Bridge Builders

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi took the words right out of my mouth.   The words she spoke are similar to what I used for my sons and also use to guide the parents of my patients.   These four words can make or break the trajectory of a child’s life.   Evidently, the same four words are able to corral an incorrigible President as well.   Just speaking the words is not enough.   They must be backed up with prompt action without a hint of fear.   I share the four words with parents at the two week check-up.   The earlier parents comprehend the importance of relaying these words to a child, the better it is not only for the parent but for society in general.   What four words you ask?   THE ANSWER IS NO! Proverbs 29:15 15  The rod and reproof give wisdom,      but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother. Speaker Pelosi told President Trump “No!”   She undergirded that no by making sure e...

The day started with an early morning drive, before the sun came up I was already on the roadway.   Just in front of me, a car was moving long perfectly fine with the traffic but the emergency lights were flashing.   I thought, why the emergency lights if the car is moving and the driver is not impaired.   As I continued behind the car, the flashers remained on but as soon as I passed the car to go about my business, the driver turned off the emergency lights.   I said to myself, “Now that was weird’” until I got on the highway and realized my headlights were not on.                    Proverbs 19:20 20  Listen to advice and accept instruction,      that you may gain wisdom in the future. The driver with the flashing lights had been trying to relay advice to me, “Turn on your headlights.”   I was so busy try to figure out wha...

It's a new year and I'm driving a new car.  It takes some getting use to when you have become comfortable with the routine of the same gauges, mechanics and audio system.  I knew everything about the old car so I pretty much functioned on automatic.  There was no need to check the owner's manual, no reason to think about how to turn anything on and no consideration of whether I was competent to troubleshoot any malfunctions.  I knew how to handle that car.  Which brings me to why I had a problem opening the trunk of my new car this afternoon.  I needed to get a box out of the car.  I went into the garage and tried to open the trunk.  It would not budge.  Well, I remembered the box I needed was in the back seat anyway so I attempted to open the back door.  It would not budge.  I had just walked out there not having considered how I was going to gain access to this new car.  My old car was always unlocked in the garage so I a...

VOTING RIGHTS                        By Rep. John Lewis Voting rights are under attack in America.   Quietly, gradually, state-by-state, the right to vote – a right that many people died to secure – is being taken away.   The Brennan Center released a report that shows that voting law changes across the nation will make it significantly harder for more than 5 million voters to exercise their constitutional right to vote.  This should not be happening. Today, we should be making it easy, simple, and convenient to vote.  Instead, legislatures around the nation are creating barriers and making it more difficult for citizens to vote.  There is not just one law, but many types of laws that are disenfranchising millions of voters: voter photo identification laws, proof of citizenship laws, barriers to registration, elimination of early voting and absentee voting, and laws mak...

Worthy of throwing a shoe at this woman.  There is not another Aretha Franklin.

No one would pay to stay in a messy hotel room but we will spend our lives living in messy rooms, dorms and homes.   Over time we get comfortable with the disorganized chaos.   We tell ourselves, we know where everything is and can find it easily.   Occasionally, we clean the mess when expecting company.   We do not pay for mess or want to visit mess. Other people do not appreciate our mess. It takes a very close friend or family member to put up with our mess and if they do, it is for a short stay.   I have been known to clean a house before unpacking my bags.   Some of us carry Lysol to make sure the place is clean.   Who would want to stay in mess? Colossians 1:27  27  To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which   is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Our Lord Jesus Christ lives in us in the midst of our mess.   It is this great mystery of how Christ...

Most birds sound like sopranos.   Every now and then you hear an alto, but regardless they are always singing.   Whether early in the morning or in the wee hours of the night, they sing.   They neither have a roof over their head or a chef to cook to provide meals, they sing.   In storm, snow and blazing heat without air conditioning or the warmth of a fire, they sing.   A bird will sing. Why does the bird sing whether alone or with the flock?   What prompts them to chirp?      Only God knows. Psalm 104:12 12  By them the birds of the heavens have their home; They sing among the branches. We may not know for sure why birds sing, but we certainly ought to know why we sing.   When we think about the continual flow of blessing that envelope us each day, praise and song should be our response.   When we consider the Lord’s death on a cross on behalf of desolate, sinful man, songs of praise should fall from our ...