Time For War?
February 23, 2025 by Julie Cosgrove
Filed under Christian Life, For Her
By Julie Cosgrove
Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears; let the weak say, “I am a warrior.” Joel 3:10
The prophet Joel is reversing what Isaiah once said in 2:4- the more familiar verse that is often stated on greeting cards along with Peace on Earth near Christmas and into the New Year. We think of our Lord as a peaceful God, one that wants us to turn the other cheek, who told Peter to put away his sword in the Garden, who wouldn’t fight to defend himself from execution on the cross, and told His disciples after the resurrection “Peace I bring to You.” In fact, we call Christ the Prince of Peace.
God’s Bus
February 20, 2025 by Marty Norman
Filed under Family Focus
By Marty Norman
It’s 2010, a time for one of my favorite activities – making New Year’s resolutions – the time of year when we wipe the slate clean. In other words, we get back on the bus and begin the ride all over again.
I love wiping the slate clean. You’d think that after doing so for more than my share of years, I’d not be surprised my resolutions have such a short life span. I guess the New Year just comes around too often. Every time I look up it’s time to re-evaluate and take stock again. Does this bus never arrive at graduation?
Are You Playing The Game That No One Wins?
February 18, 2025 by Julie Morris
Filed under Health and Fitness
By Julie Morris
If you knew a game was impossible to win, would you play it?
Millions of people are playing–and losing at this game–without even knowing it. Maybe you’re one of them.
I’m talking about the Blame Game. You know, the one that says when someone else is “it,” you’re excused from all responsibility.
A Horn, A Drum, And A Gun
February 14, 2025 by admin
Filed under Christian Life, For Him
By Ed Crumley
In the early years of my life, at least the ones I can remember, I wanted the same three things every Christmas: a horn, a drum, and a gun. Not sure why. We were in the midst of World War II, so at least the gun could’ve had something to do with the war. Maybe I wanted the musical instruments to make my war games sound more dramatic. Or, perhaps I could blame Roy Rogers, our musical cowboy hero, who always got the bad guys with his nickel-plated revolvers blazing.
During those times you couldn’t buy many toys, so Dad made Christmas presents for us. He got out his tools and built things out of wood. Big things like a rocking boat or a rocking horse complete with mane, bridal, and saddle. Those were fine secondary gifts as long as the three required items mentioned above also came in Santa’s bag.
In later years, our Christmas present requests migrated more toward clothes. My brother and I both had to have SMU football jerseys with the number 37, the number of our local hero, Doak Walker. I don’t know why Ken couldn’t have had some lesser player’s number instead. In junior high, my gift request reflected fashion. There was a cool kid at school who was the original Fonz. I had to have the same jacket and scarf that he wore. Funny, but when I put them on, I didn’t look like The Fonz.
A Cure For Winter Malaise
February 13, 2025 by Don S. Otis
Filed under Christian Life, Health and Fitness
By Don Otis
The days are short and cold. Is it any surprise that our motivation to get outside diminishes as the temperatures plummet? Only the hardiest of us wants to venture out after dark. The slick paths can lead to injury as footing and visibility become less predictable. The temptation is to sit inside, watch television, or make cookies. While there is nothing intrinsically wrong with these seasonal pursuits, they don’t help us stay in shape. The winter months can create other challenges to those of us who want to stay in shape.
A year ago I was feeling enormous fatigue. This led to one stale workout after another. At first I simply dismissed the poor results as age-related, or altitude (I live above 5,000 feet), or possibly too much stress. It is probable that each of these contributed to my malaise but I wasn’t sure. My doctor ordered a treadmill test, electrocardiogram (EKG), cardiopulmonary diagnostic test, and eventually some blood work. Other than discovering that I had a slight heart murmur, nothing explained my tiredness. Finally, I received a call after my blood work was in. My vitamin D levels were seriously low.
