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Little Jimmy was one of those eight-year-boys who seem to be able to find a mud puddle in the Sahara Desert. And within seconds have his body covered with it. Sandy hair falling over mischievous bright eyes, he was an intelligent, energetic kid who had a boundless love of life. Jimmy wasn’t exactly a deliberately disobedient child, but his exuberant love of adventure seemed to cause him to have a lot of difficulty staying within his dad’s boundaries. Repeated warnings, lectures, and fla...
Everybody knows finances are tight today. Now, one can only hope against hope that by the time this column hits your hands, the sentence I just wrote is a lie. That by some miracle the ever-escalating balloon of inflation in our country has run into a sharp knife and rapidly became a splattered has-been on the ground. I’m hoping all of us are crowding the stores, once again stocking our pantries and keeping our credit cards smoking. Yeah, I know, the eternal optimist. But let me leave that t...
Remember from your childhood all those stories about that man or woman “who lives right over there?” That person you knew from experience – yours or others – to avoid at all costs. Those stories varied from a witch, to scary dude, to mean as a junk yard dog. Yeah, me too. And my kid imagination took off with wings that carried me to thoughts of murders and kidnapping. Silly child, you say? Absolutely, but you couldn’t convince me of that back then. Every neighborhood seems to have its own ‘that...
Ever listened to two people or two groups argue? Both opponents believe there is only one real truth: MINE! Doesn’t matter how loudly the other side yells. Doesn’t make a difference how many facts the other side lays out and cites triumphantly. These volunteer advocates for living with sky high blood pressure scoff at anything that doesn’t back up what they know to be ‘the absolute Truth, so help me God.’ You’ve seen it happen, or probably been part of it at some point. Sure you have, don’t...
Ever created your own mess, and then had to try for a couple of days to find a way out of it? Ending up stressed out, and physically exhausted. Exhaustion then causes you to be mentally hazy, so you don’t think clearly enough to be able to solve your problem. And don't forget to throw your burned-out emotional state on to that cold pile of ashes that used to be your hard work. Open confession is supposed to be good for the soul, ‘they’ say. Guess I’ll see in a minute or two, after writing...
A grizzled old man observed with trained eyes and alert ears as the novice young man did his best to hold his own at a table filled with experienced, skillful gamblers and crooked card sharks. Needless to say, things were going from bad to worse. At the end of the long night, the elderly gentleman quietly followed the dejected fellow who now walked with much lighter pockets. He watched as the angry and humbled wannabe used his room key and then slammed his door closed behind him. Noting the...
If there has ever been a time in my life when I feel like crawling under the bed with a blankie and lying there whimpering – it just might be now. Now, I really don’t see myself as a wimp, like a girl who has never had to face anything more unpleasant than a pimple on her nose on prom night. I’ve faced my own share of serious diseases, loss of loved ones, being stranded in blizzard conditions, job loss, and car wrecks. But people, I have to admit, we have entered a time in this world that is ca...
Nope, don’t get your dander up (or your hopes up, depending on what you were expecting to read). I am not going to write about naked bodies and the image that phrase seems to conjure up to people. The focus of this column, the nakedness I am writing about? It’s your future – the naked, unvarnished truth straight out of the Bible, about your eternity. Sound totally boring? Okay, then simply go read something else that does appeal to you. You definitely have that right. But for those who reali...
Two-month-old Lydia suddenly feels uncomfortable, so she begins twisting her little head back and forth, whimpering, and when that doesn’t bring her mom, she begins shifting her body around. According to her beliefs, that lady-in-waiting has only one function in life – to attend to Lydia’s every whim and need. Mom is supposed to be watching that tiny body 24/7 so as to catch the first indication that “Hey, ma’am, I am not happy, and you should have already fixed this situation 45 seconds a...
You’ve surely seen them. The people in your life that rarely look at the glass as half empty. To them, having a half-empty glass just means they can go fill it to the brim with whatever they choose. But to a person who is discouraged, depressed and feeling victimized by endless defeats, a Constantly Contented Connie can be absolutely irritating to be around. We commonly refer to the two attitudes as Victor and Victim mindsets. Victors. They have decided to be just that. They have already d...
Jim sat down at his desk that morning only to be immediately summoned into his supervisor’s office. He was assured that while he had been doing good work, he was also told that due to the company’s economic struggles, he was part of the layoffs in one month. That evening, still in shock, he slumped into the house, hugged his kids, and went into the kitchen where his wife was cooking dinner for the family. Reluctantly giving her the bad news, he saw her eyes widen in disbelief and fill with tea...
“No Matter What” is the title of a popular song released in recent years. The lyrics talk about, “No matter whether we really try to please Him, or if we choose to throw a monstrous bomb into our life and the lives of those around us, He just loves us – no matter what.” Our God just loves us – no matter what. Even though He constantly watches us disappointing Him – over and over again. He has a bird’s eye view of any stealing, lying, cheating and everything else we choose to do. He sees us when...
Wisdom from the lips of a wrinkled old worm: “Okay, listen up, ‘cuz I’m gonna tell ya’ perzactly what The World is like. “Most of the time it looks real dark and kind’a dry ‘n crumbly feelin’. But when I tunnel straight up for a little ways, then I see a bunch’a green stalks at least twenty-six times bigger’n me. And there’s these enormous feet walking ‘round in them green stalks, all kinds of feet, some with toes, some not. The ones with no toes have huge coverings on ‘em, guess they call ‘e...
The funeral for Evan’s brother-in-law had concluded two hours ago. And now a small group of grieving family and friends were gathered in Evan and Shaylie’s home to share memories, laughter, tears and encouragement. The front door opened again. Nothing unusual about that, people had been arriving every few minutes. But this guest was different. Those nearby immediately noticed her and turned to watch her entrance which then attracted the attention of everyone else. As she hesitantly stepped thr...
You stepped out there and thoroughly blew it, and you knew it. All you could do was apologize. Knowing you were wrong you went ahead … you said “I’m sorry.” But the apology you have offered seems to fall way short of the mark. Somehow it just doesn’t have your intended effect – restoring the relationship that was damaged by your actions. ‘Somebody’s’ nose still seems way out of joint. Why? Does the other party have forgiveness issues? Grudge-holding is one of their favorite hobbies that they...
You grew up together. Fought over who got to ride the newer bicycle and who would have the bigger bedroom. You laughed at the same old TV cartoons while inhaling your morning ration of Kellogg’s Corn Flakes with sweetened milk. You made fun of each other unmercifully, griped to one another about all of Mom and Dad’s stupid rules, told lies to help each other escape punishment for breaking those same rules or with unbridled glee deliberately tattled on the rule breaker in order see them suf...
Of course, you’ve been there many times before. It’s a dead-dark night when you have no electricity for some reason, so you light a candle. And immediately that thing shines like a diamond that has a heavy spotlight six inches from it. No mistaking where it is. If you are carrying it, everyone around knows it’s you, and they know when you’re coming their way. Because burning candles don’t hide well in the dark. Just like that candle, the decision to ‘do what’s right, no matter the consequences...
If you see it, you can never un-see it. You hear it; it's in your memory bank forever – unless it's the phone number to the pediatrician when your kid is running a 102 temp at midnight. But usually, everything you see and hear becomes part of you – good and bad. It is kind of a scary, intimidating fact. Everything you experience while living on this earth is in your brain. And subtly, or not so subtly, it influences how you view life and interact with others. That's a fact worth remembering whe...
Oh yeah, Brenna was furious! No doubt about that. Absolutely amazing how the very air around her sizzled and, at the same time, made everyone nearby feel like they had just stepped into a sub-Arctic meat freezer. The words blazing from her fire-pit mouth could strip a rhino down to his thin under-skin. Had it been able to speak, the desk that she pounded on with both fists would have pleaded to be burned for firewood to escape the abuse. What on earth was wrong with the woman? What disastrous...
Ever been looked squarely in the eyes and bluntly told you are a bitter, angry person? Probably not. After all, who in their right mind wants to be within 12 feet of a bear and throw heavy stones at that huge, furious mass of muscle and bone? Nobody wants to face that. Facing that bear would be the equivalent of standing in the same room with you while telling you this truth. “You are hard to be around. You always find a way to be angry … always. It never seems to matter what the subject hap...
Losing is not for the faint-hearted. It takes its toll on your mind, your emotions and your body, no doubt about it. It literally takes a champion at heart to lose, because you have to have a lot of courage to face the battering of your self-esteem, and your finances, and your heart. If you’re currently in the middle of losing, or have ever been the loser, I have a few things to say to you. First of all, don’t feel like the Lone Ranger on a dead horse in the desert. You are not the only one str...
Don’t kid yourself. You ain’t ever gonna be that strong, that good, or that important to anyone in your world. It doesn’t matter how hard you try, or how great you believe that you are. In fact, that attitude can cause you to wear yourself out trying to be the Grand Man in the Cape. And at the same time, you just might be coming across as the pompous know-it-all who-thinks-he-can-do-it-all to those around you. Superheroes are just … not. Sure, in the comic strips they can have it all, be it a...
Father’s Day has rolled around again. Hmmm … do I write about the importance of Dad in every kid’s life? Giving every daddy-loved adult who reads this the warm fuzzies as they relive and remember how Dad was present and accounted for, as they grew up? But pour boiling oil in the gaping wound of every reader out there whose dad was in the wind during their growing-up years? Do I run the high risk of bringing back to the surface all the pain and resentment of many who were ignored or outri...
You may have been racing to get out of your marriage. You could hardly wait until your signature was still wet on that divorce decree. Maybe or maybe not. Instead, maybe you were one of those spouses who fought desperately to hold on to your marriage but lost it anyway. But now, like it or not, a divorce is in your rear-view mirror. And as you drove away from that part of your life, celebrating or sobbing, you very likely discovered something. That no matter how long and how far you drive,...
A heavy angry fist slammed down on the desk. To say the least, anyone near that room would have definitely understood that things were not going well with the owner of that fist. Wouldn’t have to study the scowl on his face or hear the frustrated cursing that erupted from his mouth. Larry was married going on 23 years. He and his wife Marsha had a son finishing his education at the local university, and their daughter was turning 17 next month. They owned their nice home, and Larry had a good j...
