It’s planting season in South Dakota, and this time of year reminds me of my dad’s story about the evolution of farm machinery. Dad grew up when fields were tilled and planted with horse-powered implements. When his father changed to their first tractor, it was difficult …
If we drive our cars less, poor people will have more food. That seems to be the cause and effect relationship that implicates most of us …
Let me awaken with fresh resolve to face the day with courage and purpose, determined to maximize the 60 minutes that comprise each hour of the day. Let me not shrink from intense, purposeful labor, defer the exacting task or rob my employer of an honest day’s toil …
Do the terms “Mennonite peace church” and “army ammunition plant” belong in the same sentence? The congregation was Madison (Wis.) Mennonite Church. The facility was the Badger Army Ammunition Plant, which provided powder and propellant for the rifles, machine guns, artillery and helicopter rockets of three international wars but was now considered surplus property by the government …
Did Jesus practice violence? The fact that some people think he did illustrates our difficulties in defining and visualizing violence. It may be a case like the Supreme Court Justice who famously said about pornography: It is difficult to define but “I know it when I see it.” Unfortunately, we do not all see the same thing …
Years ago I saw a poster with the following words: “For every difficult social problem, there is a simple answer … and it’s wrong!” I decided it was true: There are no simple, one-size-fits-all answers to difficult social problems …
Suburbia: depending on your perspective, it’s the home of those who’ve arrived or those who’ve sold out. Alternately sacralized (think Leave it to Beaver) and satirized (think The Truman Show), suburbia still holds mythic sway in the imaginations of many Americans …
I walk more lately. Last summer, I changed my exercise routine so that I walk four miles most weekday mornings. I leave early, usually before daybreak, and trek from the Park View neighborhood to downtown Harrisonburg, Va. I walk the sidewalks, varying my route each day. Irene, my wife, and I also walk more together than we used to. When we’re in the mood for ice cream at Kline’s, or supper at Little Grill, we’ll walk the several-mile round trip rather than drive. Once we joined 150 others in the CROP Walk downtown …
