Isaiah 58:10 New International Version (NIV) 10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,<sup value='(A)’>then your light<sup value='(B)’> will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. Read more
Where Does Success Come From? by David Rupert I remember my first raise. I was working as a busboy and I got a bump in pay from $2.10 an hour to $2.20 an hour. It was a merit raise, given to me from my boss for a job well done. I was riding high, and my ever-wet rag wiped tables with new enthusiasm. God didn’t get any praise that day. In my mind, I worked hard and I deserved that raise.... Read more
“Linda?” She heard my surprise as I approached her behind the counter at the locally-owned fast food restaurant. This was the same white-haired woman from my church with the smile that matched her oversized glasses, the lady who handed out bulletins and fussed over the communion cups and smoothed the curtains in the sanctuary after the wind tousled them. Here she was with her trademark infectious, enthusiastic spirit, only now she was asking people what they wanted for lunch. I stumbled... Read more
I wasn’t happy about having to walk to work. But the family was short a car and the schedules just didn’t match up. It was that big of a deal, as the office was just a mile and half away. I needed the exercise and on a crisp fall morning, there was really no excuse. My grumbling spirit soon gave way to amazement. Suddenly, my eyes were open. I saw so many things at three miles an hour I would have... Read more
If you watch political ads for long, you’ll start to take on a cynical view of this world. You’ll find that the skies will seem a little darker. You’ll trust your neighbors a little less. Your idea of the future will be decidedly negative. Monarch Butterfly, Photo by D. Rupert The foreboding figures that are presented seem to be more out of a Hitchcock movie than reality. Both sides are much better at painting the other side in ugly shades rather... Read more
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Fall is the season of letting go. There’s a wistful resignation these days, an understanding that I can’t hold on to everything. The welcoming morning light is now reduced to a distant glow on the horizon. The long evenings with crickets chirping and the smells of the day hanging in the air are now sucked into the night. Evenings on the deck in short sleeves are giving way to sweaters and socks indoors. It’s time to let go. After a week of covering... Read more
There are plenty of people who are just floating in life, looking for a place to land. I have friends who are working in jobs that just aren’t the right fit. Either the work isn’t in their skill set, their coworkers are difficult, or the vision of the employer is contrary to their values. And there are people who feel that they aren’t doing what they are supposed to do — with hearts set on digging wells, or feeding orphans,... Read more
Thank goodness the elections are drawing down. Living in a “Swing State” has seen an amazing volume of daily mail, accented by an unprecedented blitz of phone calls, telephone calls, radio and tv ads, and billboards. There’s much passion on both sides. People of good faith and conviction stake out positions, often on opposite ends. That’s the nature of humankind. We’ll never really agree on anything. But something I remind my friends is that even if the election goes their way, all... Read more
We all have a perfect plan for our lives that we’ve developed over time. Our fantasy is an idyllic world that we have constructed in our minds. Filled with images of beautiful people in beautiful homes in beautiful locations, we have arranged just the ideal life. For me, it was to go to college, write books, have a happy family and live in a remote mountain retreat. Something went awry with that plan. I dropped out of college, wrote books nobody... Read more
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