Yup, I’m about to go there … “To trick-or-treat, or not to trick-or-treat, that is the question…” To answer this controversial question, let’s look at holidays in general. Why do we celebrate certain occasions? American holidays like Memorial Day and Mother’s Day spring from historical events and the desire to honor people. Other holidays go back further to distant lands and cultures. Christmas, birthdays and Halloween all have roots in ancient pagan practices. Christians began subtracting certain elements and adding others as a way of redeeming those occasions. We’ve done Continue Reading

With Valentine's Day just around the corner, what do you think of when you hear the word "love?" Is it romance and knights on white horses and living happily ever after?     Or, as the teapot in "Beauty and the Beast" put it,  "Flowers and chocolates and promises you don't intend to keep?"   There's nothing wrong with red roses and passionate feelings, but our culture has lost sight of the bigger picture when it comes to love.   To regain some perspective, it's wise for us to look to older couples who have walked the walk for a few decades.   Last weekend, Continue Reading

Today's sexuality is akin to selecting a jelly bean -- we pick and choose our sexual orientation based on how we feel. Even so,  there's one sexual option that stands out as shockingly unusual in our culture.     I'm not talking about sex change operations, or homosexuality or bi-sexuality. Nor am I talking about heterosexual monogamy in marriage, though many no longer see this as the norm any more.   No, I'm referring to the choice some have made to celebrate healthy manhood or womanhood in the context of being celibate.   In other words, they've chosen to Continue Reading

Are you a hoarder? I'm not talking about rooms stacked to the ceiling with ancient newspapers. I'm wondering ... do you hoard and hide the burdens of your soul?    Here's a simple test to discover whether you trust others:   Do you wait until you are utterly desperate before you talk about a problem? When you do talk, is it to only one person? Do you swear that person to secrecy? If so, you might be a burden-hoarder.   Hoarding means to collect and amass items you can't bear to part with. The motive is fear. Hoarding is a sickness.   It Continue Reading