Too busy for “little dogs”. The Canaanites were considered “little dogs”. They were a mixed-breed of people and descendants of Canaan, one of Noah’s descendants. They didn’t fit anywhere and were rejected by the Jewish people. Some people referred to them as “half-breed”, which was just as bad as being called a little dog. One day a Canaanite woman approached Jesus as he was surrounded by a crowd of people. She wanted healing for her … Read more
Catch-22 There are three things we use as reasons for not participating, supporting, or helping others. These same excuses were used by people thousands of years ago, and are chronicled in a story in the Bible. This parable involves a banquet where many people are invited but choose not to attend. Jesus was at the house of a Pharisee, and He was being closely watched. You’d think it was a political scenario, for folks were … Read more
That 6-overtime game. Virginia Tech could have – and probably should have – lost the game this past Saturday evening. Both teams made mistakes and lost opportunities to win the game. But in the sixth overtime, something phenomenal happened. Somebody stayed in his lane. He kept his focus on his assignment. When the rest of his teammates moved to the other edge of the field, he remained steadfast and on guard. Khalil Ladler stayed in … Read more
Belonging through DNA. Everybody wants to belong and feel important. Evidenced by the new DNA studies that are available, people (including myself) spit into a cup and send off samples so they can learn from where their ancestors really hailed. We want to know where we fit in – and how we got to here from there. [I’ve yet to find relatives I didn’t know I had, but it’s been interesting to learn that the … Read more
Who IS coming to dinner?!. This story was first published in 1995 in The South Boston Banner. It was later printed in a book of compilations of my columns, Southside Glimmers in 2007. This dinner party of unannounced guests is a great way for kids to learn about people in the Bible and their stories. They have the opportunity to guess who each character is. We often had this event in the fall of the year, when our kids were inundated … Read more