Back "in the day," I used to listen to a lot of contemporary Christian music. One such group was Jars of Clay. Depending on which website you go to find out how they chose that name, it is clear the phrase meant a lot for this band. One website is quoted as saying they took the name from a passage of scripture in 2 Timothy 2:20 (NKJV) — " But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor." The other passage of scripture is 2 Corinthians 4:7 — "But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us." Regardless of which scripture is the "correct choice," they

Recently, I saw an article that lifted up the Top 10 names for boys and girls this past year. I am amazed at the thought parents put into the naming of their children. Oh sure, they could turn to one of those "books of baby names" to come up with a suitable name for their child. The problem with that is you end up with a lot of "James', Williams', Johns', and Steves'! It seems today, however, that parents have moved past the "common names" to those which have a special meaning, and are anything but normal. Case in point — my grandchildren have names I would never have picked for them. However, I could not think of any other name than what they have now to better suit them. They have special

He was an unlikely candidate for Time magazine's list of the most 100 influential people of the 20th century. Born in a remote part of the world, he never knew which day was his birthday. His education was extremely limited. As a young man, he enrolled in a monastery, thinking to pursue the religious life, but soon left, convinced it was not for him. A member of the Sherpa people of northeastern Nepal, he soon took up the profession for which his people have become justly famous: mountaineer. Having grown up with the majestic Mount Everest virtually in his backyard, he was recruited for one Everest expedition after another. The 1952 Swiss expedition had a young New Zealander in its ranks

If you have a sense of what a handwritten letter is, then you most likely have been a part of the pen and paper, envelope and stamp, drop in the mail at the Post Office kind of person for much of your life. For our kids and grandkids today, they may not have a genuine understanding of why one would even spend the time to do all the above when you can send an instagram, text, tweet, or video chat with someone you want to connect with! Ok, let the nostalgia pour over you right now as you remember "back in the day" when your main source of communicating with those at a distance was a handwritten paper instead of a computer or smartphone. When I was in college, my wife (who was my girlfriend at

Ok, another movie quote. What movie was this from? Answer: Pee Wee Herman's Big Adventure. Frances is trying to convince Pee Wee that he wants Pee Wee's bike and will pay him any amount of money. Pee Wee declines and he and Frances get involved in one of the most quoted movie lines, "I know you are, but what am I?" Unfortunately, the political dialogue here in our country is a despicable depiction of that movie line. I don't recall in my lifetime such vile, angry, and unapologetic name calling in the political conversations of the day. I am not taking sides here because both political parties have been guilty of it. What seems quite fine to one political persuasion is unconscionable to the