Month: December 2025

When it comes to watching television these days, my two most favorite words are “fast forward”. You have probably noticed that commercial breaks are getting longer and more frequent. I recently timed the break during a prime time drama I was watching the other night. It was a full five minutes long! We’ve come a long way from when the announcer used to say “we’ll be back in 60 seconds”.

So now we record most of our favorite shows and fast forward through all those ads. The streaming services, of course, have already caught on to this. Most of them disable fast forwarding when you watch something on demand. You are forced to endure the clutter, although the length of the breaks is generally shorter.

If only we could fast forward through all the trivial stuff in our lives and focus on the important things. God, family, friends, country. Maybe it’s time to change the channel of your journey.

Your feet are the unsung heroes of your body. Hands, arms, faces, hair and tummies get all the attention. But your feet bear the weight of your entire anatomy every time you get up. During exercise and athletic activity you bend, twist and turn them every which way. You keep them in sweaty socks and tight shoes all day. They work so hard they often develop callouses and blisters. But do your hard working feet get any attention or love? Not very often. We’re too busy fixing our hair and pumping up our arms and flattening our stomachs.

Today I soaked my feet in warm water, massaged them and moisturized and manicured them. Then I let them bask without covering in my porch sun for a while. I could almost hear them gratefully say “thank you”!

Feet are like friends and family. Treat them with love and they will love you back.

When my grandchildren were just toddlers I remember we bought them a large toy set. It was quite elaborate and arrived in a huge cardboard box. It was very expensive but we figured, if it brings joy to our grands, it’s worth it, right?

The kids excitedly pried the immense box open, saw the toy set, played with it for about ten minutes, and then got bored. However, they went back to the big empty box, crawled inside, and made a fort out of it. They played in that box for days while the toy set sat unused.

I couldn’t help thinking there was a lesson to be learned here. The simplest things in life are still the things that bring us the most joy. A good friend, a big hug, being among those you love and who love you back. Material stuff only brings temporary joy.

I also learned that if you want to entertain toddlers, just get them a big, empty box.

Have you noticed the latest trend on TV commercials? Many of them now include a small box in the corner of your screen. You can aim your phone camera at this box and it will take you to a web site where you can order the product being advertised immediately. As much as I detest the mentality of most commercials, I must admit this is quite brilliant. Get folks interested, and close the deal before they have a chance to think it over.

We get ourselves into a lot of troubles in life by acting and saying things rashly. Reacting immediately when something makes you angry, or sad, or euphoric, seldom results in a smart decision. Relax. Take a deep breath. Use a little time to think it through. You’ll be better off for it.

And those TV ads? Those products will still be available tomorrow. Put your phone down.

On a recent morning I woke up and peeked outside my window and saw the entire neighborhood covered with an incredibly thick fog. Shortly after, I had to try to drive through it to run an important errand. Turning on to the main road was terrifying. You couldn’t see a thing. Cars were literally coming out of a cloud and crossing my path. At some point, I just had to edge out and hope no one would hit me.

It has since occurred to me that a Christian walk can be like that. You can’t see what’s coming in life. Adversity can come suddenly, from out of nowhere, and strike you. Sometimes you just have to step out in faith and hope for safety and protection.

Eventually, the fog in my neighborhood did lift that day and the sun shone brightly. I was able to complete my errand safely. If life has you engulfed in a cloud of troubles and worry, don’t despair. Trust that God will lift your fog as well. You’ll get through it. The sun is still up there. You just can’t see it yet.

The hardest working part of your body is your heart. It will beat about 103,000 times today. You only get a certain number of beats. If you are an average human being, your heart will beat between two and three billion times. After that, it wears out, and will eventually stop. Chances are, you have already used up a good chunk of those beats.

So don’t waste them. Use this day to do something to make the world a better place. Be intentional. Plan it. Then go for it.

Put your finger on the inside of your wrist, or on your throat. Feel your heart beating. That is God’s way of telling you that you have been given another day on this earth to love and be loved. You only get so many.

The clock is ticking. Just like your heart.

Ever watch Judge Judy? She’s the cranky TV judge who rules her courtroom with an iron fist, and loves to tell off her litigants in a way that is far from politically correct. And she loves to say “My opinion is the only one that counts”. On her show, she’s correct. The participants have to sign a contract agreeing that her ruling is final.

That’s a TV show. In real life, God’s opinion is the only one that counts. We might find that inconvenient. It may make our lives a little more challenging. We may have to stop doing something we enjoy, or start doing something we find uncomfortable. But God’s Word instructs us to do so, and His decisions are always right. No one can or should question His authority.

Not even Judge Judy.

Autumn is the time of year when the leaves come tumbling off the trees and pile up in your backyard. We have a huge oak tree in our backyard, and it sheds a sea of leaves every late fall. I try my best to blow them and rake them and bag them, but for every leaf I dispose of, it seems ten more reappear. You never seem to make progress.

Life can seem like that. You work your way through one challenge after another, but instead of achieving peace, the problems just seem to multiply. Relax. Take a deep breath. Take a break. Have faith. Eventually your trees will run out of leaves, and you’ll get through this.

Make this a great day. Even if you have to spend it with a rake in your hands.

On November 12 the penny was officially discontinued. Pennies were the most part of American coinage for 232 years. But the government now says it costs too much to make them, and nobody uses them any more anyway.

I can foresee this as just the beginning of the extinction of cash completely. The credit and debit card have largely rendered cash obsolete. Money is becoming an abstract thing that only exists on a balance sheet. Cash had a good run, but it is fading out of style, soon to join the ranks of rotary phones and VHS tapes.

Most of us crave stability. Nothing about our culture will be stable forever, but God’s word is. It has survived as a lighthouse for living for thousands of years. Being a believer doesn’t cost you a penny. Which is good, because soon you won’t have any of those.

One of the most important things to work on as you enter your senior years is balance. Falling is the leading cause of injury in older folks. More than fourteen million people over the age of 65 report falling each year. A fall happens so quickly and, of course, you don’t expect it. It takes you by surprise and you can’t protect yourself.

The only answer is to try your best to keep from falling. There are exercises you can do to improve your balance. Don’t be too proud to use a cane or a walker if you need one. Hang on to the railing when you go up and down stairs. Be aware of pets and small children around your legs. Recognize wet and slippery floors and sidewalks. And for goodness sake, stay off of ladders and stools.

You need to keep moving as you age. Just move smarter and with more caution. Don’t “fall” into careless habits.