On occasion, I have heard well-intentioned people say they believe the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. would have wanted the world to be color-blind.

While I can appreciate the sentiment, I tend to disagree with it. Rather than being blind to our differences we can learn to appreciate our God-given diversity.

The trick is not to judge and evaluate individuals because of their race. In the words of Dr. King, we want to be judged, “not by the color of our skin, but the content of our character.” Read More»

I have attempted to write this article five times, and I suppose what makes it difficult is when one begins to talk about things like the federal government’s “fiscal cliff,” taxes, or the proper role of government. The discussion can become so multi-faceted that it becomes unwieldy. So, I won’t go there.

Instead, I am challenged to think about the whole notion of revenue both from the private sector and federal government perspective. Read More»

Someone once said that mothers set the tone of the home. I imagine this is particularly true during the holidays. And it is also true at my house.

Long before the lights started going up, or the sales began to be advertised for the season, I thought to myself, “I need to focus on the true meaning of Christmas.” How I wish I could say I stuck to that intention.

Unfortunately, like most mothers, I got caught up in trying to make Christmas truly special for our family, and in the process I lost sight of what was truly important. Read More»

All weekend I have found myself holding my children more tightly, looking into their eyes more deeply, and simply asking God to help me soak in the moments I have with them more intentionally.

I suspect millions of parents had the same emotional reaction to the news of the tragic massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn., this past Friday. Read More»

With the holidays approaching I notice that more movies are being released, probably to account for the many people who like to watch films with their families.

I like action and adventure tales myself. However, increasingly I find it difficult to watch movies because the heroes don’t make sense to me.

Typically, you find the person is given a special power or talent and then they are thrown into some fantastic situation, and are expected to save others. Read More»

When we first moved to Fayette County and particularly our subdivision, we fell in love with the open space, large lot sizes, mature trees, and the uniqueness of every home.

But over the years I’m finding that the best thing about our neighborhood is our neighbors.

This past week I had the wonderful opportunity to go out to lunch with a group of ladies from my subdivision. To my embarrassment, despite having lived there for over five years, I only knew a couple of them. Read More»

Thanksgiving has to be one of my favorite holidays. I love the beauty of the season, including how the leaves change to such radiant colors.

I love the rich foods — comfort foods — that we give ourselves permission to eat.

I love the slight chill in the air that allows you to snuggle under warm blankets.

But most of all I love the sentiment of the holiday, reflecting on what we are grateful for. I love this American tradition!

This year I had the opportunity to volunteer in my son’s second grade class to read a lesson about the first Thanksgiving. Read More»

The grueling election season is finally over! And I must admit I am a bit surprised by the results.

Perhaps the only consensus one can gather from the results is that our nation is divided. Undoubtedly political scientists and pundits will continue to analyze the economic and political implications for the foreseeable future. But, I want to focus my comments here on some of the immediate personal and relational implications that I perceive. Read More»

When I originally decided to write this article, I thought I would begin it very differently than the way that I am.

I will begin with the challenge of simply having the title, “Why I am voting for Mitt Romney.”

When statistically one knows that 90 percent of African-Americans voted for our current president and many of my friends and family are supporting our president, it’s difficult to take a public position and say that I support the other guy, but I do. Read More»

To many citizens it is mystifying why, in the current economy, so many Americans are still casting their votes for President Obama.

They cite statistics like 23 million people unemployed or under-employed, one out of six Americans in poverty (earning less than $23,000 per year), net incomes decreasing by more than $4,000 per year, and an increase in the cost of living.

For these people, this is irrefutable evidence that the current administration’s policies are not working, and we need a change. Read More»