Musings

By Kirk McCarley Some who read these articles might wonder what it is I do besides write articles. When I share, “I’m a Career and Life Coach,” a few comment, “that’s nice; good article.” If you haven’t used a coach, you may have some questions about how coaching works and what...

By Rev. J. Pete Hyde It was the spring of 1963. He was eight years old. His father, a career Air Force man, had been assigned to Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines and had gone ahead of the family to find a place for them to live before they made the...

By Sean Dietrich Then, he met her. She’d moved to town to teach school. When he saw her at church, he couldn’t take his eyes off her. He approached her with an idea. I drove four hours to meet the editor of a big-city newspaper. I walked into a large office...

By Rev. J. Pete Hyde I have made many trips heading west from Oklahoma to various places in the Rockies.  Whether heading out on Interstate 40 through the vast open plains to Amarillo and beyond or heading from Woodward, Oklahoma on the lonely, two-lane U.S. 412 down the center of...

By Sean Dietrich Hey. It’s me again. I’m sure you’re busy, I just wanted to say hello. How are things? How’s the fishing up there? I thought about you today. I remembered how you used to point your truck in one direction, and drive dirt roads that led nowhere, your...

By Rev. Pete Hyde The mid-morning crowd at the Café Du Monde was lined up outside the door.  We took our beignets, buried in powdered sugar, to a park bench overlooking the Mississippi River. It was a beautiful, crisp morning. I turned away from the view of the river to look...

My Mother Taught Me My mother taught me sunshine, And laughter as a way. She showed to me the beauty, In a dark and cloudy day. My mother taught me courage, She’d learned throughout the years, And how to smile brightly, Amidst the falling tears. My mother taught me Jesus, And how to look to Him. Now in troubled waters, I’m...

In few arenas is contentiousness more prevalent than in politics. I was heartened to read this piece in Time magazine, where U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) shared, “I’m grateful for the late Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA), who taught me that the bonds of friendship are stronger than any partisan pull. When...

GOOD By Sean Dietrich It’s early. I am on the road this morning. I stopped for breakfast at McDonald’s. I know the food’s not good for me, but Egg McMuffins and I have a long history. There’s a man here with his daughter. They’re in the booth behind me. He talks to...

10 Ways to Shift Your Mood Feeling moody? It happens to us all. One minute we are flying high and happy, and the next we can be ready to scream. And if you are not accepting your emotions or feelings, and instead you are burying them behind sugar, booze or...