Here’s a story of three friends who were sitting around chatting. One of them asked, “When you are lying in your casket at your funeral, and someone is giving the eulogy, what do you want them to say to the congregation?” Art said, “I want to hear what a wonderful teacher and servant of God … Read more

I have a friend who says he reads the obituaries every day to check whether his name is there, and if it’s not, he moves on with his day. I enjoy reading obituaries. I start with the photos and note whether they look young. Did they die young, or is it a photo from their … Read more

I’m going to use some words that hardly anyone uses in public, especially when describing what happens to people at the end of their lives: die, dead, death. These are “shhhh words.” These words were triggered by a series of events: (1) August is Make-a-Will month. We just updated our will, which needs to be … Read more

Seven years ago, my church friend Craig started a theater group called the Wayward Artist, which aimed at staging edgy, provocative productions. Annie and I were among the original sponsors, and we have never missed one of its shows. The original theater was held at California State University, Fullerton. Last year the university did not … Read more

The June 2025 issue of AARP: The Magazine had an article that made me consider the subject of old age. Is age a number? An attitude? Is it influenced by one’s health? Or by how engaged someone is in their activities? What about mental capacities? I don’t think age is a number. I am ninety-three, … Read more

I’ve often wondered what terrible thing the forty-seventh president has to do to have some of his seventy-eight million supporters say, “Enough!” I need to make this very clear: I have never liked him. I watched his television show The Apprentice (2004–2014) once. I thought he was cruel and crude. Some people said he was … Read more

I never doubted God until I went to college. Then, during late-night talks and while under the influence, I decided that God is just a figment of man’s imagination. Why bother? The Korean conflict was happening while I was in college, so I joined the marines and confronted my mortality. My Sunday school god returned, … Read more

I had a computer geek come to our house, and very quickly, he told me that he was a born-again Christian—an organization that is steeped in double-talk—and that he believed Jesus died for his sins—again, more double-talk. That phrase always triggers a red flag for me, but I was paying by the hour, so I … Read more

I have been called anti-Semitic for years. I find that interesting because my Christ is Jewish, and the Bible I read was written by Jews and for Jews. The foundation stones of my faith are rooted in Judaism. I greatly admire the culture, race, and religion of Judaism. To me, however, there is a big … Read more

Until about two years ago, I could easily define the word Christian. Now, after seeing the rise of “Christian Nationalists,” I have no idea how to define a Christian, so I’m not going to bother. But I do know how to define a Follower of the Way. I see myself as a Follower, someone who … Read more