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How About Some Respect

January 5th, 2015 No comments

I wish many things for 2015, but one in particular is “Respect for others.”  The basic concept of respect covers a large spectrum of subjects; I am mentioning only a few in hopes that my comments will stimulate your thinking.  Perhaps together we can come up with a list of things we all need to do to help make respect for others more prevalent in 2015.

 

In my opinion respect for others starts in the home with young children.  Parents need to teach and practice respect for themselves and other members of the family.  I am appalled at how some parents talk to their children and allow their children to speak to them.  I witness some parents and children shouting at one another, and sometimes using foul language.  This is teaching disrespect that goes far beyond the family.  Parents need to teach children early on how to disagree with another person without shouting and yelling and name-calling. Read more…

Mary and Joesph

December 20th, 2014 No comments

Year after year Christians around the world celebrate Christmas by focusing on the story of the first Christmas as recorded in the Gospels of Matthew (1:18-25) and Luke (1:26-38; 2:1-20): the story of Mary and Joseph and the baby Jesus.  We concentrate on the same details each year: that Mary was a young woman, had not been intimate with any man, yet gave birth to Jesus as a result of God’s selection of her to be the mother of the Messiah, and that she gave birth to Jesus in a stable; and that Joseph was a carpenter by trade, kind hearted, a devout Jew, a good father to Jesus, and a very caring wife to Mary.  The purpose of this week’s article is to look at some aspects of Mary’s and Joseph’s lives less often written or talked about.

 

We do not know exactly how old Mary was. Read more…

Teamwork

November 15th, 2014 No comments

An IRS office was keeping a close eye on a small company with only a few employees.  The income reported by the small business on its annual income tax form seemed to the IRS to be more than could be expected by the company’s limited number of employees, unless there was a lot of overtime.  The problem was that the small business reported no overtime being paid to its employees.  Hence, an IRS agent was sent to look into the matter.

 

When he arrived, he introduced himself and explained to the owner that he wanted to take a look at his books.  The owner responded by laying out his books on his desk and inviting the agent to spend as much time as he wanted looking over all the figures.  The agent confirmed that no overtime was being paid, yet the income was more than seemed reasonable for the number of employees.  He decided to interview the owner. Read more…

Working or Fighting: Your Choice

October 30th, 2014 No comments

Leading up to next week’s elections—November 4—the mail, newspapers, radio, and TV are saturated with political ads.  Time and again, Democrats and Republicans say, “I’m going to fight for you.”  That’s the big problem we have on all levels of government—there’s just too much fighting.  I’m looking for the candidate who says, “I’m going to work for you.”   We need politicians who spend time “working”—not “fighting”—with their fellow legislators on the other side of the aisle. 

 

We hear political pundits—both the Democrats and Republicans—saying it is a mistake to compromise: “We must stand up and fight for what we believe in.”  It is important to hold firm on principles that are the very core of who you are, but in most instances, it is possible to reach consensus.  However, it takes “give” and “take”—and that takes work—it doesn’t just happen. Read more…

All that Moola: The History of “Bucks” and Other Words We Use to Mean Money

October 23rd, 2014 No comments

Last week, my wife and I went to our favorite pizza place.  When we were finished eating, the waiter brought us the check.  I didn’t have the correct change.  So I quickly figured the tip in my head, gave him two larger bills, and said to him, “Just bring me back five dollars, and I’ll be happy.”  He replied, “Okay, I’ll bring you back five bucks.” 

His referring to five dollars as five “bucks” caught my attention.  When growing up in southern Missouri, “bucks” was a very common term used for “dollars,” but having lived in the St. Louis area for the last twenty years, it had been some time since I had heard “bucks” used in this way. 

This caused me to wonder how bucks came about to mean dollars and, for that matter, what about other terms often used to refer to money such as “grand,” “dough,” “lettuce,” “bacon,” “sawbuck,” “scratch,” and “stash,” to mention a few.  So for the third week in a row I am writing about money. Read more…

What Happened to Sin

September 13th, 2014 No comments

In the opening paragraph of his book Whatever Became of Sin?, Karl Menninger, one of the founders of the famed Menninger Clinic in Topeka, Kansas, tells a funny but very significant story. 

“On a sunny day in September, 1972, a stern-faced, plainly dressed man could be seen standing still on a street corner in the busy Chicago Loop.  As pedestrians hurried by on their way to lunch or business, he would solemnly lift his right arm, and pointing to the person nearest him, intone loudly the single word ‘GUILTY!’ 

“Then, without any change of expression, he would resume his still stance for a few moments before repeating the gesture.  Then, again, the inexorable raising of his arm, the pointing, and the solemn pronouncing of the one word ‘GUILTY!’ 

“The effect of this strange accusatory pantomime on the passing strangers was extraordinary, almost eerie.  They would stare at him, hesitate, look away, look at each other, and then at him again; then hurriedly continue on their ways. 

“One man, turning to another who was my informant, exclaimed: ‘But how did he know?’” Read more…