Godly Insights for the 21st Century Life

2016 was a bit of a roller coaster year for me, with glorious highs interspersed with terrifying lows. Fortunately, there were more highs than lows. Here in no particular order are the highs and lows of the past year. HIGHS: Spending time with Jojo: Jojo is my cousin Jessica's 18-month-old daughter, and due to scheduling conflicts, I didn't get a chance to see her at Thanksgiving or Christmas last year. However this year, I got to spend a great deal of time with her at both holidays, as well as during her dad's birthday party in September. Since she was older at the time I got to know her, I was able to build a better and more lasting relationship with her that will only grow as she gets older. My summer job: This summer, I was the chauffeur/activity supervisor for Ally and Kira, two of my friend Katherine's granddaughters. Throughout the course of the summer, I took them to camps, to the pool, to the park, and to church activities. They taught me how to use ...

Murder of Christina Grimmie: I was shocked when I first heard about this, and became even more shocked when I discovered that her death was not part of the mass shooting. As a longtime fan of The Voice, I remembered when she was on, and though she was not my favorite artist that season, she did have a good voice. Since her death, I have learned about her faith, and am even more saddened by what happened. A bright light was snuffed out that night by a crazed fan, but fortunately, her family is not going to let her legacy die with her. We shouldn't either. Mass Shooting in Orlando: This was horrible, but what's even more horrible is how some have responded to it. Most people have responded appropriately, but there have been some who have missed the point, and sadly, too many of these people have been fellow Christians. Some have called for stricter gun control. What these people fail to understand is that the gun itself is not what killed these people: it was the terrorist ...