“When the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces.” – Isaiah 25:8 President Jimmy Carter was the first U.S. President I ever met in person. I was Mayor at the time, and he invited a group of Mayors to the White House to gather their input on the nation’s economic challenges. I…
Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve always holds a unique magic. The air crackles with excitement, a palpable energy that seems to build throughout the day. In my Little Rock days, the ritual was the same: a frantic, exhilarating shopping spree on Christmas Eve itself. Local stores in Little Rock transformed into bustling, chaotic wonderlands, a sensory overload of…
Building Blocks
Back in my day, a boy’s Christmas wish list was a symphony of wood and metal. Model airplanes, meticulously crafted from balsa wood and tissue paper, soared alongside erector sets that dared to defy gravity. Lincoln Logs, those sturdy giants of childhood construction, transformed into whimsical forts. Building was the king, and we, the eager…
Physical Pain
My reading of poetry has revealed a curious imbalance. While verse overflows with explorations of emotional anguish—the heart shattered by lost love, the spirit bruised by dashed hopes and bitter disappointments—it largely neglects the persistent reality of physical pain. This absence is striking, given that physical pain is an undeniable facet of the human experience,…
Special Place
He came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives. — Luke 22:39. In the quiet solitude of the Mount of Olives, Jesus sought solace and spiritual renewal. This sacred retreat, a familiar haven, was a place where he could commune with his Father, undisturbed by the demands of his earthly…