Often, when we are in a group seeking to get a lot of things done, the question consistently asked is, “Are you available?” I’ve been thinking about that, not in terms of getting certain things done, but in terms of character description. So, the question is broader...
I hear it often, “Are you listening?” Being with another person we often sense that the person is pleading, “Please listen.” As much as anything else, people need to be listened to. Nothing enhances our feelings of worth more than being listened to? When you listen to...
It was a very good article—relevant, honest, objective, non-political. Yet, in the middle of it there was a troubling observation: “While overdoses and overdose deaths have increased over the last decade in Fayette County, similar to every Tennessee county and U.S....
In my growing up years and in early adulthood, I often found myself often thinking and sometimes saying, “Oh, if I could be like him.” As I matured a bit more, the expression of that longing changed. I found myself seeking to ease my sense of failure by thinking and...
“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. (Matthew 23:37 NIV) You may have to be from rural...
People often ask me what my real name is. They want to think it's a nickname, or short for something like Maxwell or Maximillian. Can you imagine me being named Maxwell? That's far too predictable, far too strong. Maximillian? That's far too grandiose for me. But I'm...
Technology made it possible. My wife and I joined millions in watching the Coronation of King Charles III. What pomp and circumstance! What an affirmation of tradition! My mind was stirred with all sorts of questions and affirmations throughout the entire event, and I...
Those who know me fairly well know that Peanuts is my favorite cartoon. If they knew me a bit better, they would conclude that I pay regular attention to many cartoons. Dennis the Menace often gets my attention. In one cartoon, Dennis is being punished, sitting over...
According to the Cleveland Clinic, giving releases feel-good chemicals in your body like serotonin, dopamine and oxytocin, lowers blood pressure and reduces feelings of stress and anxiety. That’s good news. In addition to giving being a spiritual act of worship, we...
One day Lady Astor said to Winston Churchill, "Mr. Churchill, if I were your wife I'd poison your tea." He replied, "Madam, if I were your husband, I should drink it." There are always people around who will bring us down to size. What we need is to be brought up to...