The Western Christian church just celebrated Easter Sunday which is the highest Sunday of the year.  On that day we tell the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection, and we look forward to … more

In 1995, I got my first job after college from a "help wanted" ad posted in a newspaper's classified ads. (Remember those?) The headline on the ad said they were looking for an "aspiring journalist" … more

With the warming of the weather, there comes a desire to depart from the heavy wines of winter and look toward the fresh flavorful wines of the warmer weather. If you really think about it, … more

Have you ever experienced pitch black? Maybe you’ve witnessed a solar eclipse or blacked out the windows and shut off the lights in your room. There’s nothing as exhilarating, disorienting, and terrifying as staring into complete darkness. more

There is a national day or World Day for almost everything that one can think of and going along with that, April 17 is Malbec World Day, a day in which Americans and the world celebrate a wine variety. more

As Missouri’s Secretary of State, I have the honor of overseeing elections across our great state—but it’s the people on the ground who truly make democracy work. After yesterday’s municipal elections on April 8, I want to take a moment to recognize and thank the local election authorities, boards of elections, and the many poll workers and volunteers who brought this election to life. more

Have you ever gotten good at the wrong thing? I think it might have happened to me. more

The events of Holy Week and Easter are upon us. As a pastor, this week can often feel overwhelmingly busy. So much happened in that in that one week of Jesus’ life worth celebrating. more

Pinot grigio wine is another of Italy’s gifts to the world along with music and art. more

The Rockwood family microwave, affectionately called “Mike,” died suddenly in the home on August 6, 2015 while attempting to reheat day-old pizza. It was 10 years old. more

Billions of years ago the earth’s atmosphere was too toxic to support life as we know it today. There was not enough oxygen in the air to support anything like the abundant animal and plant life that we know and enjoy.There was water, however. And in that water lived microscopic cyanobacteria, converting sunlight into oxygen through photosynthesis. For billions of years, these microbes just kept putting oxygen out into that toxic atmosphere. Finally, one day a threshold was crossed. There was a great oxygenation event. There was enough oxygen to allow life to explode, and the forms that we know and recognize began to form. For billions of years, that cyanobacteria labored away, pumping life sustaining bubbles of air into the environment, with seemingly no purpose or result, and then one day, boom. The existence of Life! more

Let me set the scene. We were at a restaurant with the whole family, including my mom, all three of our college kids, plus two roommates brought home by our 20-year-old son Jack, who was in town for spring break. His roommates were both born and raised in Michigan, and this was their first trip to a city in the South. We were on a culinary mission to show them the best Southern cuisine has to offer. more

Spring always finds me eager to declutter, sweep the cobwebs from the corners, and spruce up our outdoor areas.  more

In 1905, George Santayana wrote the very famous and often quoted words “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” more

I’ve learned a lesson this week, and here it is: Sometimes, it’s okay to lower your standards. more

What if God was always speaking and you just simply need to learn to tune into His frequency? more

While Whiteman Air Force Base will be the second base to get the B-21, it will have to wait awhile before that happens. more

At sundown on Saturday, April 12, the Jewish holiday of Passover begins.  more

My husband and I were born five years and two days apart in March. Since it’s birthday season again, here are 52 things I’ve noticed about turning 52. more

A few years ago, I was driving to work and stopped at an intersection, wondering if I should go straight or turn. more