Feature Columnists

Some of the best gifts we give cost us much, but we do not buy them. The over 50 "one another" phrases in the New Testament prescribe actions we take as gifts to each other. Phrases like "encourage one another" (1 Thess. 5:11), "bear with one another" (Eph. 4:2), forgive one another (Eph. 4:32),...

Advent. Here we are again, within this mystery of preparing to celebrate what has already happened in hope of what will happen again. It is a pause within movement. A time to stand in the present with one hand reaching back into the past and one hand stretched forward into the future. ...

I was fortunate to find this small colony of strange looking plants Nov. 23. They were the dominant plant in an area the general shape of a circle about 12 feet across. Dark purplish to black beads decorated stems, many of which stuck up nearly 3 feet into the air. The jagged yellow-brown leaves...

Early in the fall, I challenged my Southeast students to come up with a word found in the pages of the New Testament that resonated with each of them. Most of my charges are traditional, which, in the parlance of the university, means they're between the ages of 18 and 22...

Thanksgiving Day is now over and hopefully we all found much for which we could be thankful. But were we indeed thankful? I believe most tried to make the most of what's happened within the scope of the pandemic -- thankful with their lives, in general. ...

I took this photo Nov. 9 in a "feathered area" where short, thick brush transitioned into tall timber along a hillside. A substantial stand of buckbrush (also called coralberry) covered an area about the size of a basketball court. I walked carefully into the coralberry patch expecting to jump a...

My son and I bought a black lemon. No, we did not find a new type of citrus. We purchased a black, twenty-year-old car that quit while driving home. After being thoroughly scrutinized by a mechanic who produced a miles long list of issues, we finally towed the black lemon home. I was now ready to...

It's there in the morning: slices of golden light on my wall through the window. The time change has allowed me to be present to see it. It doesn't last long; it is a small strip of time that the light places itself there, resting. Then, it moves on. ...

This little owl is a marvel of nature. It is a common native owl in Southeast Missouri, but it is rarely seen. It is a creature of the woods and a creature of the night. This is the northern saw-whet owl. It preys mostly upon animals such as deer mice, flying squirrels and small birds...

How do we accept or adapt to change? Yes, to many that's a dirty word, "change." To others, change is an exciting adventure. Sometimes change brings discomfort and fear. How we react depends on how we view life, and consequently, many people depend on comfort from their higher power for that...

The outcome of any presidential election brings an inevitable mixture of joy and sorrow, glee and disappointment, happiness and sadness. The news media have called the 2020 election for the challenger, turning out the incumbent. I've no wish to re-litigate the vote...

This photo shows a tree root that is growing above ground and is wrapping around the base of a tree. This is not a normal occurrence for trees. Usually a tree will grow a girdling root or roots after improper planting by humans. When planting a small sapling. ...

We have been studying 1 Peter at my church on Sunday mornings. This week's text is 1 Peter 5:6 which reads, "Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you." The character trait of humility is a difficult one to wrap our heads around. ...

Little children aren't shy when they need something. They will let you know, through crying or asking confidently. Their forthrightness comes from their innate knowledge they can't procure whatever they want or need for themselves, as well as from their faith that the adult they are asking can and...

Autumn was made for little children. It's a time for walking in the woods. A time for collecting acorns and hickory nuts enough to fill your pockets. It's a time for discovering big yellow leaves and small snail shells. It's a time to touch the softness of green moss covering a patch of ground...

Autumn leaves seem to be crying out for attention. If they could talk they might say, "Look at me! I've waited all summer to show you how beautiful I can be!" I had a wide range of autumn choices for my column this week. Migrating birds, buck deer, fall mushrooms, last-of-the-year flowers and...

Have you looked outside your window recently? Have you taken a walk and really noticed what's around you? Climates are different in the various parts of the country, and fortunately I live in a location where the scenery changes according to the seasons. Each season exhibits a beauty all its own...

Cutting across every demographic group, every socioeconomic status, every race, color, creed and national origin, every culture in every time, is loss. I've come to believe one of the main keys to a contented life is how we deal with loss. Although I won't waste more than a sentence on one kind of...

"What do you want to do with your life?" It seems like a fundamental question that many have been trying to answer since before their preschool days. Some are currently on their way to their retirement party, still trying to answer that question. But it is the wrong question...

The way I see it, both our Republican president and our mostly-Democratic mainstream media are equally responsible for creating much of our country's division, and neither are willing to take responsibility for it. They are afraid, perhaps, of the unflattering part of themselves that they recognize...

Have you seen any jack-o-lanterns yet? Was it a carved pumpkin? Well, there is another kind of jack-o-lantern. It is the jack-o-lantern mushroom. It grows from wood in the forest, often surrounding an old tree stump. The jack-o-lantern mushroom can be found during autumn in Southeast Missouri. It...

This is an early morning photo of a bumblebee on a purplish blue flower. Bright sunshine was striking a small patch of flowers. Light fog as well as a dark hillside aided in making a favorable background for this photo. Photographing a bee on a cool morning of about 50 degrees is easier than when...

A mountain man once said, "Overcoming challenges is all a part of life." A truer statement was never made. If that statement is correct, then why do we become surprised, shaken, fearful and depressed when something unpleasant happens to us? Yet almost all, if not all of us, allow the results of...

In the interests of complete transparency, I love the writing of the late Louis L'Amour, the American novelist whose specialty was the Old West. During the ongoing pandemic and the current fractious political climate, I enjoy the escape the North Dakota-born L'Amour, who died in 1988, provides...

A few weeks ago, I photographed this fly as it sat on the roof of my wife's car. The morning sun was shining brightly. As I zoomed the camera lens closer and closer, the hairs on the fly came into good focus. This is a beneficial insect known as a tachinid fly. It helps control other insects that...

Martin Luther was once asked what he would do if he knew the end was coming today. "He replied that he would plant a tree and pay his taxes." (Schriener, Thomas R. The New American Commentary; 1, 2, Peter, Jude, [Nashville, Broadman and Holman, 2003], 211.)...

A few weeks ago, I was on a long drive to my friend's mom's funeral, praying for my friend and her family, myself and what might lie ahead throughout the next few days when I felt the desire to pray one of the common table prayers. It's a prayer I have said before I eat at least two to three times...

What is your reality? Is it a state of being from which you feel you must run away? Must you try to avoid what's in front of you or was contained within your past? Do you cover your present circumstances with fake and false dreams, or do you accept and embrace every day, immersing your whole being...

On Tuesday, tens of millions of Americans watched a debate between the two major party political candidates who want to serve as president for the next four years: President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden. There has been as much talk about how they talked to one another --...

Several years ago when I first saw this plant with its brilliant clusters of purple berries, it amazed me. Every few inches up and down each branch are eye-catching berries. The wavy green leaves complement and brighten the scene even more. This native plant is called American beautyberry. ...

I needed to replace a toilet seat in the bathroom. In case you were wondering, toilet seats do not make good stepstools. I went to my local big-box hardware store to pick one up -- a simple errand. I did not know and did not expect the big box hardware store to have more than 45 toilet seats....

At a camp I went to one summer in high school, we memorized a verse of Scripture each day. First on the docket: 1 John 4:19. "We love because God first loved us." This, the leaders said, was the first verse to memorize because it is the foundation of everything. ...

This is a gray tree frog. It is a master of camouflage. I caught it as it sat on my front porch railing. It must have thought it was hidden like it usually is. I put this little tree frog inside a glass fishbowl in order to photograph it showing the beautiful yellow/orange colored undersides of its...

Have you ever been locked in a room and couldn't find the door to take you outside the confinement? You possibly bang on the walls and try the same lock over and over. The lock doesn't budge. Do you then stop attempting to leave the room and sit down on the floor waiting for someone to rescue you,...

Partly as a function of age, I'm not a sound sleeper. Nature calls too often. When sleep does come, though, my dreams tend to be optimistic. Nightmares, more common early in life, are quite infrequent now. In my nocturnal state, wars are resolved, enmities are ended, pain is eased, relationships...

September is the beginning of a transition time in the Southeast Missouri woods. Summer is coming to an end. Daytime high temperatures are getting more comfortable. And something bright red has made its appearance in the woods. I found this beautiful plant in the forest surrounded by ferns. It has...

September is the perfect time of year to evaluate your life and plan for the remaining months. Even amid a global pandemic when the only thing you can depend on is you cannot depend on anything. Dwight D. Eisenhower once said, "In preparing for battles, I have always found that plans are useless,...

The other day in church, I looked up and saw a little girl wearing a crown. It was a silver plastic one, bedecked with rhinestones, and she wore it atop her head unironically, proudly, straightforwardly, with a purple dress. It sat atop her head, and she moved about with an energetic air of...

Here I show you two flowers that you may easily find at this time of year. The yellow flower is a common evening primrose. The common evening primrose can grow to about 6 feet tall. It is sometimes called the "sun drop," because of its brilliant yellow flowers...