This past summer, I wrote a blog post about Convictions, Preferences, and Disagreements. I mentioned my concern that regardless of the topic, the art of civil disagreement in our culture has been replaced with uncontrolled vitriol. This week, Jim Daly, President of...
A television station is running a marathon of episodes from a 1960s television program called “The Dick Van Dyke Show.” The airings are in honor of the 50th anniversary of the series. It’s fun to watch old programs that chronicled a simpler time, when valuing faith...
Are people with religious convictions the only ones who live by faith? Some say that’s a no-brainer. The answer is yes, and by the way, anyone with religious faith has no brains. That’s one answer. But the fact remains that every single person on the face of the earth...
Cleaned out my bookshelves the other day (to make room for more books!) and came across a little paperback that’s been around for twenty-five years: All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten: Uncommon Thoughts on Common Things, by Robert Fulghum. Here are a...
I’ve been thinking lately about stewardship. That’s not a word we use much in our culture anymore. It’s one of those words that seems to have fallen out of favor. Most people haven’t noticed. But maybe we should notice. A steward is someone who has the responsibility...
Who doesn’t want to be happy? The right to pursue happiness is even written in the United States’ Declaration of Independence. Then there’s the popular post floating around the internet. Perhaps you’ve read it… “Someone once said, "There comes a time in your life,...
I’m a person of strong opinions. It’s rare that I don’t have an opinion on a subject – just ask my husband! 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 on...
Been thinking about filters this week. Our air conditioner started leaking on Saturday. In the house. The A/C technician – a friend - responded to my frantic call. Turns out there was nothing wrong with the system…that is, nothing that couldn’t be corrected by...
Have you ever watched someone live with a terrible situation, and then said, “I could never do that”? I remember the words as if I had spoken them yesterday. My friend, Betty, was caring for her father-in-law during his terminal illness. He had moved in with them...
There’s a holiday for just about everything. In July alone, we have Teddy Bears’ Picnic Day (July 10), National Carousel Day (July 25), and Yellow Pig Day (July 17). But the one that gets me every year is the holiday that falls on July 7: National Tell the Truth Day....
Ordinary vs. Extraordinary? Motivational slogans are all around us. Success is ours if we embrace it. Strive...
National Tell the Truth Day Has telling the truth become an exception? Or is it simply entertaining? The...
How Do You Wait? Everyone is waiting for something. It might be for a person, an event, a fulfilled goal, or an...