A long time ago, I was told to avoid words like “never” and “always” as much as possible. Certainly, there are times when those words are appropriate and right, but much of the time we use them in cases where they are not true. (In premarital and marital counseling, I have often told couples to avoid these words, especially when arguing.) Another word like that is “everything.” In recent years, there has been a trend on social media to share a picture or short video that is cute, funny, or reassuring and leave the comment, “This is everything.” First of all, that’s crazy, because it is obviously not “everything,” but…

Many who read this will be familiar with a man who began his life being known as Saul. The Bible informs us, among other things, of his early religious training as a Jew. There can be no doubt about his devotion and zeal to a cause he believed to be pleasing to God. However, we also see this same man being referred to later as Paul. Something besides his name had changed. His purpose in life had changed. People were saying of him that he was now “…preaching the faith he once tried to destroy” (Gal. 1:23). His zeal for the cause of Christ eclipsed the zeal he had as a Jew.    The transformation from “Saul…

As I type these words, we are about a month or so into what is a new experience for us. It might not even be an exaggeration to suggest that we are experiencing a new way of life. Among other things, our language and our actions have changed.    Just a few weeks ago, I don’t think I’d ever heard the phrase “social distancing.” Now, we are not only using that phrase regularly, we are practicing it.   Somewhere recently I heard about a woman who carries a tape measure with her wherever she goes in order to make sure that there is at least a distance of six feet between her and the people…

I  am writing these words from our house. Donna and I left Kentucky a few days ago because we were needed elsewhere and have returned. Our governor has those who leave the state and return to “self quarantine” for fourteen days. We are doing our best to comply.   As has been the case with almost everybody else, we have heard and read multiple reports, discussions, etc. about the CoronaVirus. What some have called “an unseen enemy” has had a major impact on the whole world. It has had an impact on how we worship, purchase products, socialize, travel, and a host of other things.   I remember hearing one of the discussions about this pandemic…

This has been one of the most interesting (and often unpleasant) times in my life. I have no memory of ever living through a pandemic. From what the news says, maybe I have and just didn’t know it because we weren’t directed to “shelter in place” like we have been for the last four to five weeks. I’ve learned some things about myself and thought they might be interesting to share. You might like to make a list of your own. When these restrictions are lifted, I plan to look at my list on occasion to see how well I am doing with remembering what I learned. Here are just five of the…

Who do you try to comfort when you visit a funeral home or attend a funeral service? For whom do you pray?   I’m sure that most of us would say that we pray for the spouse, the parents, the children, other family members, and very close friends of the deceased. We know that they are hurting. We know that they are going through a very difficult time.   We search for the right words. We certainly do not want to say the wrong thing. We try to think of ways to help. We absolutely do not want to do something that would make matters worse for them.   Even if we cannot come up with what…