Dark thoughts pressed in upon him, crushing promise like the heel of a boot. For the Marine, it felt as if he didn't have a prayer.

"It was very ugly," James (who asked his real name not be used) said as he remembered the depression that had settled over him after his military service. "I battled suicidal thoughts every day. I thought, 'What's ...Read more

A single Nor'easter or Santa Ana wind can pack a wallop well-remembered. A so-called Perfect Storm merging two major systems creates a super-force to be reckoned with and then recalled in later years. Now we hear of a Polar Vortex, which catastrophically combines three already challenging weather elements to wreak great havoc on all in its path ...Read more

For many years, I've enjoyed running and hiking many of the pristine trails in the Cascades, Coast Range, and west slope of the Rockies. I know some of these trails intimately. I can tell you where buttercups, bachelor buttons, lupine, phlox, Indian paintbrush and delicate bluebells fill the trailside with splendid color.

I've learned through ...Read more

Female members of Southern Baptist churches are asking the board of trustees of the Southern Baptist Convention to remove Paige Patterson as president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary over his comments and teachings about women.

Nearly 200 women, including at least a dozen from North Carolina, so far have signed a letter posted ...Read more

Looking back, it seems like only yesterday.

There I was, perched precariously on the edge of the church pew like a small bird ready for flight. My tiny feet didn't even reach the floor.

But I was secure. Mother sat beside me.

As I held her hand, my eyes followed hers to the strong voice that boomed from the podium. His words filled the room. ...Read more

When our five children were growing up, we had the same territorial disagreements, wars over possessions and pecking-order conflicts common to most families. Routinely, I would step in to untangle the outer layer of "who did what to whom" or "she said, he said" and remind them of their options.

As a parting shot I would add, "Either you solve ...Read more

More than a year ago, I had a unique opportunity to offer an invocation prayer at a statewide meeting.

That, in and of itself, was not particularly exceptional. What made this opportunity special was the occasion -- an annual meeting of members of conservation districts.

Not exactly a church convention or religious convocation; in fact, the ...Read more

BOGOTA, Colombia -- In tiny, peaceful Costa Rica, a country that lives on its reputation as a laid-back vacation spot, the political ascent of a conservative evangelical pastor has caught many by surprise.

On Sunday, Fabricio Alvarado Munoz -- who has said he'll challenge the rights of same-sex couples, consider withdrawing from the Inter-...Read more

I fantasize about a Norman Rockwell life. But I live in a Lucille Ball "I Love Lucy" world. There are times when I wish I could change the channel.

There is one Easter more than a few years ago that brings to mind an episode that I'd like to forget. Grandsons Luke and Joshua would probably want to wipe it from their memory banks too. They had ...Read more

Driving down Asotin grade on Washington State's Hwy 129, you will find a series of serpentine switchbacks, dropping steeply into the town of Asotin.

I'm remembering the time when my wife and I, with our young son, were driving home on that road in our Ford pickup. Ryan had just celebrated his third birthday.

Back in those days seatbelts weren'...Read more

The voice on the loudspeaker rose above the noise in the Greyhound bus terminal, alerting the weary passenger to a waiting call. In a matter of moments, that message would irretrievably change the young college student's life.

"His words were deafening and put me right to my knees," Jack Jennings, now 66, said as he remembered the Illinois ...Read more

Sissy Spacek, Carl Malden, Nashville, and Hollywood -- people and places in the world of creative arts. How could the little boy fingering the slide rule at his father's business ever envision this realm of musicians and actors as his true destiny?

Unknowing as a child, his future would hold unexpected doors to his real calling.

"I was about ...Read more

I am not a sailor. I have been on a sailboat a couple times, helping (I hope) crew on the Columbia River in Wallula Gap, Washington.

While that does not make me a sailor, I did learn at least one thing beyond watching the boom and not falling in.

I learned the essential function of "tacking," of shifting the boat's direction back and forth as ...Read more