Category Archives: Opinions
Veteran services get major boost
More than $536 million in grants has been authorized for services to veterans and their families.
One award, which will help low-income veteran families getting benefits 
from the Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) program, will give out $326 million. That money will go to 252 non-profit organizations around the country that help veterans and their families find stable housing situations. Services will include outreach and case management for health care, legal support, child care, a fiduciary, transportation and more.
Last year this same fund provided housing services to more than 129,000
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Changing our perspective
Decisions are a part of life that we face every day. With everything from what we will wear to purchasing a new washing machine, our choices contribute as key components of our success and failures that are also directly connected to our peace and joy.
Sometimes we are strongly influenced with the mesmerizing sparkle and emotional excitement that pulls us into a hypnosis, and this crossroad can be a dangerous place to make a long-term commitment.
It’s also common to experience regret after making a decision that did not turn out like we thought it would and is a discouraging environment, especially if we conclude there is no reasonable way out. For example, it 
would be miserable to buy an expensive sports car and then discover it’s uncomfortable to drive and is consistently breaking down with outrageous repair costs. Even more deflating would be to realize no one else wants it and we owe more than it is worth.
We can go down the list and see the many different areas of life where people are disappointed and feel hopelessly trapped. Things like a huge house mortgage that is more like a ball and chain than home sweet home, a
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Child gun deaths a preventable tragedy
In the ongoing discussion over gun rights and control measures, the discourse often pits guns as a component of violence and crime against guns as a means of hunting, recreation and self-protection.
One side points to the devastating number of shooting 
deaths that occur each year in the United States. The other points to the security of keeping a gun handy in the bedside table or in the glove compartment.
But any discussion of gun safety should also include a topic that we might all agree is so horrible as to demand action: that little children with access to guns too often accidentally kill themselves or other people.
As Post and Courier reporter Jennifer Hawes described in a report last week, a tragic number of South Carolina children arrive at the emergency room with a bullet in their brain or a gunshot wound to the face. Or they pull the trigger while “playing” and kill a sibling or a parent, to be haunted by the accident for life.
But even though 12 children under age 12 and one adult in South Carolina died in
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When we are tempted to worry
Is much as we would like to avoid worry and anxiety, these feelings are just a normal part of our natural emotions. When I say “normal,” I’m referring to the everyday aggravations and frustrations that are a part of this journey. Some people seem to be more controlled by these feelings than others, but we will all have our share of difficult times.
I’ve thought about whether the world we live in today is more hectic and stressful than the times of our parents and grandparents, but is it the external circumstances that cause a person to be overwhelmed or the lack of internal peace? Even though the situations are different, apprehension and panic would be the same for a caveman or a business executive. However, I’m also convinced that Christ never intended for us to be constantly stressed out to the point of living in discouragement and depression.
There have been many studies about the effects of stress, and it’s now confirmed that
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Your role in government
Dear Editor,
The Declaration of Independence states, “That to secure these Rights (life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness) Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed …”
The 2016 presidential election was a surprise (more of a shock) to say the least, but the “governed” (that’s you and me) showed up and exercised our power (we voted). And the result is now history.
The election of Donald Trump was momentous on several levels, but what stands out most to me is that the 2016 presidential election showed where the true power of government comes from. It comes from those who “show up.”
The 2018 election is right around the corner. While this is not a presidential election, it
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Facebook just isn’t my thing
I have nothing against Facebook. But even though I have an account, I’ve never posted anything on it. No political comments, no pictures of my adorable dogs (and they are adorable), no favorite recipes and no observations on life. You won’t find a picture 
there of me or any of my relatives or friends.
But I do go on Facebook to see what my friends and family post. That way I can get a general idea of what’s going on in their lives, but not waste their time with information about my pretty ordinary life.
After all, who wants to see a picture of my house or hear a long, boring story about how I lost my glasses and then found them?
There’s just not a lot of potential to make it an exciting read.
For example, of interest to us but no one else is the fact that all our dogs have fleas.
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Morning after Labor Day
Guest Editorial
It’s 6 o’clock the morning after Labor Day. Your alarm goes off. You bang around your night stand until you find it and shut it off. As you wake up, are you excited about going back to work? Or is that “Not again!” knot bulging in your stomach?
If you’re thinking, “Not again!” you’re not alone, though Americans’ satisfaction with 
their work has improved in recent years.
In 2017, for the first time in more than a decade, a majority of U.S. workers were satisfied with their jobs.
According to data from the Conference Board, job satisfaction reached 50.8 percent, up from 49.6 percent in 2016 and above the 50 percent threshold for the first time since 2005.
Still, job satisfaction is far below the 61.1 percent who liked their jobs in 1987 and the 58.6 percent who said they did in 1995.
Life coach, best-selling author and professional speaker Dr. Joey Faucette, who has coached thousands of business people, suggests asking yourself the following questions
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Do we trust our doctors?
Sitting in a medical office last week, I overheard something that sent a chill up my spine. Another patient in the waiting room was whispering to her friend that she didn’t trust the doctor. I wondered why she might feel that way.
Did the doctor not keep up with the literature on new treatments for diseases or on prescription medicine that has been found to cause problems? Is the doctor being wooed by drug company reps? (Is the waiting room full of sales people with briefcases?)
A survey from a few years ago revealed that doctors themselves believe that patient trust is waning. Of more than 2,000 physicians surveyed, 87 percent said that patients
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Men like McCain keep America great
I saw them come off the plane. Some were on crutches, all were emaciated. The families waited. And I saw the wives and children running to meet them.
We used to have the Vietnam War with supper. We’d see Dan Rather, reporting from the endless battles, film of the dead and dying, and the string of ears, displayed on the ground for a body count of enemies killed.
We’ve all lived through a lot of hard times. But that war is the war that shaped the way the following generations consider war.
We counted the cost as kids we sat next to in school came home to be
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Nothing can keep us from God’s love
Memories can be a wonderful place to visit when they are pleasant and filled with peace and joy. On the other hand, not all of our experiences have been good and can be more like a haunted house on a dark and stormy night.
We all have our collections of thoughts and our own task of trying to figure out a way to deal with them. As most of us know, there are positive ways and negative ways to handle our past experiences. We can look around and see that many people are not doing such a good job when it comes to emotional management. The Lord wants us to give our problems to Him and allow Him to bring true healing, as His way is always the best way.
Some will say “you have not walked in my shoes,” and this is very true. However, this does not mean the light of God’s love cannot bring you
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