Latest Posts

Look for the Silver Lining

"If you have to do it, you might as well find something good about it!" Of course, my father was referring to the chores he had assigned to me when I was living at home. But that little nugget of truth has followed me down through the years. It came in handy during our recent spell of hot days and sweltering nights. Maybe you're like me and find it hard to breath or sleep when… Read More

Plucked from the Storm

Dark clouds boiled up on the far side of lake Winnebago. From a crowded public diving raft, Mary and I watched them head our way. On shore, speakers mounted on the bathhouse crackled, "All swimmers come ashore immediately!" As lifeguards launched rowboats into the choppy waters and a distressed voice repeated the command through the bathhouse speakers, the waters near the raft teemed with swimmers trying to outrace the fast -approaching storm. Mary and I… Read More

Working Toward Freedom

I watched wide-eyed as our nation raged. Our rulers prepared for battle, plotted and cried out, "Let's free ourselves from this slavery!" Who did they cry out against? What was the slavery? According to Psalm 2, none other than the Lord God because they didn't want him telling them what  to do. Neither did their citizens. If a situation called for a little lying or stealing or cheating, why not? If they felt like using… Read More

Happy Father’s Day, Dad

In the late 1800's, the life of a young Civil War veteran's wife faded as she gave birth to their sixth child. Widower William Smart raised his daughter and five sons on the family farm in the state of Washington with such devotion that, as an adult, his daughter began a campaign to honor all fathers. In 1906, Sonora Louise Smart Dodd, then living in Spokane, discussed the idea with her pastor. She envisioned a… Read More