Pondering Fearlessness

hammock

I used to view myself as rather intrepid, able to take on what the world was dishing out.  Years of life experience have revealed the naivety and complete error of that position.  In fact, it seems that world and societal conditions have become more fearful every day, whether stemming from…

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In My Opinion

founding documents

Freedom of speech is one of the landmark rights that US citizens hold dearly and will take to court to defend.  While the court cases usually also involve other constitutional issues, much of our need for expression boils down to airing our opinions.  Most of us probably don’t realize how…

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Growing Pains

toddler crying

When our oldest son was 2-years old, he had two favorite phrases, “NO!” and “I do it, I do it!”  Most of us are aware this is a normal developmental progression when a child realizes he is a separate person from his parents, and starts testing the limits.  But, I’ve…

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Stop Sinning

stop sign

“Stop sinning, or something worse may happen to you.” (John 5:14) Jesus spoke these words to the invalid He had healed at the Bethesda pool on a later encounter at the Temple, when the man was totally functional.  Because we think of Jesus as the Healer, operating in unconditional love,…

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The Fixer

man in workshop

Both my father and father-in-law grew up in the Depression Era, and were extraordinarily resourceful in finding solutions to fix most any problem they encountered.  My husband now carries on this tradition with the help of the internet.  I’ve observed how all these men in their humble ways have taken…

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Good Deeds

ant working

Years ago in a performance review, an employee said to me, “There are givers and takers in this world.  It makes you Christians feel good to give.  So, I am here to take.”  I was so shocked that I had no comeback.  But since then, those words have caused me…

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High Stakes

The Ziggy comics featuring the “Complaint Department” are so funny because they are snapshots of real life.  In our culture, complaining is so commonplace that were an alarm to sound every time we had a complaint or an attitude of complaining, the noise would be constant.  Often it starts with…

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What’s the Payoff?

brownie cake

Most of us will not undertake something difficult or distasteful to us unless we have a really good reason. The threat of a diabetic coma or anaphylactic shock is usually a good motivator to avoid certain tasty foods and take otherwise unwanted medications. Likewise, losing a driver’s license and serving…

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