I remember when the school district in Knoxville, Iowa, where I was privileged to serve as a substitute teacher while pastoring a local church, adopted as its Mission Statement the goal of creating “life-long learners!” Since then I have noticed …
There is a highly commendable trend that seems to be cropping up in the rhetoric of the people in our nation concerning a return to the values or morals on which our society was established. We nostalgically refer to these …
While it is not official, the slogan “Show Me” has been identified with Missouri for well over 100 years. There are two different accounts of how the phrase became a popular description of people from Missouri. The first has to …
The stigma of any previous generation is for its members to suppose that the way they “do” life, or politics, or relationships, or morals is the best way of living out their lives. They believe their methods are “tried and …
My grandfather grew up in an era of transition when our country was moving from the horse and buggy to the automobile as its major form of transportation. He would relate to me stories of how he had to “hitch” …
With all the excitement that surrounds major-league sports, I’m reminded of the comic description of a football game that quips it is “30,000 people in desperate need of exercise watching 22 people in desperate need of rest!” It’s obviously a …
Joyce, my wonderful wife, has told me the account of an interesting exchange between her and her mother when she was a little girl. It seems that her mother, practicing a wisdom that many parents seem to possess, warned her …
A number of years ago I remember watching a movie called Geronimo. It featured a very young Matt Damon playing the supporting role of a fresh, idealistic cavalry officer newly commissioned from West Point, and assigned to service in the …
As a local pastor and parent in a small western Iowa community, I was asked to serve on a group that was tasked with developing an after school character-based program. Our goal would seek to improve student behavior and attempt …
In our world today it seems that most of our lives are characterized by either the urgency of the immediate or the apathy of inactivity. We swing back and forth between being stirred up about issues that are screaming for …