By now, perhaps you’ve heard of the beating of a disabled white man which was (bizarrely) aired live on FB. The beating/shameless airing came by the hands of all black people, and the current discussion is whether it was a hate crime?  I’m trying to absorb this while writing about it. The fact that it’s a question is almost as bizarre as the fact that it happened at all. When my kids used to hound me about something they wanted... Read more

Another story about Debbie Reynolds: My Grandma (Margie Brown) used to own a little sore at the entrance to the Black Canyon, way back in the day. She creatively called it “The Black Canyon Curio Shop.” It was mainly a gift shop, but she may have also sold snacks and such. At one point, she got ahold of a quilt that was used in The Unsinkable Molly Brown movie, starring Debbie Reynolds. So she displayed it in the store and... Read more

Star Wars was either before my time or before my time of awareness that I was supposed to have heroes in Hollywood. So the death of Carrie Fisher didn’t strike me as particularly sad, other than death is always particularly sad.Debbie Reynolds. I met her in Ouray, Colorado when I was about eight or nine. I used to have an autographed picture of her, and it sat on my bedroom mirror because I thought she was gorgeous and I wanted... Read more

Thanks to a head and chest cold that kept me completely out of commission for an entire week and semi out of commission for another two weeks, I am (almost) deafer than a doorknob. Even when I brush my teeth, the scrubbing sound is strangely muffled. Like when a camper is camping in a forest and downstream, he hears a lumberjack sawing his timber. He hears the saw’s back and forth, back and forth. He thinks. The crashing of the... Read more

In seeking to become a nation of tolerance, we have only succeeded in becoming a nation of gross intolerance. This is the result of living in a society convinced that truth is subjective. Truth, we’ve been taught, is whatever we want it to be. And as believers of such nonsense, we have all, every one of us, gone our own way. But Truth, Jesus said, is found only in Himself and His teachings. “I am the Truth,” He said. Until we return... Read more

The 2015 Tree December 1st, we picked up a Christmas tree from Lowe’s. It was the most beautiful tree we’ve ever had, with last year’s coming in as a close second. It stood a little over six feet tall, perfectly formed, with no bare or uneven spots. Even the gal behind us at the checkout station expressed her pleasure with it.  “That is a gorgeous tree. Absolutely gorgeous! Congratulations!”  I thanked her and felt like saying “There are more just... Read more

Seems to me that the easiest thing in the midst of pain is to either become depressed or anxious. Name the pain. Name your pain. And I bet if you look deep enough, you’ll recognize your tendency to swing wildly toward depression, anxiety, or a combination of both. We are told in our society that if we have any kind of mental challenge, we are victims. And yet the Bible refers to us (those who know Him) as conquerors. So –... Read more

When I was a little tyke, I would sit with my Grandpa in church and play with his thumb because it had a funny looking wart on the side. Also because I was bored, but that’s beside the point. I don’t have a thumb wart. But a few weeks ago in church, Jack sat with me and played with my pinky ring that his Poppy gave me for Christmas last year. And I thought how fortunate I am to continue... Read more

First, a correction on my last post. I said: No violent protests took place after either of Obama’s victories. No “Rape Michelle” signs, no “F*** Obama” signs. Where ARE President Obama, Michelle, and Hillary? A little of that tolerant, everybody should love everybody rhetoric they’re always spouting is most welcome at this time. Perhaps a gracious concession speech and welcome speech just isn’t enough. We need them to lead their people at this time. Not merely read a few well written speeches.... Read more

To those challenging who won the Presidency … Fact: Donald Trump won the electoral vote. Fact: Hillary Clinton lost the electoral vote. Fact: Therefore, Donald Trump won the Presidency. Fact: If we are going to play the my-lady-didn’t-win-and-it’s-because-the-popular-vote-rule-stinks game, then fine. Can I call for a re-do on the elections of President Adams, Hayes, Harrison, and George W. Bush? Because they all lost the popular vote but won the electoral vote Fair is fair, right?  Feeling as though things are... Read more