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As a part of my ongoing effort to be a healthier person, I have started making small changes to my routine every few weeks. For example, months ago I started adding more fruits and vegetables to my diet. I’ve also cut out most processed foods. These changes have been easy. The one I recently started has proven significantly harder. I’ve been tracking my sleep in an attempt to get the recommended 8 hours every night. Oddly enough, I rarely get over 7. In fact, I find myself stretching to mak...
I started 4-H like most women my age with cooking and sewing. I couldn’t wait to pick out my first pattern project. Now keep in mind my mother was a National 4-H Women’s Sewing Champion. She had sewed a Make It with Wool suit with lined jacket and calf length skirt, but she was not my sewing leader. My sewing leader had helped pick me out a strait shift pattern after measuring me and had determined I was a petite. Keep in mind I was tall and skinny. My mother tried to tell me it was the wrong pattern size, but I wouldn’t listen because my 4-...
This morning, while scanning the morning’s headlines and checking my Twitter feed for anything of interest, I came across a tweet from a nationally known figure encouraging folks to shun any family members that support the opposing political party. I intentionally leave out the political affiliation, because this way of thinking isn’t foreign to any point of view right now. Discourse in our country has become increasingly acidic, a fact both sides readily blame on the other party. The thing abo...
I read a story about CS Lewis years ago in which a friend asked him if attending church is a necessary part of following Jesus. In response, Lewis answered “No” and pulled a coal from the fire and placed it on the hearth. In response, he asked his friend to describe the coal on the hearth. The answer was the sort of thing you’d expect: hot, glowing, etc. The conversation continued before Lewis turned the conversation back to the burning coal and asked again for a description. This time, the a...
Partial Life or Complete Life Even in a small community, and maybe because I live in a small community, I often live in a bubble of my own world. My life is busy, doing and going, and I quickly don't seem to have time to continue my own development. I've left behind the dreams of my youth, I don't even stay connected friends I've had for a long time, and I seldom make time to venture out of my own comfort zone. This last week, I became more intensely aware of the longings of a friend. I...
From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham Q: I enjoy making money and doing things that please me. My mother tells me about the stories in the Bible about how riches can corrupt. Is her interpretation correct? A: Luke 16 is the famous passage about a rich man whose disobedience to God led him to reject the very thing he longed for—eternal life. God does not condemn people because they are rich, nor does He justify others because they are poor. Poverty is not a virtue, nor are riches themselves sin. But Jesus did say, “It is easier for a cam...
We have a hidden place on our farm, where I love to go and just sit. It's a sand coulee where the Cotton Woods have grown so tall. In the spring, a river goes through there, but in the fall, it is just a dried-out water way full of different kinds of brush and Choke Cherries bushes. It is the most magical place as the leaves are so beautiful. I am reminded of a quote from John Burroughs, "How beautifully leaves grow old. How full of light and color are their last days." You can only see the...
From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham Q: The world’s approach to life is that we should spend our time securing our future through education, health plans, financial security, etc. The Bible seems to teach that we should live one day at a time when it says: “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things” (Matthew 6:34). How should we live? A: From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham One of the dangers in taking advice is taking it out of context. The Psalmist reminds us, “The entirety of Your word is truth...
Martin Luther King Jr. once said: “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.” Taken alone, they’re pretty words. They sound good and are inspirational at their face. I think the real power of a quote like that is found through deeper investigation. Specifically, because they were spoken by the leader of the modern civil rights movement. They gain a great deal of additional weight when placed in the context of a life spent fighting to make the world better. It’s easy to...
I recently read about a study that was done on National Spelling Bee contestants. The study compared intelligence and hours spent studying words and language. The interesting fact that was revealed by the research was that intelligence was not the major determiner of success at the national level of competitive spelling. Rather, a more reliable measure to figure out who would advance further in competition was the number of hours a week the student spent studying language and spelling. Students...
From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham Q: It seems that more and more people believe that when we die we reemerge in a different form and have a second chance at life. Some try to say that Christianity teaches this. Could this be possible? A: The Bible does not teach reincarnation. Scripture makes it very clear that we live only once and that when we die we go into eternity. The Bible says, “It is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). For mankind to hope for a second chance reveals the knowledge tha...
This weekend, I replaced my dishwasher. The old one broke down a few months ago, and for various reasons, I chose to hand wash dishes rather than replace it. Finally, I decided to go and get another one. While installing it, I learned an important lesson: if you let a dishwasher sit for a few months, any liquids inside it sit too. Not only do they sit, they begin to smell awful. I learned this lesson when I unhooked the old one and tipped it over to disconnect it. Though I couldn’t see water i...
Q: Is misrepresentation to protect myself a lie if it doesn’t hurt anyone else? — T.T. A: The Bible teaches that proper conduct includes truthfulness. God’s Word teaches that we should be truthful in our representations of ourselves. Jesus denounced the hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees! In the Sermon on the Mount, He rebuked all hypocritical giving, praying and fasting. We should be truthful in speaking of our past achievements in our particular vocation. God does not ask us to understate the facts, but neither does He want us to overr...
Kim Sheehy a Big Sandy Hero Every town has its heroes. Some of those heroes everybody knows, others do their work so no one knows. That is what Kim Sheehy did. She quietly did her advocating for people with Developmental Disabilities for over 20 years. It is difficult to measure her impact, but you can understand when I tell you that if a strong woman like Kim fought for the rights of an individual you know they were strengthened by the process. Kim was a strong woman and she brought to the table that strength and fought to make sure that the...
From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham Q: As a student of archaeology, I am studying what is called the myth of the great flood. My professor says that anyone who truly believes this account fails to believe truth by evidence. What can I say to refute that? A:“Archaeology substantiates Noah’s Flood,” said the London Times in 1929. The article that followed gave an archaeologist’s view of the civilization that existed prior to the flood. The Bible also gives a vivid account of the corruption and the sin of that day. At least 2,000 years o...
For the last several years, I have occasionally filled in as a substitute teacher at the school. I’ve really enjoyed the experience and have been impressed over and over at the high quality of the school in Big Sandy. Last week, I helped out washing dishes a few times in the school cafeteria. I also really enjoyed this and was impressed at how hard the folks there work to take care of our kids. It was the first week of school and the younger kids were learning the etiquette for visiting the c...
Q: I am tired of hearing spiritual people talk about the right way to live and then they live like the devil. My grandparents were wonderful people and while I am not of the same faith they were, I could always count on them to tell me the truth. But I don’t see this lived out among many today, especially leaders. Why is this? A: From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham Actually many people, regardless of spirituality, tend to talk one way and live another and it is something to guard against. Not too many years ago, honesty was the h...
In the last several years of writing this column, I’ve mentioned my High School English teacher several times. Every time it was to talk about how much her efforts as a teacher meant to me as a student. This is particularly the case since I was a very poor student. I didn’t really try at all, but she put a effort into engaging and encouraging me. It would have been much easier to simply write me off, but her efforts made a difference in my life. A couple years ago, when I talked about this tea...
One of my favorite quotes from the boxer Muhammad Ali is about training: “I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.’” I have a good friend who says it a bit differently: “Training is better than trying hard.” The idea behind this is simple: the key to becoming good at anything is training. Exerting effort every day over the course of months and years accumulates into excellence that cannot be matched by putting effor...
In a few weeks, I am (hopefully) going to self publish a book through Amazon’s Kindle service. Shortly thereafter, we’ll print physical copies of the book and put them up for sale on Amazon. I am waiting on the last details for the cover art to come together, and then it’ll be a go. Since I was a kid, I have wanted to write books and have started the process many times, only to get discouraged and give up. To be honest, I am a little surprised to find myself at this stage of the process after so...
Q: We’ve been invited to a family reunion this summer, and to be honest I’m dreading it. Some in our extended family haven’t spoken to each other in years, and instead of being a happy time I’m afraid it could be tense. Should we even go? A: I can understand why you might want to avoid this event; after all, no one likes to be caught up in an unpleasant situation. When we face hard decisions (no matter what they are), it’s always tempting to take the easy way out—which in this case probably would be to stay away. But the easiest path isn’t...
Many years ago, I briefly went to church with a person who had a gift for using words to get folks upset. This person could say a few choice sentences and make you feel defensive or belittled. They could phrase compliments in such a way that you felt worse for having received them. The worst was when they decided to be angry, in which case they used their words to bludgeon anyone who was unlucky enough to cross them. Not surprisingly, this individual quickly pushed people to one of two...
Today is my 20th wedding anniversary. Over the last 2 decades, my wife and I have traveled to nearly every state in the US. We have hiked in rain forests, climbed mountains, been lost in the wilderness, worried, laughed, cried, played, argued, and celebrated. I’ve treasured the last 7300 days that we’ve spent together. I’ve also come to realize that for all the adventures we’ve embarked on together, the thing that makes them really memorable hasn’t been the experiences themselves. It’s been...
Q: My best friend was killed in a tragic motorcycle accident a few weeks ago, and it’s really hit me hard. I’ve never given any thought to death, but now I can’t avoid it. Frankly, I’m scared, because I know I’m not ready to die. How can I be ready? A: One of the Bible’s greatest truths, although it’s one that’s hard for us to accept sometimes, is that God is able to bring good out of even the most senseless tragedy. I pray this may be the case for you. What do I mean? Simply this. All your life, you’ve lived for yourself, never thinking ab...
Last year, my then 4-year old son started using a new tactic in responding to me when he get’s frustrated with my unwillingness to give him whatever he wants whenever he wants it. Specifically, he started telling me that he doesn’t like me any more or that he likes mom more than he likes me. Using affection as a lever to get another person to do what you want is manipulative. It’s not an uncommon tactic for a small child, but it’s the sort of thing that folks should grow out of pretty early....