During the past year, the “mask policy” has changed multiple times. National, state, and local governments have mandated a variety of changes in policy. These changes have often been difficult to understand and even more difficult to enforce. There have been instances when one set of policies has conflicted with others. Various levels of government have not been alone in adopting confusing and conflicting policies. Businesses, churches, and other organizations have also felt the need to adopt their own “mask policies.”   All of this has even filtered down to the family and individual levels. Some families and individuals refuse to wear a mask and/or require others to do so in their presence while others make…

When I first heard the term “social distancing,” I really didn’t understand what was meant. Now, after a year or so, I understand what is meant. I also understand the reason for suggesting (or mandating) its practice. The fact that I understand the term and the practice does not mean, however, that I like it. I like to interact with people in person. I like handshakes, hugs, and even an occasional pat on the back. I like it when I can actually communicate when I can see facial expressions, “body language,” etc.     I honestly believe that God intended for us to be social creatures. I understand that the observation that “…It is not good…

It is one of those “old sayings” that most of us have heard many, many times. We may have even used it ourselves from time to time. The squeaky wheel gets the grease. That statement can be interpreted in a variety of ways. It seems to me that the most common interpretation has to do with a person or group who is constantly complaining and/or demanding. Attention that could be given and effort that could be utilized somewhere else is directed toward appeasing what may only be a perceived oversight, mistreatment, etc. The issue may not have anything to do with complaining or demanding. It may just very well be that some circumstances may…

The question, “what would it take,” is a profoundly interesting one to me. It can be used about many different things: A young couple is often asked about their financial planning with the concept of what would it take [now] to be financially secure in their retirement? Many people, with an important event approaching ask, “What would it take for me to fit into that outfit I want to wear?”  On a much more important scale, I often wonder, “What would it take for __ to become a Christian?” Or to return to the Lord. Or to live a more dedicated life? In essence, this idea is being discussed in…

A woman in Minnesota recently got a big surprise, but not a very pleasant one. She and her daughter were watching a TV show that talked about marriage when her daughter said that she had never seen her mother’s wedding dress. She had seen pictures; but not the actual dress. So, the mother decided to go get the box in which the dress was preserved down and show it, realizing that she herself had never actually looked at it, either. It had just been in the preservation box since her wedding, 14 years earlier. When she opened the box, though, she got a not-so-happy revelation: the dress that she had…