Some say a weed is just a plant flourishing where you don’t want it to grow. The plant I gazed at certainly fit that description. Its tender green leaves and slim stem contrasted with the smoky-blue Florida sky as it grew in the gutter on my roof. Definitely a place I...
Ghosts and witches. Jack-o’-lanterns and black cats. Scary masks and things that go bump in the night. Typical frightening Halloween fare. But the day is not called Scary-ween. So what is the “hallow” in Halloween? Hallow is not a frequently used word these days. When...
It seems children’s entertainment is becoming darker. Movies and video games seem to be pushing children to embrace adult situations. And it's all in the name of being resourceful—of not needing adults (especially parents) to help them solve their problems. On the...
It was just a tiny spot recognized by the scan—a little more than a centimeter. But as soon as it was identified, the medical community sprang into action. More scans, tests, chemotherapy, radiation. Months of treatment based on the knowledge that this one spot was...
Pocketing and cookie jarring. To paraphrase a line from The Princess Bride, “I do not think it means what you think it means.” One thing is for sure: neither phrase means what I thought they meant! Both terms are now used to describe dating trends. Pocketing occurs...
I’m confused. I understand atheists who say there is no God. I don’t agree with them. But if they choose to hold a position contrary to what the Bible says, they’re free to do so. I understand Muslims who say Allah is god and Mohammed is his prophet. Again, I don’t...
Bible study can be encouraging…until we begin to put the people of the Bible on a pedestal. It’s so easy to think of them as almost mythical individuals. Abraham, Moses, Joshua, David, Solomon, Peter, Paul—we read their accounts and imagine them to be...
I’m a person of strong opinions. It’s a rare occasion when I don’t have an opinion on a subject. Lately, though, I’ve been wondering about the art of disagreement. Without meaning to, I’ve come up against passions that run high and emotions that run deep. The subjects...
This week we commemorated a horrific event in our nation’s history. Social media feeds once again overflowed with posts and photos from September 11, 2001—a day that (please excuse the cliché) will live in infamy. Whether it’s 9/11 or another tragedy, personal or...
Living in Florida, I recently engaged in a stressful dance with Hurricane Dorian. For those who haven’t been following the vagaries of tropical weather, Dorian crossed the Atlantic as a tropical storm that grew into a Category 5 hurricane. With a peak wind speed of...
The Encouragement of an Encouraging Word Our Western civilization is becoming less and less civil by the day....
Are You Feeling Pressured? Is anyone besides me a bit tired of hearing how pressure turns coal into diamonds?...
In Jesus’ Name: More Than a Tagline! How often have you ended a prayer with “in Jesus’ name”? We say it so...