I remember where I was when I heard the news. Having just finished teaching an 8:00 public speaking class, I was standing with other faculty at college coffee when someone said, “I cannot believe it happened.” She shook her head in shock. “What are you talking about?” I asked. That’s when I heard the news … Continue reading Remembering 9/11
Author: jmarkfox
This week, someone wrote to The Times-News, complaining that the Open Forum is being used as a “platform to discuss religious beliefs and to debate those beliefs.” She went on to suggest that the editor “set some limits for this section to local matters that concern all.” I was frankly amazed at the brazen request, … Continue reading The Open Forum also for matters of faith
“It is late October, and the temperature is already negative 40 degrees … My thoughts are filled with frozen rivers that may or may not hold my weight, empty, forgotten valleys haunted by emaciated ghosts, and packs of ravenous, merciless wolves.” That’s an excerpt from “Cycling Home from Siberia” by Rob Lilwall, a former geography … Continue reading ‘Cycling Home From Siberia’: a challenging read
In her book “Twelve Baskets of Crumbs,” Elisabeth Elliot writes, “‘Tell it like it is’ is the watchword today. But suppose … it’s actually beautiful? Suppose the boy who does your lawn does it fast, trims it perfectly, and takes care of the tools? Suppose the clerk who waits on you happens to be the … Continue reading Go ahead and make their day
This past weekend was meticulously planned. Well, let me qualify that. It was about as planned as it could be by my standards. My motto is, “If I get there and I don’t have it, well, that’s what Walmart is for.” My wife’s motto is, “If I am leaving the house and I have forgotten … Continue reading Often the uplanned is the most memorable
Followers of the one true God are told repeatedly in the Bible to worship him in the sanctuary. In the Old Testament, that was a physical place where the priests served and the people of God came to offer sacrifices and worship. After the cross, where Jesus made the perfect sacrifice, necessary and efficient for … Continue reading When young children can lead us
J. Mark Fox 