What my children remember about me as they were growing up absolutely enthralls me. It is a never-ending treasure trove of what I was like – and still am! First, let me say that I considered them “partners in crime.” I will always think that I somehow managed to clone myself twice. We moved an […]
As parents watch their young children argue and fight with one another, they have a nagging worry that they might grow up and not like their siblings. Thankfully, in many of our families, the children learn to get along and grow up to love one another. The Bible lets us peer into one family in […]
For students born with learning disorders like dyslexia, learning to read without a specialized program is an incredibly difficult task. Instead of being a satisfying challenge, it becomes a demoralizing chore. Consider the experience of Tara Mixon, who quit her job to homeschool her dyslexic first grader. His self-confidence had plummeted when he couldn’t learn […]
Every day we are subjected to media. Media is rarely positive. Positive does not sell air time or magazines. Disaster does. Disaster also sells drugs to make us “feel better” and try to function in a more productive way. Society has always had its easy ways out. My theory is this: the more one can […]
Heroes. Our televisions and movies are filled with super-heroes. Men and women gifted with special abilities to fight crime. Do we really believe someone can throw fire from their hands, or throw up an energy shield to withstand an explosion, or fly at will, or stop speeding cars with their hands? Of course not. It’s […]
You might be astonished to learn that one out of every 10 households in America rents a storage unit to hold all of the STUFF that will not fit in their homes/garages. This statistic has me wondering why? If you know that you can’t take it with you when you die, then why would anyone […]
Several years ago I wrote a column of this same title. And I began the process of doing so. Changes can come fast or they can take years. Life changes in an instant with a job loss, a move, health challenges, divorce, or death. These kinds of changes are unexpected and there is little we […]
It’s 3:45am, and I am staring at the digital clock casting a blue glow at the end of my bed. I’m feeling impressed to get up at this early morning hour but I don’t know why. You have had the same feeling and experience tells you to respond immediately. So, I got out of bed, […]
Have you ever wondered if all dogs go to Heaven as the cute animated film suggests? Did this film make you wonder if animals have souls, a necessary component of an incredible afterlife as Christians believe? This adorable film prompted me to do some research (Thank God for the Internet!). My first stop was scripture […]
Music Mondays is a summer event in the park in downtown Gresham. Music is a fusion of voice, harmonics, and instruments. These elements come together to unite our community. Music in the park is an expression of who we are as a community of forest dwellers. We bring our chairs and find just the perfect […]