Ian M. Anderson

I can't get John the Baptist's words out of my head. Luke records them this way: You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. And then John answers the questions of those who've heard him: the crowd, tax collectors, and soldiers. In their turn each asks the same question -- "What should we do?" ** John replies to the crowd: The man with two tunics should share with him who has none, and the one who has food should do the same. To the tax collectors: Don't collect any more than you are required to. To the soldiers: Don't extort money and don't accuse people falsely -- be content with your pay. Rep

I've thought about and prayed and worked on this post for a few weeks, off and on. Please accept these words as more of a prayer: unfinished, unrefined -- a stumbling. *** My wife and I used to play one another in ping-pong while at college. There was a table set up in the middle of a common area just outside the cafeteria, so when we played people often saw us. We still laugh at the time a passerby said to me, "Ian, take it easy!" I'd just slammed a point on her side. I said, "No! She'll win!" And that was true. If I went easy, not only would she be frustrated at me for not playing my best, but she'd also win -- and I couldn't have that. No, really. There was a part of me that, for a moment, put our relationship aside so that I could relish the win: the swing of the arm, the twist of the ball, the look on her face -- I win! Many years later, we see that we've sown the seeds of competition in our sons. It wasn't that difficult, because it