Being a grandparent has its perks, especially when around children who are misbehaving. One of the aspects of my behavior that I used for my grandchildren was the "Granny Look." When they saw me looking at them a certain way, they knew to cease and desist with unwanted behavior, or suffer the consequences already mentioned.... Continue Reading →
As a young man in college, one time, some friends needed me to babysit their kids. I did it as a favor, but they wanted to pay me. After refusing money, They asked me if I wanted to partake in smoking weed. After some negotiation, I just left with two joints that I didn’t really... Continue Reading →
We have moved to the beautiful city of Quarteira in Portugal, with its wonderful beaches and colorful houses and apartment buildings. We met our host's parents, and it was one of the highlights of this visit. His mother could not speak any English, but she managed to show me all that I needed to know... Continue Reading →
Walking along the boardwalk listening to people talk, I am amazed at the numbers of languages spoken here in Portugal. I am just nosy enough to want to know what everyone is saying, and whether they are words of joy, love, fear, or anger. What is comforting for me is that until people start to... Continue Reading →
They were such beautiful children, and I loved to be in their presence. But, usually I entertained them, and then I went home, leaving them to my sister to calm down and get them to bed. I felt no guilt, for I was their aunt, and it was my job to be the good guy... Continue Reading →
I was having a beautiful day at work, waiting for lunch to come so that I could go to the fast-food place across the road from my job for my daily portion of potatoes. The road that separated us from the place of heavenly fries was a very busy one, and you risked life and... Continue Reading →
Using the definition of talisman as anything whose presence (and by extension, lack of presence) exercises a remarkable or powerful influence on human feelings and actions, I believe that love, by its presence or its absence, is the greatest talisman. This is why it so important that children learn that their parents love them. When... Continue Reading →
To compare oneself to someone else is a recipe for unhappiness and anxiety. One of my fellow Sunday School teachers refers to this behavior as "compare-tinitis." It is like an illness that invades the mind and the spirit, and the only cure is to come to see that not being identical to anyone else makes... Continue Reading →
I would imagine that the right person to date and marry has been one of the most frequent requests of God that women have shared with me. As a preacher who often speaks on the faithfulness of God in hearing and answering prayers, I have had many a woman tell me that they have given... Continue Reading →
One of the most difficult concepts for many people to grasp is what it means to worship. Worship is defined as a demonstration of reverence and adoration, mostly for a deity, that pays homage and honor for past, present, and future expressions of love and help to the worshipers. During times of worship, the deity... Continue Reading →
Help from Heaven 