Grace and I had a wonderful time in Hawaii last week. The primary activity of the vacation was not doing all that tourist stuff, or hitting the beaches. Much of the time was simply spent with our one-year-old grandnephew Andrew; mostly just hanging out at home. This was our first opportunity to meet him personally. …
I was reading the account of David’s interactions, first, with Barzillai the Gileadite, then, with the troops of Israel and Judah (2 Samuel 19.31-43). In this account we observe a contrast of attitudes concerning what has been labelled “entitlement.” Many times we hear (maybe have used it ourselves) the phrase “what about me?” expressing a …
It is said that the person with normal vision has the ability to see one million colors. We are able to enjoy the rich beauty of a colorful world. But there are those among us who do not have the pleasure of seeing what we so easily take for granted. The mutation in their genes …
California is facing a season of severe drought. Water levels are so low that there is serious talk of the need to take drastic measures to minimize water consumption. Already, many homes have cut down significantly the watering of their grass lawns. It is not uncommon to see more brown-colored lawns where there once were …
The May 2015 edition of Readers’ Digest features an article from Psychology Today, written by Jena Pincott. In it Pincott addresses the question “Why We Bend the Rules.” She identifies some defense strategies people use to justify bending the rules. They include: The Creativity Defense—“The more creative you are, the easier it is to retell …
During a recent Bible study, the passage we were considering included this verse from the apostle Paul: “In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3.12 NIV). Paul made this statement as he shared how he had gone through many difficult and dangerous experiences because …
Jesus is unequivocally clear. Those who want to be his disciple “must deny themselves” and follow him (Luke 9.23). The apostle Paul reminds us: “We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death … For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be …
“Forever is a long, long time.” So go the lyrics of a popular Christian song when I was a youth. Sorry, I can’t remember the title of the song anymore. And I do not remember exactly how the song goes. (That was a long, long time ago!) But if I recall correctly, it had something …
It’s a given. In this life we all will go through times of difficulty, even of pain and suffering. For those who believe in God, it is during those times that we pray to him for relief. That is almost the immediate response to such circumstances. But sometimes relief doesn’t come as quickly as we …
Recently I came across an interesting video that featured HAL, and its inventor and lead scientist Yoshiyuki Sankai. HAL stands for “Hybrid Assistive Limb,” which is a robotic exoskeleton—an armor-like suit that one wears. HAL boosts the strength of the person who wears it by about 80 percent, allowing the wearer to do certain tasks …
