Learning to spell write ain’t easy

by | Oct 22, 2009 | Opinion

When my second-grade teacher, Mrs. Peters, demanded good spelling from her students, I never dreamed that someday my vocational life would revolve around words. So I’m grateful for the investment of many good teachers in my writing abilities — though I...

Let Go My Ego: Why We Always Crave Power

by | Oct 22, 2009 | Opinion

Ram Dass, the contemporary spiritual teacher and author, tells the story of a rabbi, who in an overwhelming fit of religious passion, ran into the synagogue and fell to his knees and began to cry out, “I am nothing! I am nothing!” The cantor of the...

“Where the Wild Things Are”

by | Oct 22, 2009 | Opinion

Jean Paul Sartre gave us the line, “Hell is other people.” For Max (Max Records) in Spike Jonze’s adaptation of Maurice Sendak’s classic “Where the Wild Things Are,” that is true.   Max is a child of divorce. Mom (Catherine Keener)...

How Congregations Can Help Slow Spread of Flu

by | Oct 22, 2009 | Opinion

Frequently, I am asked about how our church handles suggestions from health organizations to help stem the tide of infectious diseases, particularly during occasions of “passing the peace” and celebrating communion in public worship. Here’s what I...

Gambling making more inroads

by | Oct 21, 2009 | Opinion

The lottery’s no longer the only game in town, at least in many towns across North Carolina. Recent challenges to laws regulating video poker and sneaky ways of skirting the law have led to a boom in “Sweepstakes” outlets that often masquerade as...