There are certain assumptions upon which our understanding and perception is based. Such an assumption is called a “premise.” We all have them. However, we often don’t recognize ours as “assumptions.” To us, they are simply facts. We’ve been taught them all our lives and often, everyone in “our world” makes the same assumptions. That’s [...]

Sometimes the Lord has a way of checking us out to see if we are “real” or not. He makes us answer the question, “Are you practicing what you’re preaching?” I recently wrote an article for our church bulletin entitled “Freedom” in which I decried the loss of freedom to recite a prayer and read [...]

DYING TO SELFNote:  The following piece came to me “author unknown.”  It is not  humorous, but is designed to cause us to reflect.  I hope you appreciate  the change of pace.      When you are forgotten, or neglected, or purposely set at naught, and you don’t sting and hurt with the insult or the oversight, but [...]

Most of us were required to study American history in earlier days and we read about the “firebrand of the American Revolution” – Patrick Henry, whose words, “Give me liberty or give me death” secured for him a permanent place in our country’s history. But, do you know “the rest of the story?” Do you [...]

Some folks have a distorted idea about freedom. A few years ago when I was in China, I had employed a Chinese college student as my interpreter. He was anxious to work with an American because it gave him the opportunity to practice his English. He was full of questions. After a few days we [...]

I had plenty of time to think while driving back from closing on our house in Arkansas this past week. Janis was staying to attend a wedding later in the week, so I had several hours to “philosophize.” Because I am now so technologically savvy, I was armed with my cell phone (I was one [...]

MY RULES FOR LIFEI try never to say anything behind a man’s back that would give me the least embarrassment to say to his face. I try never to speak back to personal critics-friends do not need to hear the defense and enemies would not believe it. Every day I try to greet every person [...]

                                         Do you ever get tired of doing the “little things” in life – things like cooking, mowing lawn, washing clothes, going to school … or work every day? Those things that have to be done over and over; things that seem to never end? Which things are the most important – little things or [...]

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY Jesus once said that the greatest example of love that will ever be known is that a man would die for his friends. That’s the ultimate expression of love. The principle is “the greater the love, the greater the willingness to sacrifice.” The world will never know a greater love than Jesus [...]

I hate this new packaging, don’t you? First of all, it’s embarrassing when a grown man can’t open a package of potato chips. So you finally give it a hard yank and play “pick up chips.” Now you have the next problem – you’ve ripped the bag too far to be able to reseal it! [...]