Training your brain to detox from rapid Internet-mode
I used to be a voracious reader. In all my thrift store gleanings I have compiled books known and obscure, stacked in a neat pile ready to be devoured. My nightstand groans with my to-read pile, and I have added an extra stand, slender with shelves, so I can pile more. Thats right, I have two nightstands with book stacks – doesnt everyone? As of late, though, Ive stumbled across a...
Whistleblowers have rights and legal protections, within limits
Q: I criticized my employer to another employee in our company's lunch room, and one of my co-workers called me a whistleblower. Am I?A: Probably not. Generally, a whistleblower is someone who reveals wrongdoing within or about an organization to someone in a position of authority or to the public. Many whistleblowers learn of an organization's wrongdoing because they are employees, but...
Impossible is a strong word when dealing with God
What is impossible with man is possible with God--Luke 18:27 Is God asking you to do the seemingly impossible? Do you have enough faith to do what you feel called to do? God is the architect of faith, in fact he is called the author and finisher of our faith. Hebrews 11:6 puts it clearly that without faith we cannot please God at all. Actually, it goes one step farther and uses the word...
I Swear, Im Not Just a Seasonal Slacker
In a way, I suppose, its kind of like being rewarded for hanging in there, for making sure that when we in Eastern Carolina finally got a white Christmas, at least one household near the coast was still decorated for the season. So it was nearly February when the storm hit. Who cares? In 20 years, when we show the pictures of the decorations – the Nativity, the Charlie Brown town, the...
Calling all cooks: submit your favorite recipes to share
Dear Country Cupboard Readers, I am thrilled when my mailbox and my in-box deliver your recipes to me. I especially enjoy the kind notes and letters I receive with those recipes. I get many kid-favorite recipes from children, many with impressive penmanship. And I get recipes from senior citizens proud to include their age with their recipe submission. It is with these recipes memories are...
White-winged Scoters seen in Ohio and Indiana
Although I have seen these large but unusual ducks at times over the years, the recent appearance of many White-winged Scoters in Ohio and Indiana prompted me to do some reading about them. Usually I rely only on my books but this time I also looked online to see what I could find. I shouldnt have been surprised to find all kinds of references, including an interesting one posted by the...
The garden is a hands-on, unconventional classroom that makes learning more fun
Everything I know I learned in my garden. Well, not everything, just the important things; the garden does teach in a number of ways. It teaches patience and perseverance. It teaches us to nurture and to be kind. It teaches us about strength and endurance. It teaches us that failure is not the end of the world and that one success does not mean that others will follow easily. It teaches us that...
There is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus
Do you ever feel condemned, like you are not ever good enough? I used to live in an almost perpetual state of condemnation (with a little self-righteousness thrown in here and there). I was condemned if I did and condemned if I didnt. It seemed like I was just never good enough. I would read my Bible and get condemned, because I didnt seem to measure up to Gods standard. I would play sports...
The garden is a hands-on, unconventional classroom that makes learning more fun
Everything I know I learned in my garden. Well, not everything, just the important things; the garden does teach in a number of ways. It teaches patience and perseverance. It teaches us to nurture and to be kind. It teaches us about strength and endurance. It teaches us that failure is not the end of the world and that one success does not mean that others will follow easily. It teaches us that...