Bouffant Blonde

How many times have you whined today? Give it up! We all complain numerous times each and every day. And usually about trivial things that really don't matter or that we simply can't change. We just don't like to admit that we are whiners. Think about it. It's June in Alabama. It's hot and humid. And sunny. I'm thankful that the rain has finally stopped but now in a two-day span of time the ground is so hard. I miss the cooler temperatures that the rain brought. But when it was raining and water was standing everywhere, I was first in line complaining that I wanted to see the sun. Or think about the traffic. That's a favorite whine topic. The stop lights never work to our satisfaction. If we're in a hurry, they're always red. When we're trying to delay our arrival, they're always green. And don't forget about that slowpoke going our way. You've heard the phrase "he's got nowhere to go and all day to get there." If the sl...

Are we too quick to judge those around us? Are christians especially quick to judge others? There is nothing like a special book study on lent to bring questions and discussions about uncomfortable topics out in front of us all. Churches are supposed to welcome all people, just as Jesus welcomed all people. He reached out to everyone, be they tax collectors or prostitutes. Do we do the same? Or are we afraid we'll get a little dirty if we reach out to someone who isn't like us? A church should be a safe haven for all sinners. And we are all sinners. Do our noses lift up, even as we extend a hand to a visitor who might not be dressed as we deem appropriate? Do our eyes harden and shift even as we smile and nod at a visitor of a different color? Do we offer a degrading comment and laugh if someone new to our church family questions practices that might challenge the rule of the minority? Do we expect all christians to do and believe and vote exactly as we do and reject them publ...

Today dawned just like any other day. Fog blanketed the area. It's haze lingers. Somehow it is appropriate. The brilliant sun of yesterday is gone and only questions and sorrow linger. Yet we are reminded that life does go on, whether we welcome it or not. We can't turn back the clock. We can't fix what has happened. The bodies remain. The shattered lives linger. Long after the news reporters have moved on to another story, the peace and calm will allude us. Because now we know for sure that horrible things can happen anywhere, at anytime, to anyone. No more heads in the cloud denial. Not for us. Not for our children. Not for our sleepy communities. When the tornado killed nine people just over two years ago, that was horrible and unimaginable. But it was an act of nature. A freak event that destroyed a school that had withstood countless tornadoes and students. But the shooting rampage was a deliberate attack. Planned carnage. How does the mind of a seemingly normal perso...