The letters lay in my box—the folds showing evidence of students who had never written letters by hand, never inserted them in envelopes, and never used snail mail. The day was a typical one.
Read moreLoving the Boundaries
Tag: Martin Wiles
God Moments
“We invite you to sit down and play…” I had visited quite a few hospitals that had pianos in a great room or in the lobby. But never had I seen one with a sign
Read moreA Heart-to-Heart Talk
I remember it hung on a doorknob. My parents believed in corporal punishment. They thought the Bible taught it, and they believed and practiced the Bible’s teachings as they understood them. They never abused me,
Read moreSeeing Beyond the Obvious
What I saw didn’t always match reality. I saw the Facebook post. The daughter of a friend I had known for more than thirty years informed her Facebook friends that her mom had contracted Covid
Read morePutting on the New
After twenty-seven years, he took off his prison garb and walked out a free man. Nelson Mandela, a lawyer who joined the African National Council (ANC) in 1944, became the national president of the organization
Read moreThe Stripping
The bushes, once loaded, had been stripped. For the first time in a long time, I had a large garden plot that produced well. When the spring crops finished, I planted purple hull peas. I
Read moreThe Need of Sabbath
I told them the story and watched confusion cross their faces. One thing I love about teaching middle schoolers entails telling them stories about how things were when I was their age. When I was
Read moreWhen Christmas Mixes with Sorrow
“Can you think of anything we can sell?” I asked my wife. “The only thing I can think of,” she responded, is my…” Christmas 2013 was shaping up to be the leanest Christmas season my
Read moreGratefulness Through the Seasons
Only two remained. As I sat on my old antique porch glider, I watched as two hummingbirds fought over the lone feeder, hanging just outside my den window. Just a few days before, I had
Read moreLeading for the Common Good
Leaders lead for the common good, but what exactly is that? Not long after I moved to a small town, an election year approached. One of the town councilmen chose not to run for re-election,
Read more