I am a rock star. Well, I do sometimes dream of impressing people by playing beautiful or exciting music. My instrument of choice in these brief flights from reality is the guitar. Most often it is a Gibson Les Paul—you know, the preferred instrument of rock...
Sunday evening my wife called my attention to the lead article in Saturday’s Standard Journal. She pointed out that Chris Mann was the only member of the city council to oppose the recent proposal that Rexburg loosen liquor laws. “Props” to Mann for taking a...
“Good fences make good neighbors.” I was a teenager and had no idea what Dad was talking about, so he explained: There are plenty of opportunities for neighbors, even very good people, to get into conflict with one another. Well-built, well-maintained fences help to reduce many of...
This past weekend was a rather emotional one. Valentine’s Day was the 30th anniversary of our engagement to be married. The following day two beloved members of our household passed away. Over 18 years ago I returned from work to find a long-haired, black and white...
It has often been said that a wise man learns from his mistakes. It could be stated that a really wise man learns from the mistakes—and successes—of others. Cohabitation (couples living together without being married) is on the rise. According to one recent study about one-half...
Research from the US, Great Britton, Germany, Belgium and Sweden all support the same conclusion: time spent on Facebook is a poor investment in your own happiness. The “social media” phenomenon is not really new. Before Facebook came MySpace, Bebo and a few other online services...
I would like to suggest a New Year’s resolution that will not cost any money, take any time, nor require a gym membership. But this resolution is guaranteed to improve your life as well as the lives of those around you. I suggest your resolve to...
When angels heralded the birth of the Savior, Jesus Christ, they praised God and said, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” (Luke 2:14) That phrase has been repeated millions of times over the past 2000 years, often...
Since 1988, when I first began counseling couples, families and individuals, I have noticed an interesting holiday phenomenon: people often call for appointments, desperate for help dealing with the stress and distress associated with “the most wonderful time of the year”. But I also saw...
My wife’s father, my father-in-law, passed away Sunday morning. It was not entirely unexpected, as he had struggled with health problems for a few years. But his passing does leave a sort of hole in the world. It certainly makes me pause to reflect on...