Miscellaneous

Winter is coming.
We woke up this morning to a white dusting of snow on the ground. It wasn't much, and soon melted, but was a sure sign that winter is around the corner. Another sign was a number of cars that had slid off the highway which we saw on our trip to Anchorage today. In fact, a couple in our church slid off the road themselves on their way to church yesterday morning. The guardrails saved them from going off a bridge. Thanks to God, they were only shaken up and not injured.

"Cheap" gas.
I never thought I would rejoice at $3.98/gallon gas. But that is where it has dropped to now in Wasilla. Amid all the terrible economic news out there, at least this is something positive.

Bad news in the OPC.
The small denomination I belong to, the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, recently decided it could no longer maintain a health insurance plan for ministers and employees. The plan was already prohibitively expensive for many, but it is the only coverage many pastors have. It will terminate sometime next year. I was not in the plan, so it will not affect me or my family personally. But I'm sure it will be difficult for some other ministers who depended on it for medical coverage.

We enrolled last year in a high-deductible plan with a Health Savings Account, which has worked out great for us so far. For younger families (or singles) with little to no ongoing health-care expenses, it is an ideal plan. You pay a relatively small monthly premium for a plan that will cover you for a major health problem, and then you are free to deposit a certain amount of money each year into a savings account from which you can draw money for regular office visits, dental work, eye care, or any other usual health-related expenses. It is an excellent option.

High-brow entertainment.
I'm a little embarrassed to admit this, but our most recent selection from Netflix was "The Three Stooges." I thought the kids would enjoy it, and did they ever. The antics of Larry, Moe, and Curly, had them cracking up (and me, too). Who needs Pixar when there are the Stooges to provide quality entertainment?