I went out to eat this week. As the waiter handed me a menu, I thanked him. When he brought me my food, I thanked him. When he handed me the bill, I thanked him. And when I paid him, he thanked me. This exchange brought back the words of my parents. When I was […]
It was called Infantile Paralysis and though I don’t remember it, since I was only two years old, my sister and I actually had this virus—the virus we now know as polio. A few months after we had the virus, the vaccine became available and was distributed, subsequently eradicating the disease. Even though my sister […]
Just a few days ago, for almost a week, we were SNOWED in. As I write this, the temperature outside is a balmy 70. I recently saw a funny meme about our unpredictable weather here in Tennessee. It said our region actually has 12 seasons. They are, or so it says: Winter Fool’s Spring Second […]
The Lord knows all human plans; he knows that they are futile. Psalm 94:11 It’s winter. It’s cold. All of the deciduous trees in our yard are naked and much of the wildlife has either migrated or hunkered down to keep warm. Except the bluebirds. And a few sparrows. A couple of days ago, I was sitting in […]
I have several trinkets in my jewelry box. Most of them I hardly ever wear. I’ve never been much for baubles and dangly things anyway. But last Sunday, while I was getting ready for church, I had a few minutes to browse through my collection and find some “adornments” for the day. I had a […]
“If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. The one who believes in me, as the Scripture has said, will have streams of living water flow from deep within him.” (John 7: 37-38) The little South Alabama town where I grew up in the 1960s has a natural phenomenon that was responsible for some of my most delicious […]
I hear this phrase a lot. But one I’ve personally never used to refer to babysitting or keeping children. Watching them was not something I considered the essence of the assignment. I don’t know. I don’t think that just to hover over a child and observe them would be worthy of the job. Anyway. Recently […]
“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” Psalm 46:1 Did you ever build a fort as a kid? Sure you did. Everybody did. Sometimes it was with your bed covers after you were supposed to be asleep. Sometimes it was a crude combination of various materials in the family room. It might have been a […]
He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Isaiah 40:29 We found a treasure chest in our garage. It was a small wooden box that looked like a miniature version of what pirates search for at the bottom of the sea. Inside this chest, we rediscovered lots and lots of coins […]
The Germans started it. The Great War, the War to End all Wars (now known to us as World War I) had been raging for five months in late 1914. On one side were Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and others. On the other was France, England, Russia, and later the United States and others. […]