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Some folks go through life singing, no matter what their circumstances. Such was a friend of mine, a little lady named Elsie, who died May 8, 2009 at the age of 95. One of the last things she did was to sing a hymn with her friends at her nursing home. Hers was not an easy life. Reared in poverty in Dallas, Texas, she and her older sister, Jessie, who died a few...
When I was a child in the 1950s, I remember the shocked look on my mother's face when she heard the news of a neighorhood couple who were getting a divorce. Divorce wasn't so common back then—at least not in the rural Midwest where we lived. And a man and woman didn't live together unless they were married, or if they did, they were shamed and shunned.
Today, with up-to date-science, it becomes increasingly clear that the theory of evolution has become the modern-day religion of the educated—and, quite commonly, the religion of the uneducated.
Listen to the amazing words of Charles Darwin, whom many consider the "father" of evolution: "I was a young man with unformed ideas. I threw out queries, suggestions...
There is a line from "A Death in the Family" by James Agee that says: "How far we all come. How far we all come away from ourselves. You can never go home again."
When I was ten, we had a bully named Billy in our neighborhood who threatened to beat up anybody who would cross his path the wrong way. Billy stood a foot taller than most of the other boys and was twice as bulky. Billy seemed to be in a bad attitude most of the time and was always seen pounding his fist into his other hand in the standard bully fashion. No one...
Society today seems inundated with visual images of human sexuality. You see it everywhere: ads in the newspaper, scenes on television and in movies, magazines, the Internet, and on the street—people wearing tight or skimpy clothing that screams, "Look at me!" It all encourages roving eyes and roving minds. Is all this perfectly harmless, or does it have a...
"And now for the invocation…" said the mayor of my town as the Town Council began its meeting. I was pleasantly surprised to see this practice has survived in our secular age. The chamber of City Hall was filled with people, young and old, with business to bring before the mayor and commissioners. Some were there for kudos and awards; others had problems and...
Once, while watching my 13-year-old grandson play a Little League baseball game in an All Star game on a summer’s afternoon, I watched the nation’s favorite pastime unfold in a good example of playing hard by the rules and accepting the outcome graciously. I observed the parents, coaches and umpires enjoying the game, and the lessons of life that the players...
Psychological research over the last few decades has shown that humans have biases that affect our ability to perceive correctly. These biases affect not only our perception but also our judgment, behavior and belief. Biased thinking leads to misunderstanding, wrong decisions, and to costly consequences and mistakes.
I have a friend who suffers a lot. He is not an old guy, but it seems like his body is old before its time. He has the kind of dogged health problems that when one symptom gets better, another infirmity breaks out. When one procedure is complete, something else needs to be done just to keep him going. And through it all, he maintains a good attitude, though it...