Cast politics aside. I have always liked Laura Bush. She is a classy lady in every respect. I am in the process of reading her autobiography entitled: Spoken from the Heart. It indeed is a book spoken from the depths of her heart. I am of course learning things about her life that I never knew before. I discovered for instance that her mother gave birth to three children who only survived a short time after birth. Mrs. Bush makes…
I am not so sure that I will ever have the opportunity to retire. And I am not so sure that retirement would be a good thing for me! I get bored pretty quickly. But in the case that I do get to retire someday, I hope that I still like people when that event occurs. I know that sounds like an odd thing to say, but it is very important to me. Those of us who chose to be…
I realized this afternoon after the first day of school was completed that I am not going to be voted dad of the year. As a parent, you never quite know what that fateful date on the annual calendar will bring to your children. This year I have one son beginning his final year as undergraduate student. And then I have another son who is starting his freshman year in college. My youngest is beginning his freshman year in high…
I just finished reading Golf’s Sacred Journey: Seven Days at the Links of Utopia by David L. Cook. It is an excellent book for anyone with even a remote interest in the game of golf. If you are an avid golfer, it is a must read! I am anxious to take the principles gleaned from this book and put them into action out on the golf course. But I found this interesting piece of work to possess wisdom that can…
Last Sunday I preached a sermon based on the beatitude in Scripture: Blessed are the Merciful, for they will be shown mercy. In response to the thoughts I shared, one of my dear ladies at church, who works on one of the campuses in the school system here, shared this story. I found it inspiring and felt it needed to be passed on! Mercy in a School Cafeteria A young lady came into my office at the high school, as…
I should have been a used car salesman. I could have been very successful. I am persuasive, friendly and of course honest. And for five years I have had a constant array of vehicles to show prospective buyers. There is only one minor detail that is going to impede my car selling plans. The vehicles don’t belong to me. My older boys have always had so many friends at the house that our yard looked like a used car lot….
School starts a week from Monday around here. It is a monumental year for the Knox family. Randall begins his senior year in college. Where did that go? Daniel begins his freshman year in college. Another child leaves home…And then Mitchell will begin his freshman year in high school. Crossland 9th Grade Center is not ready for him. I know that for a fact. Academic pursuits have been emphasized around the Knox household long before Randall started Kindergarten. Jan started…
A criminal has been paroled. His name is burnout. Last week I referenced Anne Jackson’s excellent work entitled: Mad Church Disease in contrasting the difference between exhaustion and burnout. She does a good job citing the true causes of burnout. (See my August 3rd blog entry in the archives.) Let’s say that you are burned out…How is such an emotional state reversed? I like the idea of going on a cruise. An extended golf trip sounds even better. I know I…
The day they had all been waiting for had finally arrived. Anticipation filled the air. The Cub Scouts gathered at the front of the room, clutching the little wooden sailboats they had so carefully painted and decorated in preparation for the big event – the annual Rain Gutter Regatta. The races began, with the boys earnestly puffing wind into the sails of their vessels as they floated down two water-filled rain gutters running parallel with each other across the room….
I heard an old favorite song on the radio early this morning: Up on the Roof sung by James Taylor. It was a popular hit for Taylor during the summer of 1979. After doing some quick research, I discovered that the song was actually written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King. The Drifters were the first to release it in 1962. It reached #5 on the US. Singles chart that year. Here is a portion of the lyrics: When this…