I have no idea where the thought came from. All I know is that, when I looked in the mirror at that seventy-two year old face I was shaving, it occurred to me that it is a little too late for me to blame any dumb things I do on any sort of “midlife crisis.” I really doubt that I will live long enough to celebrate birthday number 144. I’m also thinking that senility has not totally “kicked in.” After all, my brain did work well enough to have that thought and both it and my fingers are working well enough for me to type these words. I forget a few things, make…

Grief is a fickle subject. No two people grieve the same way, either in length or intensity. Some are more quiet than others. Some want to be more alone while others need almost constant companionship. Some are confused when they grieve the loss of a job or pet more than the loss of a family member. There is just no way to know how someone else is grieving. But this post is for those who are grieving–or will sometime in their life, which is all of us. We will all face a loss–to death, of a job, of a marriage, through a major surgery, from an illness, or in other…

Erma Bombeck was one of my all-time favorite writers. She had a real way with words and could turn any event in life into a humorous story. One of my favorite short writings from her had to do with a Monday morning dieter who began her diet with small portions of healthy food, but as the day progressed (and hunger started to get to her), she began to alter what she ate. When her husband called to tell her he would be late for dinner, she started to falter. When her children asked her what she was doing with the fruit, she told them she was putting it under some crust where…

A while ago, I wrote about a man who has a podcast that I listen to on a fairly regular basis. It has been a while since he discussed the subject that I’m thinking about today. I cannot remember exactly when it was, but I know that I was so intrigued at the time that I read the transcript of that particular podcast and made a few notes. In his podcast and manuscript, he refers to a man by the name of Theo Hobson and describes him as “…a major British theologian and public intellectual…”. From what little I’ve learned about Dr. Hobson, I would probably not agree with him on what I…

Sadly, in our world, people get hurt. There are some who, for whatever reason, are out to hurt other people, but for the most part, people just get hurt by a word said at the wrong time or someone not knowing any better. Typically, we are hurt by people who do not mean to hurt us, but it still stings. When that happens, there are a lot of dangers we must watch out for. When our heart is hurting, we can be in very dangerous territory. Our enemy, the devil, knows that we are vulnerable and will use any means necessary to place temptations before us. There are many ways…

I am typing these words as I sit with Donna during the day following her second knee replacement surgery. Our first experience with this was about nine months ago.   The doctor told us that no two surgeries or recoveries are exactly the same. So far, the events have proven him to be exactly correct. While the procedure was the same (except for two different knees), the surgeon was the same, and the hospital was the same, this experience is very different from the first one. So far, Donna seems to be having more difficulty getting “back on her feet” – both literally and figuratively.   I’ve spent part of today thinking about some “life lessons”…

[Editor’s Note: Due to a mix-up, this post is being shared one week after the surgery mentioned in the introduction. We are glad to say it was successful! We hope you find the message of the post just as timely as if it had been published on the correct day. If you read this post early on Thursday morning, I will most likely have just had surgery having a new knee implanted. I had the other knee done in September of last year, and now this knee is saying, ‘it’s my turn.” I know what to expect–the pain, the therapy, the slow movement. I like to be the one helping,…

Most students of the Bible are probably familiar with some of the events that took place after the death of king Solomon. He had succeeded his father David as king. When Solomon died, his son Rehoboam succeeded him as king. However, the succession did not go very smoothly.   What kept the succession from going smoothly was a decision made by Rehoboam. His decision led to a division in the kingdom that was never repaired. As I recently read the account about the decision and how it was made for about the umpteenth time, I noticed something I had never noticed before. (This would be a good place for a quick reminder about the importance of continuing…