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»

Everything that everyone loathes about Washington was present in the “fiscal cliff” bill just passed by Congress.

It is 153 pages long; most members probably hadn’t read all of it before voting on it; it was delivered in the middle of the night; it was loaded with pork — the mother’s milk (to mix a metaphor) of politicians — and while the country is already swamped with massive debt, it contains massive giveaways to satisfy interest groups and campaign contributors. Read More»

Ever notice how much better dinner is when you are in a good mood? Setting and atmosphere affect how we enjoy any experience, but attitude may be the most influential of all when it comes to elevating our pleasure.

Except for the national championship being on the line in the 1981 Sugar Bowl, perhaps the most fun any Georgia team ever had was the Sun Bowl trip in 1964 — one of the most serendipitous years in Bulldog history. Read More»

It all started with a break-in then continued to a breaking point when a crazy woman showed up at my door, ranting about aliens who had landed at her house. She needed me to write an article to warn their commander not to send them back to her house.

When Tink heard I had run off a car full of Jehovah Witnesses with my shotgun, he said, “That’s it. We’re putting in a gate. For your safety as well as the safety of aliens and Jehovah Witnesses.”

For a while, I had demurred over installing a privacy gate but, finally, I was ready to agree. The crazy woman and her aliens had persuaded me. Read More»

Who are the most important people in the world?

The answer: Children. Plain and simple. Without question.

No, it’s not about pampering and spoiling them. It’s not about letting them run our lives. It’s not about giving in to them on everything. Instead, it is about recognizing them as the most important recipients of our time, our love, our nurture, our attention, our teaching, our guidance, and our discipline (which means “to teach them,” not to punish them). It is about conveying to them at every age and in every private and public arena our morals and values, and our faith. Read More»

A more perfect plan had never been conceived. It had taken almost a week to assemble, with every aspect of it thought out to the last detail. Absolutely nothing could’ve gone wrong. Yet somehow — horribly and painfully — it had.

At the bottom of Flamingo Street, a young boy lay in a crumpled mass, his right hand sporting a two-inch bloody gash. The new bike, broken beyond repair, had finally ended its tumble at the feet of the meanest kid on Flamingo Street — Down the Street Bully Brad. That’s how this story ends; here’s how it begins. Read More»

So how did you do last year? When you came to the end of the year, were you better off or were you disappointed? What about those projects you planned to do? That weight you were going to lose? The savings and investing you were planning you were going to do? The breaking of bad habits and the beginning of good habits? Did you get closer to your friends? To your family? To God? At the end of the year were you satisfied or did you have regrets? Read More»

I tried to avoid this but there was just no way. It’s my annual end-of-the-year, wrap-it-up, thank-you-all for all your help column. I tried to avoid it because I have to admit to you that, as of next May, I will have been here 20 years ... doing this religion section for 14 years. I can’t believe it myself. Read More»

Have you made your New Year’s resolutions? Are they realistic? What are you undertaking that will enrich your life?

I heard about a woman who walked into her bathroom and found her husband weighing himself on the bathroom scales, sucking in his stomach. The woman thought to herself, “He thinks that he will weigh less by sucking in his stomach.”

So the woman rather sarcastically said, “That’s not going to help.”

The husband replied, “Sure it will. It’s the only way I can see the numbers.” Read More»

The beginning of a new year is the time to face the music about the accuracy of my predictions featured in this column one year ago. Here are the 2012 predictions and self-assigned grades evaluating my effectiveness as a forecaster:

• The Atlanta Braves will win the National League pennant and lose to the Los Angeles Angels in the World Series.

Grade: An F is the correct grade because neither team made it to the World Series. Some generous readers will justify a C for effort since the Braves made the wildcard playoff spot and the Angels narrowly missed. Read More»