Writing Proverbs
The technical term is aphorism, a short saying that expresses a generally understood truth. Whether we call them proverbs, sayings, truisms, or maxims, their impact comes from being short, catchy, and easy to remember. Our Bible contains an entire book of proverbs. The Israelites had a common saying: “The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and […]
Savage Race
Thousands of runners, with more than a hundred in this time slot, and there I was, in the middle of the action. I’d not been among this many crazy people since my last visit to the hospital for the mentally ill in Wichita Falls. I’d gotten up early, anticipating the 5½ mile run down winding […]
Ignorance
In school, kids who didn’t want to study accused me of being “too smart for my own good.” Was that even possible? I thought the greatest dangers in life came from not knowing what we don’t know that we don’t know. In the midst of the storm, the disciples feared for their lives because they […]
Letters to God
My first letter to Santa described what I wanted, even though I was pretty sure my time was wasted. It wasn’t that I didn’t believe in Santa. I probably didn’t deserve anything that expensive. I could only hope and pray. On Christmas morning, when I saw my prayer answered, I was thankful I had the […]
Seeing, Not Believing
Between his thumb and forefinger, the man held one card on the corner and turned it face up. A jack of spades. He flipped it over, and back. The card was now a ten of diamonds. I’m only twelve inches away, watching carefully as he does it again. I can’t see how he made the […]