! (with hand motions indicating quickly opening eyes) and I looked into my pillow and I saw gray telephone wires. And then I saw a big gray pipe with a gray whistle on the top. When the whistle blew, it was telling us that water was going to come shooting out of the pipe. All that was in my pillow! My PILLOW!”

doing anything = not doing anything else. (reaction: chagrin –> acquiescence –> action)

doing something because you desire to > doing something because you feel obligated > doing nothing

“Excuse me, Daddy. God didn’t make this dinner. Mommy did! So, thank you, Mommy, for making this good dinner.”

— Sullivan, after Scott says grace

Earlier nightfall brings two good things to the Stilson house: We can all watch the sunset, and the children fall asleep more quickly.

“Sorry, Éa, for peeing in your pants.”

— Sullivan, after peeing in his sister’s pants

Does anybody else think Houserville could benefit greatly from having its own third place?

“You’re so understanding it’s driving me crazy!”

— Scott, of Carla

Carla: Why were you acting so weird?
Scott: What do you mean? I wasn’t acting weird: I was being MYSELF!

“What is it with you thinking that I’m a snot-o-phage? I am not a snot-o-phage.”

— Scott, defending himself against nose-related insinuations

Google+ shows promise as a superior alternative to Facebook and Twitter. Main thing it needs now is more people. Hit me up for an invite!

“Why would we compost them when I can convert them directly into biochemical energy?”

— Scott, answering Carla as to why he was going to eat a bag of freezer-burnt pierogies that Abram left us when he moved out

I was definitely just being followed by a moonshadow.