The Sound of the Midnight Train: Reflections on Melancholy, Memory, and Growing Older
Melancholy. What a strange word. It can mean longing, reflection, sadness, the memory of times past. In living my life, it is not a word I have given much thought. Yet here I am, in the midst of what I suppose would be called melancholy. There is a train…
The Covered Wagon in 1931: How My Grandmother’s Journey Bridged Two Different Worlds
One small brush with mortality can pull open the drawers of the mind and shove every hidden emotion into the room. So here we go. Driving today, looking at the view rising ahead along the highway, I found my thoughts coming fast and furious. No, I was…
You Can’t Outrun the Truth: Why Repentance Changes Everything
“In the beginning was the Word.” Before the universe moved, before light broke across the darkness, before water gathered and land rose, the Word was already there. John begins his Gospel with language that reaches behind Genesis itself: John 1:1–3 In…
“That’s a Little Spicy”: A Cautionary Tale of Red Pepper Flakes, Pride, and Poor Kitchen Decisions
Tonight’s dinner started like any other, with a sigh and the familiar question: What is on the menu? I hate waste, and there were some pinto beans waiting in the refrigerator. I figured they could be dressed up a little and thrown onto a…
The Missing Ring, the Wrong Coffee, and the Blue Screen: What a “Bad Day” Taught Me About Perspective
Some days, you get off work and head home. You stop at the market and discover they are out of your favorite brand of coffee. You sigh, take the second choice, make your purchase, and leave. As you are making your way out of the parking lot, some idiot…
“You Are Missing the Big Picture”: What Surviving Cancer and Cardiac Arrest Taught Me About the End Times
Every day, I take time to sit before my computer and write. It is becoming a habit, putting words down to help wake up my mind. Sometimes it is morning, and sometimes it is late afternoon. I work the night shift three nights a week, so the hours of the…
“Do We Really Have to Cover This Again?”: Why Humanity Keeps Reaching for Fire Instead of Mercy
Hey, y’all. Have you noticed that people have not changed nearly as much as we like to think? In the 1960s and early 1970s, people rebelled against authority, challenged the government, questioned old customs, and helped usher in what became known as the…
The Dirt Road to Mercy: How an Ancient Biblical Outsider Taught Me to Care for My Dying Stepfather
Ebed-Melech shows us that even those who stand outside of “preferred teachings” will be noticed by God. This can be missed or even ignored by those of us who consider others outside our faith to be “less than.” As we grow older, a few things become true.…
“You Are No Angel Yourself”: Why Jonah’s Bitterness Reveals the Uncomfortable Truth About Our Own Hearts
Oh, Jonah. What a hard man you seem to be, so determined to draw the heat away from yourself and aim it toward another. Yet I am not inside Jonah’s mind. I cannot know every thought that moved through him. From where I stand, however, it looks very much…
Jezebel Isn’t Just an Ancient Queen—She’s a Mirror: The Dangerous Path of Unchecked Appetite
Jezebel’s story is found primarily in 1 Kings 16–21, with her death recorded in 2 Kings 9. She enters the biblical account as the wife of King Ahab, one of Israel’s most corrupt kings. First Kings 16:30 says Ahab “did evil in the sight of the Lord, more…