Columnists

There’s an expression that I have heard more commonly used in the past few years referring to someone being born on third base. The full saying can be applied as follows: That guy was born on third base but thinks he hit a home run. It is, of course, a direct reference to privilege and…

The relationship between those who plant sweet corn and raccoons could politely be described as tense. Finding a sweet corn grower who has willingly invited one of the masked midnight bandits to dinner is rarer than finding a needle in a haystack. Through the years, people have tried aluminum pie pans on sticks, low-strung electric…

Yep, it is that time of summer that we are seeing almost every commercial pointing to back-to-school supplies, back-to-school clothes, and back-to-school everything that one could imagine and then some. We definitely know that it has got to be back-to-school time because the weather always gets to be the hottest. It is that time that…

Life has a rhythm to it. There is the beat of a song your foot finds before you notice, the morning routine that tells you how late you can walk out the door and the chant of an auctioneer after the words have passed beyond ordinary comprehension. And then there was the rhythm of sorting…

As each one of us has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God-1 Peter 4:10. Recently our church offered a spiritual gifts workshop. I was intrigued and wanted to learn more. It was very enlightening to hear more about this. The belief is we are…

When I have a target, I know where to aim. When I have a goal, I not only have a better idea of what I’m doing, but more importantly a stronger sense of why I’m doing it. When I use the short phrase Northwest Missouri, it sounds like one thing – but it’s not. It’s…

I have a ritual when I get a fortune cookie. First, I break it in two. Then I eat the half that does not contain the fortune. After that, I pull out the little strip of paper, read whatever wisdom has been tucked inside and eat the other half while deciding whether the cookie was…

How would you define freedom, particularly the American brand of it, if you were asked? Growing up, I thought the way I understood freedom was the way everyone else would perceive it. Even now in my middle-aged worldview, I struggle at times to comprehend the different perceptions of freedom being shared by folks in our…

The sow sat nearby, heavy but patient, waiting for her next meal. Unlike most pigs, she had a strict diet. She only ate dimes. That was her purpose. Pennies, nickels, and quarters had other destinations, but dimes went into the pig. Dad always said when the cast-iron creature was full, we would cash them in…

“Vacations with family are a time to create lasting memories, to laugh and to simply be together.” – John Wooden Welcome to Part Two of our Family Vacation. A quick re-cap in case you missed it. In May my two grown children, my Grand and Dave and I spent a week in our favorite family…