Monthly Archives: January 2019

I bought a book on sale that I had never heard of, The Crown of Monks by Smaragdus of Saint-Mihiel. Turns out Smaragdus (760-840) was a Benedictine monk at an abbey in north-east France. The introduction explains that this book … Continue reading →

A few months ago Paulette and I watched a PBS special on the life of Mark Twain, and I was struck by one of the many humorous quotes attributed to Twain. He said that the Pony Express could have made … Continue reading →

There is a lot of it, over nothing. Sometimes there is no need of any more of it. It just sounds bad. Ado. It’s just a little itty-bitty three-letter word. When we make mountains out of molehills, maybe that’s ado. … Continue reading →

I’ve just returned from a visit to a dear friend, our friendship goes back almost 60 years. She is in the advanced stages of Alzheimer’s disease – unable to move, unable to speak. I look into her eyes; does she … Continue reading →

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego (Daniel 6) from the Old Testament story were quite confident in their God. However, King Nebuchadnezzar, an Assyrian, who established himself as King of Babylon, created a new ruling that if the lyre, fife, trumpet, harp … Continue reading →

It was driving me crazy! No matter how much I rearranged or folded or patted, the label at the back of my neck was picking and itching and getting on my nerves. Labels . . . Why do they even … Continue reading →

Funny saying – “Out of Sorts”, what does it mean? Kind of sad? Kind of angry? Kind of miserable? Out of place? Maybe feeling some of all these emotions? Many years ago, I found a greeting card with a funny … Continue reading →

After I wrote last week’s blog about Antony of Egypt, I found another story about him in a book I was reading for my devotions, A Season in the Desert: Making Time Holy by W. Paul Jones. Here’s the story … Continue reading →

It may surprise you to learn that there is a connection between Bono, the lead singer for the famous Irish rock group U2, and Eugene Peterson’s translation of the Bible called The Message. I first learned a little about this … Continue reading →

King, The Rev. Dr Martin Luther, Jr. He holds such a significant place in modern American history. He, Anne Frank, and Barbara Walters were all born in 1929. Mind-blowing. He is one of those pre-eminent figures that have a hallowed … Continue reading →