It’s barely a month after surviving the challenge of Mother’s Day, and our overwhelmed lives are confronted with yet another demand for some significant indication of parental appreciation. Now we have to think up something that we can do for Dad that’s meaningful, affordable, available on Amazon Prime, and that will make him think we’re the most sensitive, caring, insightful son or daughter any father could ever hope to have. Let’s face it–that’s a tall order, so let me get at least one important thing out of the way first. I can’t help you with any of that. I have no suggestions for last minute gifts or special Father’s Day celebrations, but you don’t need that anyway. There are gazillions of web pages already doing that, and some may even include some innovative, new yoga positions to help relieve that awful headache you get from trying to wade through all the ads and finally make a decision. What I would like to do, instead, is to suggest a way to enhance our Father’s Day reflections by Continue reading
Words with No “Wiggle Room”
Not only does the month of June sort of kick Summer into gear, it has historically been the month when we’re most likely to get a wedding invitation. The June wedding tradition apparently goes all the way back to Roman times when they celebrated the union of the mythical gods Juno and his bride, Jupiter, who was declared to be the goddess of marriage. Later, during Victorian times, June was popular because flowers were blooming, and some historians claim that the flowers were important. Not only did they add color to the ceremony, but their fragrance helped offset the body odor of the participants. Today’s wedding planners, then, ought to praise God for the invention of deodorant. Just imagine how hard it must have been to arrange placement of the guests so that the important people were Continue reading
Contemplating Commencement
Maybe you’ve noticed that those who have been exposed to the collective genius at work in some of our institutions of higher learning sometimes do things that make us wonder. Let me illustrate with a couple of representative examples. First, you’ll be relieved to know that there has been a scientific breakthrough regarding an enigma we’ve all struggled with; i.e., what, exactly, is the connection that exists between tornado wind speed and chicken feathers? The University of New York at Albany reported on a study that may hold the answer. It was titled, “Chicken Plucking as Measure of Tornado Wind Speed.”
No doubt I speak for all of us when I say, thank God we’re finally able to figure out how fast the wind was really going when that tornado sucked the roof off the barn and deposited farmer Jones’ cow right in the middle of Henrietta’s chrysanthemums over in the next county.
Another Groundbreaking Study ~
And if that first scientific wonder didn’t kick your academic praise service into high gear, how about this one . . . The Continue reading
As Soldiers . . .
I leaned my head over to one side and spit on the dried leaves in front of me. Frowning thoughtfully, I took a deep breath, and in the gruffest, most masculine voice I could generate, said to Billy, “Well… waddaya think, Joe? Can we take out that machine gun nest?” We were lying on our bellies near the bank of what we referred to as “the big gully,” a six- to eight-foot-deep dry creek bed that ran through the woods behind my house. In the shadow of those woods and hidden from the world, multitudes of life-or-death conflicts took place, and incredible acts of heroism were commonplace. The epic battle before us on this occasion was prompted by a bunch of “Nazis” who had ambushed our patrol.
“I dunno, Sarge,” he replied. “But if you can keep him busy and cover me, I’ll try to circle around and get him from behind.” “Awright,” I grunted out in response. “You sneak around that way, and when you throw your grenade (a fist-sized rock), yell real loud, and I’ll come runnin’ up from here and take care of anybody left.” As “Joe” crawled off to my left, grenade in hand, the annals of combat gallantry displayed on the banks of the big gully were about to record a new entry.
Games with Different Headgear ~
The video games we had in those days were all internal and missing things associated with today’s virtual reality — things like artificial graphics, electronic hookups, awkward
headgear, and, oh yeah, … the price tag. Our games may have been a bit short on computer-generated special effects, but they never needed recharging, and the physical action involved required a lot more than wiggling our thumbs. Material enhancements were always a welcome addition, though, and in this case, visual realism was jacked up a notch by Continue reading
Beach Forecast ~ Dangerous Currents
It’s finally hot again and beach season is beginning. Days at the beach for a small-town country boy like me were rare, and by “rare,” I mean only a handful in the whole course of my developmental years. The few day trips that did materialize involved a multi-car caravan filled with an assortment of uncles, aunts, and cousins, and on two occasions, even my grandparents, which added a distinctive element to our little group because Grandpa was a fashion standout on the beach. He was the only guy strolling around in long pants, lace-up leather shoes, and Continue reading
A Non-Hallmark Mother’s Day, Part 2 ~ Guest Post by Mary Mack
I hope you were able to check out Part 1 of this week’s two-part guest post yesterday, but if you missed it, please give it a read in conjunction with today’s edition. As we announced in yesterday’s introduction to our offering for Mother’s Day 2018, “‘This isn’t one of those “feel-good, shed-a-nostalgic-tear-or-two-about-mom” kinds of articles. Instead, we’re using this wonderful celebration of motherhood to mourn the ones who are left out altogether, who won’t get to celebrate Mother’s Day, or any other day for that matter.'”
Hope for the Future ~
When addressing the infanticide plaguing our nation and other nations around the world, I’m always painfully aware that there are those in the reading or listening audience who have been personally victimized by the abortionists’ lies permeating our culture, or whose friends or relatives have been affected by it. In declaring the truth about abortion, we must also declare the truth that there is forgiveness and healing in Jesus Christ. Nothing can alter the past, but there is One who can Continue reading
