Opinion

This Valentines’s Day couples will share romantic evenings and kids will exchange valentines at school parties. Husbands will bring home flowers and restaurants will be full. But this year I’d like to give a special valentine. A valentine written for my family home and the neighborhood I grew up in...

Recently, I read a blog from a self-described agnostic, who had vented his frustrations with Christians: “Please stop saying ‘God loves you!’ I’m so sick of hearing that!” Some of us who have questioned the truth claims of Christianity and had wandered away but were drawn back to faith in Lord can at least somewhat understand the man’s ire. ...

A few weeks ago I purchased a toy for myself. My new toy is one of those electronic, wifi-connected gadgets that follows instructions. Actually, it was quite simple to set up. I can listen to music by just giving a command. Since it is connected to my cell phone, I can easily call someone in my contact list with a simple statement...

If men are not called by God to preach, nor are to be ordained by men to preach after attending a seminary; then, how will there be more preachers? Can just anyone preach? What I propose is for more men to determine to be gospel preachers! Let’s list some things this requires...

The process of moving blood through the body is called circulation, and that process is completed through the heart, which is a muscle that pumps the blood through the body—a circle of life. However, what happens when that muscle is not healthy enough to pump the blood through the vessels and chambers of the heart and into the body? Poor circulation chokes out oxygen to the body that blood provides. ...

From time to time I like to go back in the paper archives and read old articles and editorials. A good friend of mine brought me a copy of an editorial this week that originally ran in the DDD on November 29, 1989. It seems like they were dealing with some of the same issues concerning hometown pride that we are today...

To the Christian who takes the Holy Bible to heart as God speaking to His human creation, we want to trust the Lord’s promises of eternal salvation. But we are all born sinful by nature because we are offspring of Adam and Eve. Yet we don’t have to skip many years as recorded in the Holy Bible beginning with the book of Genesis to understand that life in this sinful, fallen world will always be challenging, even dangerous until Christ returns to complete His restoration of His beloved humanity and creation.. ...

Muhammad Ali said, “Friendship is the hardest thing in the world to explain. It’s not something you learn in school. But if you haven’t learned the meaning of friendship, you really haven’t learned anything.” This quote got my mind and heart considering some of the greatest friendships that I have. ...

We learned last week that a person cannot be saved without hearing and responding in obedience to the gospel. So why aren’t there more men desiring to be preachers? Surprisingly, certain religious teachings of men (Mark 7:13) tend to limit the number of those who preach. We will examine some of these ideas...

Poor blood circulation and stress are the reasons for a multitude of health issues and chronic diseases, but there are ways to improve overall health and reduce both. All it takes is some time and a few lifestyle changes, especially for the older generation who are now seeing the results of poor eating habits, too many pharmaceuticals, and too little exercise...

Jack Astrachan was one of the first people I met when I began working for the DDD. When Jack passed this last week, I reflected on our times together. He came in one day and introduced himself and we started a conversation about the newspaper. Jack loved to read the paper...

These days, we hear moaning and groaning about general church health and the remedy has been that the church must change—and drastically. “What will happen if we don’t get some young people in here? We just can’t allow this church to die!” One churchgoer was more open and honest: “I might live twenty or so more years and this church needs to be here for my funeral!” (I said ‘more open and honest’; I said nothing about good and admirable.) Some of us are tempted to say something snarky like, “Um, I thought pastors wearing skinny jeans and having a half-decent bar band playing contemporary music was supposed to fix all that.” But I won’t. ...

Thinking back on my education into politics, I learned, like most everyone else, what was overheard and witnessed in my home. Through the news, my parents would receive events of the world and freely discuss their beliefs. Now, I respect that so very much. Their thought process or their reason for supporting something had validity. Sometimes but now very often, my parents may have differed in political view: one might be more vocal and the other would just be rather quiet...

The importance of each lost soul obeying the gospel is seen in the following scripture. “… When the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power.” (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9) Jesus will punish all those who do not obey the gospel! Have you obeyed it? How does one obey the gospel?. ...

When thinking about my late grandmother, grandfather and my mother, I’m reminded of the horrible bruises on their arms and how the smallest bump would rip skin from bone. I can’t remember when my mother suddenly became old and looking at her arms and hands were like looking at my grandmother’s. Now, as I look down at my hands, I can see my mother’s. So, what causes that declining process in our skin that makes us all vulnerable to the years that creep up on us all, and how can we avoid it?...

We live in a time where the majority of people live in fear. A recent survey by Chapman University listed close to 100 fears that plague Americans. They range from financial security, illness, and terrorist attacks to flying, ghosts, and clowns. Americans are becoming more and more afraid...

Perhaps the best way to answer a person’s questioning of God’s goodness—most often from an unbeliever, but not always—is to respond with “Why do you believe we deserve good things from God?” The questioner’s response might be “Because he created us”, but God also created my personal favorite animal on His green earth—the cat. ...

Everyone should buy used books as often as they can, reserving purchases of new books for special occasions, gifting, and those rare, delicious occasions when you get a gift certificate from your family’s holiday party. Buying used means more than the sticker price. It speaks to our humanity. It’s an act of social and economic heroism...

In some areas of the country, like the far west and the northeast, there are many people who don’t have much respect for preachers and preaching. In the middle of this country, that is not the case, for many here appreciate and understand why it is necessary to have preachers. So, why is it necessary to have preachers? As long as there are people who are lost in sin, there will be a need for men to preach the gospel of Christ!...

Tai Chi is an ancient form of Chinese martial arts that involves slow movements and controlled deep breathing. Because of its low impact and ability to give people with poor limited mobility a chance to improve their balance, broaden their range of motion and coordination, and with its gentle, but effective activity, it is the perfect exercise for seniors...

Everyone has a favorite quote. Looking back at my recent column I began to think on all of my favorite quotes or sayings. Here are just a few. I can’t change the direction of the wind. All I can do is adjust my sail. If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything...

With much of the news media focused on the drama with Prince Harry and Meagan, most actual news does not rise through all this manufactured commentary. For centuries, the royal family members have fascinated people around the world. Netflix’s wildly successful show “The Crown,” the seemingly endless hype around the Duke and Duchess of Sussex (Harry and Meagan) and the paparazzi frenzy that once surrounded Princess Diana are just a few of the most recent examples. ...

Perhaps the most common occurrence recorded in the Holy Scripture which is read on the Day of the Epiphany every year (January 6) is the Baptism of our Lord. When Jesus approached the Jordan River, the last prophet of the Holy Bible, John the Baptist was horrified, considering himself to be unworthy to baptize the long-promised Messiah. ...

Have you read the Bible for many years? Isn’t it amazing that each time you read the Bible, another passage will stand out that you hadn’t given much thought before? 1 Peter 2:3 recently stood out to me about God being gracious. Peter says a lot about God in his two epistles...

Adult day care centers, senior centers, churches and social clubs are important to those traveling into their senior years. The journey for them is long and hard when retirement, loss of spouse, and the empty nest appears in the rearview mirror. The cost, however, is not only physical and mental, it also affects them financially, especially to state and federal coffers...