Month: February 2026

One of the many things I most admire about my wife Sharon is her willpower. She made up her mind to stop drinking soda, stop eating fatty foods and sugary snacks, and that was it! She hasn’t weakened in over a year. She’s so good at resisting temptation.

During that time, I have made several attempts to copy her eating and drinking reforms. I last a few days, and then I fall off the wagon. I get frustrated at my own lack of mental toughness.

Clearly, I can’t do it on my own. I’m praying for God’s help. The Good Book says “with God, all things are possible”. I’m counting on that. Do you have a challenge that seems too difficult? You need help too. It’s not hard to find. He’s always there.

It would be funny if it weren’t concerning. I’m talking about how our culture has evolved over the decades. In 1952, Lucille Ball’s character on I Love Lucy became pregnant. But the word “pregnant” was considered too suggestive, so the actors were not allowed to say it. They had to use terms such as “with child” and “expecting”.

In 1957, when Elvis appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show, he was only shown from the shoulders up, because his gyrating hips were considered too sexual. Mary Ann on Gilligan’s Island, and Jeannie on I Dream of Jeannie, were at first banned from showing their belly buttons on TV. That was considered way too promiscuous.

Seems silly now, doesn’t it? I guess that’s because there is virtually nothing you can’t see or hear on TV today. The TV industry has long since abandoned any effort to preserve moral values. That’s our job now.

You are being manipulated. We all are. The political forces that control our media outlets are behind it. Every shred of reality is being filtered through a partisan lens before it comes to us. We are being brainwashed and bombarded by distorted and radical propaganda every day. This is true of both sides. As a result, it has become near impossible to discern the truth about what is going on in our world.

In fact, the truth has become irrelevant. What is right and what is wrong no longer matters. All that matters is to win. Win votes, and the political power that comes with them. There can be no sincere dialog between points of view. No open discourse. You are evil and we are good. And that’s that.

What makes it all so very unfortunate is that, high above the clouds of mistrust, hate and fear, floats the truth we all want the same things. And we could achieve them, if we just put aside the anger and worry, and focused on love, mutual respect and service. Are we too far gone? I pray not.

I love crossword puzzles. I work on one every day. I inherited my passion from my mother, who did a crossword every day to keep her mind sharp, until her vision deteriorated to where she couldn’t read them anymore. Puzzles are often classified according to difficulty, as in Easy, Medium or Hard. The problem is, every publisher seems to have a different standard for these categories.

I worked through a book of Christmas crosswords from Random House that was labeled as “Hard”, but I solved them easily, and started to feel quite highly of myself. Then I started working on puzzles in a book from the New York Times described as “Medium”. Whoa! They were incredibly difficult! They had me stumped. Suddenly I didn’t feel like such a genius.

Clearly, various companies set their own standards, just as our evolving culture does. It can be confusing and frustrating. We would be well advised to stick to God’s standards for life. That way you will always fill in the blanks with the right answers.

There used to be a TV show called “Super Nanny”. It was about a professional nanny whom you could hire to teach your out-of-control children how to behave, and to respect their parents. She also taught the parents how to properly handle their kids. Within a few weeks, she would take bratty, unruly children and transform them into model offspring.

I often doubted the realism of these shows, and wondered if the families were just performing for compensation. There’s not one perfect way to raise a child. You just love them as much as you can, do the best you can, and pray they turn out well.

Raising them in a Christian home can help. 75 percent of children raised in Christian homes remain active in their faith throughout adulthood. They have a better chance of growing up to be moral, secure and confident grown-ups.

You don’t need Super Nanny’s help to set a positive Christian example.

My seven year-old grandson had never been bowling before. It was all he could do to muster the strength to lift the ball and roll it down the lane. Most of the time the weak attempt would ooze forward very slowly and drift to the side, knocking down maybe one, two or three pins. I thought our little guy would be disappointed, but it turned out to be just the opposite.

He was absolutely gleeful to have knocked down any pins. He jumped and shouted, and proudly pointed upward to the electronic scoreboard, shouting “I got two!” as the number popped up on the screen. He would go on to bowl two full games, and his reaction was the same each time. Apparently, he was convinced going in he wouldn’t get any pins, and was ecstatic for the few he managed to topple.

I want to go through life like that. Expecting little and being full of joy for what God does provide. It’s the key to a happy life. It took a seven year-old to model it for me.

It hurts your feelings to be left out. Left out of conversations, gatherings, invitations and fellowships. You can be left out inadvertently or deliberately. Both are painful. If you are left out inadvertently, it means no one noticed you were not included. If deliberately, it means they did notice and didn’t want to include you.

We can pretend it doesn’t bother us. But deep down inside, it can make us sad and even angry. Knowing this, we should make sure we are inclusive. Be aware of those around you who don’t seem to be engaged in the activity at hand. Try not to leave folks out when it comes to invitations and gatherings. If it’s someone you find unpleasant or unlikeable, break the ice and make the first move toward friendliness.

They may reject you, but that’s okay. There are some who want to be left alone. But most people want to feel at least thought about. You can make their day.

I was sitting in my living room the other day when I heard a strange sound. It was my doorbell! A delivery man rang it to let me know there was a package on my porch. I hadn’t heard my doorbell in a long time. That’s because the world has changed. It’s no longer a place where folks feel comfortable answering the front door. Instead they install ring cameras and other security devices. The front door is no longer a friendly place for visitors.

I am old enough to remember when it was different. Front entrances were decorated with welcome mats and things designed to invite people. Salesmen, girl scouts, doctors, mail persons and others felt free to knock. Now they don’t bother, because few will answer.

I certainly understand the caution that must be exercised in this day and age. But I sure wish the world could return to being a place where you could confidently open your front door.

We took two of our young grandkids bowling the other day. They had all they could do to just pick the ball up and roll it down the lane. They couldn’t pay much attention to direction. Most of their attempts would have headed straight into the gutter, but we requested to have the bumpers raised. The bumpers guided their balls safely down the lane so they knocked down at least a few pins each turn.

We all need bumpers to guide us safely through life. Something that will keep us from falling into the gutter physically, psychologically and spiritually. Prayer and God’s word can do that. Every day may not feel like you just knocked down all the pins, but you’ll never lack the hope and peace of a new turn, a new chance, a fresh start.

So get out there and live this day with a bold confidence that your efforts won’t go astray. Roll through your adversity like a bowling ball headed directly into the pocket.

When you go to the doctor’s office and they check your blood pressure, ever wonder why the cuff squeezes your arm so tightly? The device can only measure the force of your heart by stopping the blood flow to your arm completely. It must make your circulation start from scratch. It can’t be accurate just dipping into the existing flow through your artery.

Your reading is just a snapshot. Blood pressure is constantly changing. Doctors are looking for a general pattern. They want your results to stay within a safe range. It’s not a bad idea to purchase one of those cuffs and test your blood pressure regularly at home. They are available at most drug stores and can be ordered off the internet. They usually cost around $30 to $60.

You may be surprised at some of the readings you get. It will also help you determine what factors in your life have an adverse affect on your heart. It’s worth the tight squeeze.