Deborah Dearth

       While I was at work, I received a call from the doggie day care where our dog, Phoebe, had been going for several months. The worker regretfully informed me that Phoebe had been expelled from daycare and would not be allowed back. When I asked the worker what Phoebe had done, I was told that she was growling and snapping at other dogs.       I was mortified. Since then, I have noticed she snarls and snaps at any dog that comes around her…especially ones she’s never met. She has one or two dogs she is fine around, but for the most part, she strongly dislikes other dogs.     Isn’t Phoebe like we humans? We have the people we like to be around.   But if someone new or different comes on the scene, we proceed with caution. Sometimes we may even take a strong dislike for no particular reason or based on religion, skin color, or anything else that we don’t agree with or like. We may not snarl and bite, but we do other things to let that group or person know that we don’t like them

         Every January 1 st  we welcome a new year! New Year’s Day is a time for reflection. We ponder the past year… the events, our achievements and our failures. We also consider our foibles, and how we can improve ourselves. Many of us vow to lose weight, start a workout program, eat healthier, or in general, decide to become a better person.      The wonderful thing about January is that it is the genesis of the year.  Genesis is the start or beginning of something. No matter what the past year was like or what it brought to us, when January comes, it is a chance to begin anew. We can take the blank slate of a new year and an unknown future and put together plans, goals, hopes, and dreams. Or we build on what we have already started in previous years.       Not only is January 1 st a time of genesis, but every day we wake up is a new beginning!  How blessed we are that 365 days a year, we can experience genesis! Every morning we awaken with a fresh slate before us! Our hear

      O ne of the most comforting passages in the Bible is probably the 23 rd Psalm. It is often read at funerals for this very reason. Although this Psalm is most associated with death, it brings us hope and comfort in life.       I love how it opens in the NIV (New International Version) - The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.  Many of us have heard the King James Version - The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want .  The word want has a dual meaning. Want can be a wish or desire. Want also means a need or a lack of something. I like that the preposition in is before want in the NIV. It makes the meaning of want so much clearer.      I don’t know about you, but when I think of the word want, I’m more prone to think of my heart’s desires. My wants involve things like: how much I’d like to have a million dollars, a Porsche 911, 50 yard line tickets to a home Steelers game…as a matter of fact, I have an endless list of wants. These kinds of wants really are not a

       On October 13, 1782, the cornerstone for the presidential residence was laid.   George Washington was president at the time, but it was John Adams that became the first president to live in it.   It became known as the “White House” because it was constructed with white-gray Virginia freestone and contrasted dramatically with the red brick buildings nearby.        A cornerstone is an important part of a building.   It is usually the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation.   The placing of the stone is important because all the other stones of the foundation will be set in reference to this one stone and establishes the position of an entire structure.        Just as the cornerstone is important in the foundation of a building, the same could be said of our hearts/souls.   They are the core or very foundation of everything we do from how we live our lives to take care of our bodies.   Every action, thought and word comes from our hearts and souls.     

     When we think of God, we often think of the out-of-the ordinary. He is after all, the Most High and Lofty One, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, and all those other awesome titles that we give Him out of reverence and love. We think of how He parted the Red Sea, spoke through the burning bush, fed 5,000 people with the five loaves and two fishes, and raised Lazarus from the dead, not to mention, His own resurrection. Perhaps He has worked a miracle or two in your life. We've all had a time in our lives that something awesome or miraculous happened, and we knew it had to come from God.       Do you think of God on a day when nothing exciting or awful happens? A routine day that passes without anything worth noting. You go to bed tired, but not exhausted and are able to fall into an untroubled sleep. Are those awesome names we have given Him going through your mind right before you fall asleep or when you wake up the following morning?      The majority of our lives are made u

                                It’s been a rough year, especially when it comes to politics. I believe due to the pandemic and being trapped at home that political issues have seeped into our personal lives more so than it ever has before. It has also fomented anger, worry and concern, especially those who are conservative. I know I have felt fear at the direction this country is heading and unjustness at being cancelled because my beliefs aren’t aligned with the radical left.                 This week I was listening to a podcast and got a little boost of hope. During a YAF conference in Florida, one the of topics was the toxic political environment and attack on conservatives from politicians and businesses. Senator Ted Cruz said something that encouraged me. He said…”Go towards truth, light and freedom. The great thing about eternal truths is that they’re always true. Our ideas work, free markets work, the Constitution and Bill of Rights, and free speech, religious liberty – the