Musings

By Victoria Ostrosky It was Aleeza Kempton’s last day of school at Troy University and she was tired, but ready to head home to her mom.  Her car was finally loaded up and she was ready to go. As she prepared to leave, Aleeza said she heard a still, small...

By Pete Hyde After Dad retired in 1970 to Rogers, Arkansas, our family began attending Central United Methodist Church in Rogers after many years of being unchurched.  Central was and still is an old downtown church that is now on the historic register.  Stained glass windows surround the curved wooden...

By Kirk McCarley I came across a video where the speaker was addressing leadership effectiveness among prominent politicians.  He was complimentary of one person being bold and decisive in what they stood for contrasting that with another who was less adamant, even “wishy washy.”  As I watched, I found myself...

By Victoria Ostrosky If it were not already dark, he would have wished it so.  He couldn’t hide himself from the shame, but no one else would be able to see, at least for the few hours left of the night.  His bitter words still stuck in his throat, and,...

By Victoria Ostrosky There are so many Bible characters we can’t wait to locate in heaven so we can ask them a ton of questions like the Apostle Paul, or King David, or maybe Moses or even Abraham.  There are so many things we’d love to know about. Showing honor...

By Kirk McCarley How much thought goes into the origin of names and labels? Even fans of the emergence of alternative synth pop in the late 1970s are likely not familiar with a band of English classmates known as the “Composition of Sound.”  When fellow classmate Dave Gahan was invited to...

By Pete Hyde    A perfect Sunday afternoon opened up for some outside chores.  I had a list of things to accomplish after worship and lunch.  One of those items was to change a headlight bulb on my car.  “Shouldn’t be too hard,” I thought to myself.  But alas, nothing goes...

By Victoria Ostrosky Lucy Pevensie, from C.S. Lewis’ classic seven-book series, The Chronicles of Narnia, was especially close to Aslan, the Son of the Emperor Over the Sea. She met Aslan in the first book written in the series, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and her heart only...

By Pete Hyde They stood at opposite ends of a long dark hallway - one in his 70s and the other in his 40s.  It was a tense meeting.  They had met once before when the younger was less than two years old, but there were no memories, only questions...

By Kirk McCarley Bronnie Ware has lived a fascinating life in her 57 years. An Australian author, songwriter, and motivational speaker, she is best known for the top deathbed regrets she heard during her time as a palliative care provider.  They are described in her bestselling book, “The Top Five Regrets...