(This was written by Chaplain John Roe from the King Veteran’s Home in Wisconsin where my dad lives. I asked his permission to share, and edited slightly for succinctness.) Adjusting to new realities is a difficult task for many people. I define the term new reality as, “The way life is right now, whether you like …
Before America became a nation, a group of British citizens crossed the sea to start a new life here. As time passed and the settlers’ numbers grew, British homeland authorities considered the colonies a great source of tax revenue. This resulted in protests over taxation without representation and a host of other objections, culminating in …
Early in my technology career in marketing support, I was at the end of a long day of computer demonstrations at a General Motors plant in Michigan. I’d found the facility’s immensity impressive—we’d been transported by vehicle from one part of the building to another. Our driver zipped past showers of sparks and gigantic manufacturing …
Mark 1:1-3 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, “Behold, I send my messenger. . . who will prepare Your way; the voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make ready the way of the Lord, Make His paths straight.’” This quotation from Isaiah …
I grew up a “Navy brat.” Born at the Naval Academy where my dad served as a chaplain, I lived on both coasts and the Gulf of Mexico growing up. Our house decor included seashell soap dishes, paintings of ships at sea, and an autographed photo of Admiral Chester Nimitz (whom I called “Grandpa Nimitz”) signing …
A devotional entry I recently read gave me reason for pause. The writer suggested that all your life could basically be training “for one moment, crisis, or opportunity.” He was trying to encourage his readers, no doubt, with the idea that “Your time will come. God will put you in the right place at the …
A favorite joke of mine says, “There are three types of people in the world: those who can count and those who can’t”. But Paul verifies in I Corinthians that there actually are three types of people in the world, and it’s no laughing matter! Most people are what Paul refers to as natural or …
I’m intrigued by the way the application of various shades of color conceals flaws, whether makeup on a face, paint on a wall, or stain on wood. Highlighting and creating beauty magically diverts one’s attention from any imperfections. I experienced a magnificent example of this one summer. We visited an outdoor festival downtown, featuring gifted artists …
In the past year we’ve had two floods in our basement. The first affected the ceiling, part of an outer wall, and a good-sized area of parquet flooring. The second concentrated itself around our water heater, an area behind a large storage closet, and the basement bathroom floor. Rather than wallowing in self-pity after these …
Years ago our three oldest boys sometimes fought over who got to sit in the station wagon’s front seat. I guess they felt special or more grown up sitting beside the driver. Observing the scene logically, this made no sense to me. Regardless of where they sat, everyone reached the destination at the same time! …
I admire eloquent speakers and those quick on their feet. My husband and my dad have those gifts. Each is a skilled story teller, and I love a good story. But a few people are so loquacious that my brain has a difficult time keeping up! Their verbosity overwhelms me. And while they seem to have …
The day after basement flood #2 (See Pipe Lesson 1) I decided to milk as much out of our plumbing problems as possible. There had to be a silver lining in this gray cloud of water leaks. Hence, multiple posts about pipes! Typically copper pipes don’t spring leaks spontaneously. So it took some detective work to …
