One Sunday the cashier at a local store was smiling at me broadly as she totaled my bill. As she handed me my receipt, she said, “Have a great day, John!”...

“Oh please, Mommy! Please! Oh please!” I said. When I was a child and wanted my mother to say yes, I pestered her constantly. She often told me to stop begging,...

While walking along the lakeside of our local county park, taking photos of the beautiful landscape, and enjoying the sunshine and warm breezes, I noticed something lying in the dirt. It...

Recently, I saw a student rocking his chair in class. I 
reminded him that another student had fallen while rocking his chair and had needed to go to the hospital for...

During our son Paul’s training as a cadet in the U.S. Air Force Academy, he and the other cadets were tested to their limits. As his parents, Betty and I supported...

For years, I had trouble praying. The problem was not in the actual act of prayer but in the fear that I wasn’t praying correctly. I had received so much advice...

Sunshine and warm temperatures were expected on Monday, and I had planned to do some landscaping. But when Monday arrived, 
I could find only one 
gardening glove, and my small shovel...

First Corinthians 13 is a favorite scripture of mine, and I wanted to read it at my son’s wedding. Uncomfortable with public speaking but wanting to give this reading as a...

As a child, I took lessons in martial arts. Each class began with bowing to the instructor and to the most senior member of the class, out of respect and gratitude...

When I finished my exercise regimen, I decided to walk along the beach. At one point I stopped to watch and appreciate the power of a rolling wave as it approached...