"Good night, and God bless you!" was said to my siblings and me every night of our childhood, teens, and adult lives. My parents-in-law said the same to their children, and we did to our children, and they to their children and children's … Read more
Bright sunshine flooded the fields as I drove to church. In one, a Holstein calf caught my attention as it gambolled around, testing its legs. Meanwhile, its mother contentedly chewed her cud. In another dandelion-dotted meadow, two … Read more
I first looked at page 186 over a half-century ago; now it's my computer's screen saver. For my tenth birthday, Mama gave me a small black Bible and said, "Son, wherever you go, take it with you, and when you're alone, troubled, afraid, … Read more
When I was growing up, I often heard the term, "the apple of my eye", usually from my grandmother, who used it for all twenty-two of her grandchildren. We don't hear it so much these days, which is a pity, because it's one of those … Read more
As I was reading the Scriptures the other day, I heard the dog door open and someone come in. Sharing my home with eight dogs and five cats, I never know just who that someone may be until they come into view. In this case it was Henry, … Read more
An old martial arts saying was passed around: "If you are going to have to go into a den of rattlesnakes, become a rattlesnake." The rattlesnakes do not prey on each other; they attack others. This is just another way of saying that we … Read more
When I was at high school, I had a part-time job on an ice cream van. For four nights a week, I used to serve up cones, wafers, and popsicles to families all over the subdivisions where the van travelled. On hot summer nights, the kids … Read more
With a new baby and a wreck of a house, I have a tendency to be focused on the job to be done: it is easy to do. Consequently, I am task-orientated, with a noticeable sense of satisfaction when a task is done. However, as I get older, … Read more
The sky was the most elegant blue I have ever seen. Our church building is located just on the edge of our city, surrounded by trees and farmers' fields. As I looked down the road in the distance, I saw the homes, the beginning edge of … Read more