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Is it proper to laugh in church?

Years ago I considered writing a book about funny things that happen in church. “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Heaven,” would make a good title, I thought. Of course, I never got around to writing it. Alas, I’m a day late and a dollar short. Several other writers have beaten me to the punch with books of similar content and titles. Perhaps the topic will be ready for another book before I unplug my computer for the final time. In his book, “Jokes Priests Can Tell,” Msgr. Arthur Tonne tells of the small child who was overheard during a long-winded sermon. “Mommy,” ...

Elon Lee was a Civil War veteran

In The Daily Freeman-Journal dated May 10, 1938, an article appeared on the death of the last Civil War veteran in Hamilton County, some 73 years after the end of the war. It marked the end of an era in local history; these veterans had played such active and important roles in this ...

Understanding life backwards

Danish theologian and philosopher Søren Kierkegaard observed, “Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards.” I’ve been thinking about that concept all week. Fifty years ago this month my wife, our one-year-old son and I moved from a community we loved to a city nearly three hours away. I moved to Webster City, Iowa, in October 1967. Two years later I married Cindy Fisher, a Webster City native. The next summer we purchased a modest house and settled down to a life we enjoyed. Cindy worked full-time until our son was born in December 1972. While we ...

Way, way too close to home

You'll recognize these words. I'm going to run this until somewhere, someone grows a spine. I'm going to run these words over and over until the people who imagine they are in power can understand that with power comes responsibility. I'm going to publish this column until we are sick of it in the way that we are sick of violent and needless death. To our politicians: Find a way to work together. And stop telling us you're praying. Jesus taught, “When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by ...

It’s good to be back in ‘Our Neighborhood’

In early November I had to have a knee replaced. During the recovery period following surgery, my mind was a complete fog (even more than usual); between drugs for the pain and the focus I put toward rehabilitation, it just didn’t feel normal trying to write. I was able to continue research, though walks through Graceland had to be put on hold for a time. What I began to study led me to a new adventure; I’m beginning work on a new novel about the Dragoons and their trek through Iowa in the 1830s. At first, I convinced myself that this would be of more value than continuing “Our ...

Random thoughts about the new year

Here it is — a brand new year. Yippee! Every January 1 brings back memories of New Years 2000 and the Y2K scare. Readers of sufficient age should remember all the anxiety that was wasted in 1999 as some folks thought the world was coming to an end (or something similarly calamitous) on January 1, 2000. Of course, radio talk show Chicken Littles added to the apprehension with fear-laden predications of what would happen when our computers failed at 12 a.m. on January 1. There were predictions we wouldn’t be able to withdraw funds from ATMs, buy groceries or gasoline and other ...