Category: General

Dream of Greater Days Ahead

With scenes of the U.S. Capitol under siege fresh in our minds, and a president departing in disgrace, I’m sure the doomsday prophets are in high gear about now. I can imagine sales of survival kits, emergency food, and generators going through the roof this year. Not to mention multiplied numbers of online conspiracy theorists…
Read more

God Gives us the Desires of our Heart

It’s one of the shorter verses of Scripture and yet it’s always been a personal favorite: “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” The words of Psalm 37:4 came to mind during a recent discussion with our small men’s group (like so many things these days, on…
Read more

Trump: Let History Judge

We can get food in minutes (seconds if we’re really in a hurry), can follow breaking news in real time, and consider last week ancient history. So, even before the Jan. 6 riot and attempted insurrection that temporarily halted approval of the Electoral College results, many had already judged the job President Donald Trump has…
Read more

Words of Optimism for 2021

As we enter the new year of 2021 with millions hoping for anything but a repeat of 2020, I think it’s time to inject a note of optimism into a world that many paint as a dismal scenario. It comes from an interview I read recently with bestselling romance novelist Beverly Jenkins. According to Writer’s…
Read more

2020: Best Year Ever

Time magazine probably expressed the feelings of millions with its recent cover story, “2020: The Worst Year Ever.” However, at the risk of appearing insensitive, tone deaf, or braggadocious, I think of 2020 as my best year ever. Not because it was my best year for income in more than 35 years of freelancing. I’m…
Read more

A Charlie Brown Christmas

We call it our “Charlie Brown” tree. Measuring 20 inches high and containing just a few branches, it reminds us of the one that made “A Charlie Brown Christmas” into must-see seasonal TV after its 1965 debut. Like so many knickknacks that have made their way into our home, we aren’t sure where we bought…
Read more

Software Updates Complicate Life

Answering my smartphone used to be a pedestrian process: touch the green button when the phone rang and it answered, even if the phone was in sleep mode. Then came a new method I never asked for: to answer, I have to punch the button and swipe right after it rings. I discovered this the…
Read more

Cheering the Defeat of the Nanny State

While much of the nation lapsed into a frenzy of presidential vote-counting myopia during election week, I spent time quietly celebrating the passage of Proposition 22 in California. I even came up with a private chant: “Up with the gig economy! Down with the Nanny State!” I cheered because the measure turned back an effort…
Read more

Reasons to Give Thanks

Recently, as we neared the end of the week’s lesson in our favorite Bible study material, a closing summary point suggested reflecting on the salvation God provides through His Son and writing a prayer of thanks. I spontaneously jotted, “Dear Lord, thank You for the salvation that rescued me from certain disaster, changed me from…
Read more

Historic Day in College Football Approaching

If life were a movie, then this Saturday Marshall University’s football team would be playing at East Carolina. ESPN’s “Gameday” would be there, starting an extended broadcast at 9 a.m. to recap a tragic—and yet historic—day. They could include an interview with actor Matthew McConaughey, who played the lead role in We Are Marshall. The…
Read more