Do you remember the song, Jesus Loves the Little Children, written by C. Herbert Woolston? Even if you don’t know all the stanzas, you probably remember the refrain: Jesus loves the little children, All the children of the world. Red and yellow, black and white, All...
Regardless of your political persuasion or opinion of the author of a book by a similar title, I’ve learned “it takes a village” for adults, too. It’s been more than a year since I experienced the most significant loss of my life. The loss of my better half left me...
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 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...
Twenty years ago, I moved from New York City to a much smaller city in Florida. More of a small town, actually. I welcomed the fresh air, the slower pace, and the improved quality of life. But I also needed to make some adjustments… About a week after our move, after...
Were you offended today? We live in a society where taking offense is now the norm. And the catalog of culprits multiplies by the minute, with politics and religion topping the list. Sadly, it seems our culture is especially offended by the claims of Christianity,...
Is there such a thing as absolute truth? If you answered yes, you share a traditional world view that is quickly falling out of favor in our culture. If you said no, you’ve just contradicted yourself. Saying there’s no such thing as absolute truth is actually making...
Do you know anyone who has lost a loved one? A spouse, a child, a parent? I’ve watched people around me lose those they love through illness, accident, old age, or even by self-inflicted means. And I’ve felt bad for them. Sympathy. Knowing about their loss and pain,...
Look around. Listen to the politicians. Read the headlines. Talk to your neighbors and coworkers. It won’t take long before two themes emerge. Justice and mercy. But rarely do these two words occur in the same sentence, or even in the same conversation. There’s a lot...
Anonymity can bring pleasant surprises. Someone ahead of you pays your bill in the drive-thru. Or you receive a card or gift in the mail from an anonymous friend. But anonymity can create problems, too. How many times have you been the victim of...
Care & Compassion in a Dog-Eat-Dog World “Nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you...
Hot Buttons We all have them. Hot buttons. Sore spots, tender to even a verbal touch. When poked, these sore...
The Order of Submission If ever a word could be identified as an emotional trigger, it’s submission. And if...