When is war ‘just’?
St. Augustine, a 4th century church leader, believed that war was always a sin, and if there had to be a war, it should be waged with sadness. Augustine went …
My gender-identity crisis
Hi, I’m Jim. It’s time for me to finally admit my struggle with gender identity. At grade school recess, I preferred to play jump rope with the girls rather than …
October is Pastor Appreciation Month
While this month is designated Pastor Appreciation Month, every month should be filled with appreciation for the selfless and sacrificial service minister provide every day of the year. (Having a …
Should Christians celebrate Halloween?
Search Google for “Should Christians celebrate Halloween?” and you’ll get about one thousand sites covering everything from “it’s completely harmless” to “it’s completely hellish.” Here’s site number 1,001 that’s somewhere …
Hope and humor memes
Find my daily memes of “Hope and Humor” (and occasionally, “Evil Jim’s” “Mope and Humor”) on Facebook and Instagram. From the archives • Cartoons from the dark side (Star Wars) …
Candidates need to follow yellow brick road
Anne Coulter claims in her 2008 book If Democrats Had Any Brains, They’d Be Republicans. One could argue, if Republicans had a heart, they’d be Democrats. Perhaps both parties need to …
Have a great break
You and I both need a vacation, but fear not! You can find hundreds of articles, book excerpts,
Celebrating Dependence Day
Whereas, it is the duty of nations as well as of all people, to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God, to confess their sins and transgressions, in …
Race relations by the numbers
My memory from riding to Florida in the back of my grandfather’s Buick was the shock of seeing unpainted houses overflowing with poorly-dressed children, their bare feet painted red with …
Can you love Christ and hate his Church?
Pentecost Sunday The blogosphere is filled with posts on “Why I Hate the Church.” Some have valid points painfully writing how a specific church has abused, coerced, hurt, manipulated, and …
Gay pride prompts sad, embarrassing animosity
May I offer a compromise to the sad and shameful animosity between those celebrating June as “Gay Pride Month” and those who believe that homosexuality is a moral “abomination.” First, …
Jesus knew who he was, you can too
Jesus certainly practiced what He preached. Mark 9 records the disciples arguing over which of them was the greatest. Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “If anyone wants …
Easter eggs-pose’
Here’s my eggs-clusive eggs-pose’ on Easter eggs. Long before the egg was associated with the resurrection of Jesus Christ, Egyptians believed that the sun was hatched from an eggs-tremely large …
Happy 70th birthday to me!
Yikes! I can’t believe I’m turning 70—although, I prefer to think of it as 30 plus 40 years of experience. I’ve survived the Cold War, polio, race riots, a presidential …
Local paper features ‘Praise the Lord and Pass the Prozac’
‘Praise the Lord and Pass the Prozac’ Father-daughter duo’s new devotional book, focused on mental illness, the Bible and how the Church has handled both Taylor Frymier Local authors are …