Devotionals

“Hit the sack,” “catch some z’s” and “forty winks” are just a few ways to refer to sleep.  Some phrases have origins that may surprise you.  Many people believe that telling someone to “sleep tight” recalls a time when beds were supported by ropes, however, back then “tightly” meant “soundly” or “properly.”  To “sleep tight” was to sleep well. There is a decidedly darker origin to the [...]

From birth, children are nurtured toward independence.  Babies are taught words before learning to crawl and then walk.  Adolescents are coached about the kind of friends to make and, ideally, young adults are trained to manage their own finances in preparation of becoming a fully-functioning, independent, contributing member of society. Of course some family situations require their children to become independent at a particularly [...]

In Revolutionary War reenactments I’m struck by scenes that depict a disciplined row of red-coated British soldiers conspicuously marching across an open field to engage in an armed conflict.  With neither cover nor concealment, they act and dress like a human target!  Meanwhile, the New England colonial militia wore plain colored, loose clothing suitable for hunting.  The impracticality of a military tactic that will [...]

The United States Government Services Administration (GSA) is responsible for streamlining and reducing government spending.  In 2010 they held a conference outside of Las Vegas for 299 of its employees.  It was later discovered that the cost of the event exceeded $800,000.  A government oversight committee reported that the executive that selected the site spent $130,000 visiting hotels and planning the conference.  In addition to hiring a clown and a [...]

According to the National Center for Education Statistics about 80 percent of college students change their major at least once.  Of those that graduate with a bachelor’s degree only 27 percent get a job “closely related to their major.”  I’ve seen this firsthand. One of my sons had an interest in health since he was young.  When deciding his course of study, nearly all of the [...]

Debuting in 2003, “What Not To Wear” was a reality makeover television show that aired for 10 years.   The premise was that people mistakenly dressed in ways that made them look bad because they were ignorant of what clothing styles complemented their age, body type and profession.  Armed with the personalized coaching of a fashion professional, the participant would be sent shopping with a gift card [...]