My father served in World War II, interrupting his studies at the University of Minnesota for three years of Army duty. On a hillside in Italy, he took a bullet in the leg that put him out of action. When he returned to Chicago for further treatment, the hospital removed the stitches too early. That…
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It’s been many years since we saw a trilogy of films about the “mark of the beast,” named for the mark prophesied in Revelation 13:16-17. As so often happens with apocalyptic versions of the future, the interpretations were a bit off base. Add to that some of the alarmist predictions that swept through evangelical circles…
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President Donald Trump visited our town last week for a rally. I had only seen a president in person once before, going to Denver’s old Stapleton Airport to see Ronald Reagan during his second term. (In copies of photos I sent to friends, I joked that the small speck in several pictures was indeed the…
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It’s been years since I got a Little League trophy. And being the below-average player I was, the only reason I got it is that at our season-ending team dinner, the coach gave a trophy to everyone. He even threw in some complimentary words about my contributions, which—to be honest—were scant. It was not a…
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Having previously been through a heart cath—the procedure where they snake a tube through an artery to look at the heart and determine whether any blockages exist—before, I wasn’t eager to undergo another last month. Yet it proved to be the most pleasant experience to date. Not just because the test showed there weren’t any…
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While the tech world was abuzz recently over the news of a Windows 10 update coming this fall, I can’t profess to feel much excitement. Not when I’m longing for the ease and intuitive features of Windows 7. I got a reminder of how much I loved the older operating system when a friend who…
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If for no other reason than self-interest, I am hoping that Sears doesn’t slide into oblivion. That became more likely with the recent announcement the retail giant will soon close 72 more stores. Then came more news that it would cut 400 fulltime jobs at its corporate office and in support functions. I’m concerned because…
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By now, the recriminations are flying hot and heavy regarding the barrage of gunfire last week that wounded House Majority Whip Steve Scalise and several others. Conservatives are blaming the hatred inflamed by the left. Liberals are blaming President Donald Trump. And the beat goes on. However, obscured in the blame-first atmosphere of modern life…
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Given the widespread bias against anything connected to President Donald Trump, I wasn’t surprised to see vitriol aimed at Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson recently for suggesting that poverty is a state of mind. Carson grew up in inner-city Detroit and became a success in large part because of his single mother’s insistence…
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