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What Ebeneezer Griper learned in school

My grumpy old buddy Eb Griper and I were chewing the fat in the post office parking lot when a big yellow school bus drove by. “Sure glad I’m not on that thing,” I said over the rumble. “You’re not alone,” Eb said. “I hated school.” “They had schools when you were a kid?” I teased. “Don’t be a smart aleck,” Eb snapped. “Of course they did. I went to Superior Township No. 3. A one-room school house out in the country — two outhouses, a swing set and a merry-go-round. And I learned more than kids do today with all their voodoo games.” “I think ...

The joys of fatherhood

One of the many joys of fatherhood is bringing home the occasional gift for my 2-year-old daughter. Most days when I walk in the door, she runs down the hallway to greet me, hollering “Dad!” the whole way. On those occasions when I come with something in my hand, she stops in her tracks when she sees the present and invariably asks in eager anticipation: “What is it, what is it?” Her joy and excitement in welcoming me home and her desire to know what I’ve brought her are treasured blessings. Our Lord Jesus Christ says to His disciples in Luke 11 that earthly fathers, ...

To spank or not to spank; that is the question

Driving down the highway several years ago I remember listening to a radio talk show host debate with his guest the merits of spanking children. The talk show host was a bigger proponent of spanking by parents than his guest. The host also argued in favor of corporal punishment in public schools while his guest disagreed. I was not in a position to call in and share my opinion but I definitely had one. I still do. I believe a parent has an obligation to lovingly discipline a child. At a young age, when reasoning doesn’t work, spanking — sparingly and wisely applied — can be ...

Not my will: The heartbeat of Resurrection living

As most of the world pauses to celebrate Resurrection Sunday, millions reflect on more than just a religious tradition — they remember a story that has forever altered history. This is not merely a holiday. It is a call to encounter the deepest love humanity has ever known. The final week of Jesus Christ's life, often called Holy Week, is not just a page in Scripture — it is a collision of divine purpose and human pain, of heaven's hope and earth's brokenness. At the very heart of this sacred journey lies a moment of raw, gut-wrenching surrender in the Garden of Gethsemane — a ...

Hugging to the music

Facebook friends are posting photos of their kids and grandkids all decked out for proms at their high schools. These photos are rekindling a 60-year trauma. During the years of childhood my only acquaintance with proms were news stories of teenagers driving recklessly after proms. The reality of a prom didn’t hit me until I was a sophomore in high school. Sophomores could volunteer to be servers at the Junior-Senior Prom. I thought I had better things to do. The next year our junior class staged a fundraiser to finance our prom and I pitched in. In those days proms included a ...

Would you believe me if I told you the tomb was empty?

He is risen! He is risen indeed. But — Would you believe me if I told you the tomb was empty? I mean really. Would you? Not in the Sunday school answer kind of way. Not because it’s Easter morning and we’ve got lilies and bright colors and eggs filled with confetti. I mean in your ...