What Shoveling and Forgiving Have In Common
We’ve had our first snowfall of the New Year here in the Valley, and if all the rest are like the first one, we should be in good shape. Aside from a few minor fender benders and school cancellations, we escaped relatively unscathed. I’m also thankful that I didn’t have…
The Importance of Turning Right
Every morning when I leave my home to head to work, I have to turn right out of my driveway onto Sherman Road. It may not seem like a very big deal and by now it has become a habit, but the necessity of doing so each day is still…
Comparing our Before and After Photos
As we prepare to kiss 2016 goodbye and welcome in the New Year, exercise and diet commercials abound. Several of us are carrying a few extra pounds away from the holidays and will be looking for ways to leave them behind come January, and many retailers are anxious to help…
Is There An Elf On Your Shelf?
One of the more popular children’s gifts in the last few years has been the Elf on the Shelf. This money maker involves a storybook and doll combo that has recently expanded to include additional accessories that mines even deeper into our wallets. In addition to the Christmas version, birthday…
The Lesson of The Mistletoe
Here we are in the month of red and green with indoor trees and outdoor lights! What a special time of year to celebrate the birth of the Messiah with family and friends. While decorations consist of many different colors and symbols, one of the older yet still most common…
Salt’s Preserving Influence
This Saturday marks the end of another rifle season for deer here in the Shenandoah Valley. Although there is a late Muzzleloader season yet to come, if a deer has escaped his hunters thus far, he has fairly good odds of surviving another year if he can avoid the automobiles…
How To Avoid Head-On Collisions
Although my grandfather, Beecher Bowers, died when I was fairly young, I was fortunate to have heard some of his stories before he passed away. One of those was about the time he was 9 years old and in a one room schoolhouse at Pugh’s Run. He shared with me…
Gifts Should Cause Us To Thank Their Givers
One Christmas, many years ago, I received a very special gift. As I was preparing for four years at Virginia Tech, I opened a package that contained a beautiful orange and maroon comforter with cross-stitched university symbols sewn into it. My parents and siblings had worked on this project secretly…
What’s A Christian To Do?
As we approach Election Day next Tuesday, many Christians are discouraged about our two options for President. Neither candidate reflects the beliefs that most of us could enthusiastically support. Faced with this dilemma, some are considering sitting out this trip to the polls and simply not voting at all. Let…
Reverse Radicalization
Almost a year ago now, Syed Farook and his wife Tashfeen Malik, ruthlessly massacred 14 of their fellow human beings and seriously injured 22 more in a terrorist attack in San Bernardino, California. Many of us watched this horrific drama play out on our televisions as the perpetrators were pursued…