Janice Joplin had a hit record after her death in 1971 called "Me and Bobby McGee" that had a line that said "Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose." Kind of a depressing thought, but then again, the song is about the memory of a happier time and the lose of that time,…
"Uncle" Lawrence owned a farm, and when I was a boy, my brother and I would visit this magical place. It was the first time I'd seen how chickens were raised and eggs gathered and cows milked.
But what fascinated me most was when I saw the mule being yoked to a plow. The animal, use…
You've met them before. They are the ones who aren't the center of attention, but they recognize who should be the center of attention and introduce those folks to everyone else. These people seem to have the knack of recognizing who should lead, who should speak, and who should be the example for everyone else.
These…
"Petulant child!" That's what I thought as an obviously frantic mother was trying to placate a toddler throwing a fit. Nothing seemed to work. He didn't want the toy, then he did want the toy. The treat mom tried to give the boy was accepted then thrown down and the screaming commenced again. She tried…
Paul Tillich once said "Doubt is not the opposite of faith; it is one element of faith." Interesting!
In reading the Psalms, I encounter such true life and even great heroes of the faith questioning God or struggling with momentary doubt about God and His plan. The Psalmist struggled with watching the wicked prosper while he,…
At the risk of really dating myself with this movie reference, I remember the movie "Love Story" and the famous line from the film "love means never having to say you're sorry." Hey, it was the early 70's and we were just coming out of the tumultuous 60's. We needed a bit of saccharine sweetness!
But…
The gradual shift in modern educational philosophy to a "self esteem" emphasis is complete. From the math standards that discourage teachers from "correcting" incorrect answers to the ball fields where "we don't keep score" so no one "feels" bad, this shift is now producing consequences of its own. In fact, some have come to call…
There is a joy in recalling those moments in life when something was told to you, or some example was given to you, or something happened to you to "turn the light on" in your heart or mind. One such instance came when our merry band of spiritual seekers were working our way to the…
Sometimes you just gotta cut your losses! But how do you do that, especially when emotions are involved?
It seems I was at a very familiar place in my life. Being someone who loves to help and loves to be seen as a benefit in someone else's life, I was once again hitting a brick wall…
Have you ever looked at your schedule and thought "Wow, how am I ever going to finish all this?" Yea, me too!
I sometimes wonder about all our "busyness." Is mere abundance of activity really necessary, or are we doing so much to "hide" from something? Just looking at my own children's schedule of dance practice,…