The places I lived weren’t much, but… I was too young to remember much about my first childhood home. Much of what I recall comes from pictures and stories my folks told me. We lived in a small neighborhood of a dozen or so houses in an area we called…

Or an apostle? — Mary Magdalene, also known as Mary of Magdala, was likely born in the town of Magdala, at about the time of Jesus birth. Magdala, a small fishing community on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee in Israel, had a reputation for loose living. Somewhere along the line, Mary…

A tip of the hat to the women of the world. — Today, March 8, 2023, is International Women’s Day. What does that mean? Obviously, it means different things to different people. In “An illustrated celebration of women around the world,” The Washington Post for today reports that Yulia Vus of Lviv, Ukraine, is “constantly inspired by the women around her.” Some…

A sure-fire way of improving your health — It is easy to laugh when we feel good, but it is when the world appears dim that we most need laughter in our lives.(anonymous-Daily OM 2/15/23) Although laughter is the best medicine in most cases, today, as I recover from covid and my diaphragm aches from so much coughing…

40 Days to a new you — Ash Wednesday, begins a forty-day period in the church which we call Lent. Like many followers of Jesus, I have the black cross made with ashes on my forehead. Before starting his public ministry and just after his baptism by John the Baptist in the River Jordan, Jesus was “led…

What does it mean to be a Christian? — “We [Christians] are not just another religion, and we’re not called to be religious. We have been called and are being molded by the Holy Spirit to produce spiritual fruits and be the Light of the world.” …

My friend passed away a few days ago — When I think of Lee Wanovich, the word “Inspiration” immediately comes to mind. Lee lost a leg to cancer many years ago. He had a prosthetic but didn’t like it. He preferred to use crutches to get around. Despite the difficulty of walking with crutches and hopping on one leg…

Or how to make yourself and others feel better — In 1 Thessalonians 5:11 (NRSV), we are told to “encourage one another and build up each other.” But how are we to do that? Encouragement can come in many forms: a word, a smile, an act of kindness, a gift, or any combination thereof. One of my favorite and most…

Is 20 too many? — I just made a count of the number of Bibles in my house and found 20. Six belong to the kids, and were left with us for safe-keeping, I guess, when the kids flew from the nest. They got them as first Bibles or in Confirmation. One is a Spark…