Over the last few years some sharp barbs have been thrown my way. Some were deserved, and I pull those out with the understanding they were fair consequence for my own behavior. Do the crime, do the time. Other accusations  were patently unfair and untrue, but were flung with the same venom and velocity as the others. I sit with all of their pointed tips, gathered in my lap. I look at  both the fair and unfair, and sort them... Read more

As I look at the world, I am struck by this fact. We simply don’t honor each other, we don’t honor institution and we certainly don’t honor God.And I’m right there, so I’m trying to understand just what honor means.Bernie is part of this amazing writer’s group that I blessed to part of. And she sent me a note about “honor,” a topic I wrote on yesterday. And I love her insight, found over at Healing of the Heart. She reminded me... Read more

Some words never go out of style. Words like “love” and “bacon.” But one word that is disappearing from our lexicon is “honor.” In fact, I can’t remember the last time I’ve heard in a normal conversation or read about in a publication. Whatever happened to honor? When I think of honor, my mind heads over to the middle ages, where knights lived by a “code of honor.”   These men fought for truth to the point of personal loss. Honesty,... Read more

A casual walk down the aisle of your favorite discount store reveals the great lengths manufacturers will go to save us from ourselves. Warning labels are plastered on nearly every product, warning us of choking, addiction, overdose, and every imaginable harm. If something goes wrong, don’t say you weren’t warned! Even the simplest product is plastered with orange “Adviso/Warnings.” I remember my son’s Halloween costume a few years ago. He was going through a Batman phase and the costume was... Read more

A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of. – Ogden Nash It’s not just dogs Mr. Nash. It’s me.  For my whole life, I’ve always wondered what’s on the other side of the door. Like a horse pushing his head through the narrow slats in the fence, the grass does seem greener.  It’s made for a life or discontent, or a life of wonder. It kind of depends. I think there is a spark in... Read more

If you’re human, you will have some sort of trial come your way. It’s a guarantee. You may lose a job, have a spouse walk away from you, or contract a life-threatening disease. There are smaller trials – like an unrelenting boss, a rebellious child, or a financial loss – that are no less trying. On Monday, I started a post called, “Don’t Waste Your Trial.” And there’s more to be said.  We’re really not supposed to buckle in and wait for the wild ride... Read more

Eventually, they come to everyone. You can’t really plan for them, because they sneak up in the middle of the night, or they raid your happiest moments in life, or destroy the ending to the perfect story. The formula that most people use for trials is simply to buckle in and hope they don’t fall out. When mine came, it surprised me. I had no idea. I thought about just gritting my teeth and enduring. But what if the trial isn’t... Read more

“Being content does not mean we are satisfied. In fact, to be content is to know we will always be groaning on this side of eternity.”   ~Lisa Graham McMinn Read more