My goal here is not to promote political agendas but rather to provoke thought. As I hear the back and forth arguments and quarrels about women marching or abstaining from marching, “…to march or not to march?” hasn’t been the most urgent question for me. I’ve been asking a different question: Should we have marched […]

Thanksgiving at our house is about two things: Turducken and the Dallas Cowboys. I have to admit that both have been an acquired taste. (disclaimer: I’m not a football expert but Dietz has tutored me about the nickel defense.) With that in mind, I admit that I unabashedly embrace Thanksgiving as a way to rack […]

The holidays we celebrate at this time of year are filled with happy memories, joyful gatherings, special traditions and, for us, quietness and deep reflection. First Thanksgiving compels us evaluate and appreciate all that we have been given in this physical world. Then comes Christmas when we think about all that we have received when […]

There is an old HeeHaw barbershop skit when the barber is telling his story about falling from an old open cockpit airplane. Every time his listeners respond with, “Oh, my, that’s bad.” He corrects them with, “No, really, that’s good.” And then he tells them why the circumstances are really good. At which point they […]

It’s been 108 years since the Chicago Cubs knew the thrill of a World Series title! 108! And it almost didn’t happen. In the final game of this Series, the Cubs were ahead by three runs and then, in a blink of an eye, the score was tied. They were running out of innings and using up […]

Today I am speaking at a Pamper Yourself Ladies’ Day so I thought I’d share that presentation with you here. Make My Day: Pamper Your Soul “Make my day!” When Clint Eastwood delivered that famous line as Sudden Impact, he was saying that doing away with a really bad guy would be the crowning glory […]

We missed Hurricane Matthew. On purpose. I’m sure you understand why. If you have never been in a hurricane warning zone in the days prior to the storm, you have missed an intriguing study in human behavior. Unique vocabulary fills news and social media: barometric pressure, millibar, storm surge, wind velocity, cone, eye wall … The Weather […]

He didn’t really intend to, but he preached hope to me when he called. My big brother with his big hat and his big mustache and his big, hope-filled heart.   He called to tell me about a day when he had a need that exceeded his resources. And how he just said, “Lord, you […]

Western hail storms are nothing to be trifled with. They loom dark and intimidating on the horizon then they sweep in quickly and carrying chaos. Crops decimated, power lines torn, fences blown over, windows broken, vehicles dented, equipment damaged – hail storms are immeasurably destructive. A few years ago my sister and I got caught […]

There are times when someone puts a hand on your arm and immediately their gentle look and touch tell you that they know. They KNOW. And their words and actions are a gift of costly comfort. They do not speak tritely or out of a Christianeze handbook. They know deeply whereof they speak. They, too, have […]