My husband and I entered a home accents store, looking for some decorative pieces for our new home. As soon as we started browsing, I stopped at a session filled with beautiful frames containing pictures, some with funny or inspiring words. Maybe it is a writer’s natural tendency, but my eyes linger a bit longer in frames with witty or inspirational words when I visit such stores. My house is full of them. That day was no different. As I entered one of the aisles, a lonely, unpretentious Continue Reading
Division in the Church During the Pandemic {The Atlanta Journal-Constitution}
“Nevada’s 50-person limit on religious assemblies violates the First Amendment, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled, as Forbes reported.” “The Supreme Court sided with a California church and declared Gov. Gavin Newsom’s COVID-19 order prohibiting some worship services unconstitutional, UPI reported.” “The Supreme Court blocked, for now, New York’s restrictions on attendance at religious worship services in the struggle to contain COVID, AP reported.” The report, published Continue Reading
Let the Church Be Cautious But Not Fearful {The Atlanta Journal-Constitution}
The email caught my husband by surprise. He has worked with the gentleman for three years but did not know that the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York had changed his life forever. In a short message, his colleague asked my husband to pray for his family. Like many New York residents, 9/11 brings him painful memories. His wife, mother-in-law, sister-in-law, and several friends died that dreadful morning. Nineteen years later, his heart still grieves. To many Americans, the sting and Continue Reading
Coronavirus – Should We Be Afraid? {The Atlanta Journal-Constitution}
“Dow drops nearly 10 percent as global coronavirus fears continue to pummel Wall Street.” “Travelers in Europe, U.S. experience confusion at airports amid coronavirus restrictions.” “The Coronavirus pandemic is closing schools. How will kids eat?” Aside from the Democratic primaries, there’s hardly anything more newsworthy these days than the Coronavirus. As one turns on the TV or browses news websites, to say that the virus has created a wave of fear across the world is an Continue Reading
Fear and Anxiety – The Evil of the Century {The Atlanta Journal Constitution}
Fear and anxiety. A deadly combination that sweeps our modern world these days. My teenage daughter shared her heart in a recent conversation, where she talked about some of the fears that often cross her mind. Some of them invade her thoughts in the middle of the night, keeping her awake for hours on end. I remember having the same crippling, often irrational fears for many years: fear of dying. Fear of robbers entering my house. Fear that my parents would die. The list went on and on. As Continue Reading
Ebola, ISIS, End-Times Events – An Anxious Church?? – My Weekend Column for the Atlanta Journal
A second health care worker in Texas is diagnosed with Ebola. ISIS allegedly has control of chemical weapons. Border security agents are struggling to maintain enough manpower to contain the influx of undocumented immigrants from Mexico. Is it any wonder that worry is permeating our society as never before? The harmful effects of anxiety are well known to the medical community. In the U.S. alone, 40 million adults suffer from anxiety disorders. When our bodies are under stress, our nervous Continue Reading
