As a youngster, Christmas season began the day after Thanksgiving (now known as “Black Friday, the busiest shopping day of the year) and ended on Dec. 26. That’s when holiday ornaments were put away, the tree was disposed (its shedded…
What the SBC should do about its most famous accused sexual abuser
Thank God, Paul Pressler has lived to the ripe old age of 93. That’s long enough to expose the Southern Baptist Convention’s most malevolent hypocrite to the shame of his reported double life. Just before the end of the year,…
A lasting New Year’s resolution: Learning to be content with just being OK
Ring out the old, ring in the new, Ring out the false, ring in the true. — Alfred, Lord Tennyson The time between Christmas and the new year has always been one of my favorite weeks of the year. During…
Our unsung military personnel
My liberal tribe who admire my long gray hair, my distain of bras and my vermicomposting practice cringe a little when I talk about our military. They confuse my respect and admiration of those who serve — “Non sibi sed…
We are all ‘made of one blood,’ remember?
As Advent morphed into Christmas 2023, immigration, a poignant subplot of the Nativity stories, spilled literally and figuratively into the American public square. Immigrants by the thousands jam multiple border crossings in record numbers, creating untold humanitarian and logistical dilemmas…
Evangelicals and a happy new year
’Twas the night before the night before Christmas and the preacher was being stirred by the memory of a childhood experience. Walking down the street, listening to his transistor radio playing the holiday classic “Snoopy’s Christmas.” This merry little Christmas…
When social media photos transport me
It happens a lot with me in this last month of the year. December being Christmastime and also with more than just a few weddings having been scheduled then, I often see photos on Facebook of people I know, or…
Skinny-dipping at a church picnic
The first time I went skinny-dipping was at a church picnic. If I’m lying, I’m dying. As of this writing, brothers Ron and Steve Wilson are still alive — by some miracle — and can verify the bare facts of…
Massacre of the Innocents Gaza/Guernica
To say I was awed is an understatement. Standing in front of Picasso’s 11.5 ft. x 25.5 ft. celebrated painting Guernica is one of the most sobering encounters I’ve had the displeasure of experiencing. Displeasure because the massive composition’s theme is revoltingly…