We humans have a wealth of explanations to excuse our poor choices and disobedience. From little up, we learn to justify our misbehavior with phrases like, “Everyone else was doing it,” “I just couldn’t resist,” or “In this particular instance it wasn’t really wrong.” All of these ring hollow yet…
It’s hard to believe but as of tomorrow, another year will officially be in the history books. If you are planning to accomplish something in 2022, you’d better be doing it quickly. As we peek into the New Year, we each face different opportunities as well as different challenges. Not…
Several years ago I borrowed my parents’ book History of the Descendants of Jacob Gochenour and got sucked into a passion I’ve never been able to escape: genealogy. I was never very interested in my ancestors but when I started reading that book, I was up until after 2:00am. As…
One of the primary characters surrounding the events of Jesus’ birth and early life is his stepfather, Joseph. While His mother, Mary, often gets most of the press this time of year, Joseph also played a crucial role in that first Christmas and the years following. Although we don’t know…
Several years ago my wife took a nasty fall and severely broke her ankle. Thanks to the help of emergency personnel and the skill of the surgeon and physical therapist, her ankle is healed today and does not limit her in any way. Unfortunately, for four months following the surgery,…
One of the mixed blessings brought to us by COVID has been the rapid expansion of virtual meetings and online events. Although Skype got us moving in this direction, Zoom, YouTube, Facebook Live and other platforms accelerated the movement toward meetings where we don’t actually meet. All of these options…
With Thanksgiving officially behind us, we begin our approach to Christmas complete with parades, shopping, decorating and baking. Over the next few weeks billions of presents will be purchased and even more cards sent to celebrate Jesus’ birth. Just before Christmas, however, is a Jewish holiday known as Hanukkah. This…
No other holiday is as warm and cozy as Thanksgiving. Although the air may be crisp outdoors, inside the stove heats the entire house as the turkey roasts to perfection stuffed with dressing and encircled by potatoes, carrots, and onions. My mouth is watering just writing about it. What great…
Up until I was nearly through high school, I wanted to be a taxidermist. Growing up in my father’s shop brought me into frequent contact with a variety of animals and I was privileged to see the nicest bucks, the largest fish, western mammals, and even African game. Although I…
Tomorrow ushers in another firearms season for whitetail deer in most of the Valley. Muzzleloading season in Shenandoah County officially begins one half hour before sunrise Saturday morning and will continue until one half hour after sunset on November 18. How do I know that? Because I read it in…