Raise our candle and shed a little light.

"Each and every day, each and every one of us, regardless of our circumstances, has a choice. We can squander our time fingering old welts, second guessing past decisions, and tormenting ourselves over the poor choices of others; or we can embrace a new day brimming with opportunities for doing justly, loving mercy, and building foundations for a bright, new tomorrow. Time is precious. Choose wisely." I wrote this years ago. I believe it's good advice. Addressing each day's negativity is robbing me of friends, family, and much of the joy I might otherwise experience. While silence is complicity and there comes a time to speak, it's easy today to become complicit by contributing to the gloom. Today's evils speak volumes for themselves. Rather than cursing the darkness, we might do better to raise our candles and shed a little light. SC

Evidently incapable of compassion

All of America's past Presidents, those living and those dead, must be saddened, repulsed, and embarrassed by today's America. We've gone from a shinning city on a hill, admired by the world, to a godless black hole in the heart of humanity, serving only mammon, heedless of God's call to mercy, and evidently incapable of compassion. Christ is surely in tears. SC

My Happy Place

 This is the pier at my pond at the Cannamire at Carman's Edge. 

Carman's Edge

It's a scary world, and I'm blessed. In the Ozark Mountains of Missouri are quite a number of National Forests. In the middle of one, is an eight-thousand-acre wildlife management area. I live at Carman's Edge. If I'm quiet, all is quiet. I love quiet, and I'm good at it. All is quiet here at Carman's Edge tonight. I'm safe, and I'm praying for the rest of ya. Sleep well. SC

The best defense against lies and ignorance is truth, told calmly & repeatedly until it spreads exponentially. SC

So, what is marriage today?

I feel moved today to share a few thoughts on the state of matrimony in 2025. I don't suggest I'm an expert, but having been married for almost 43 years, I feel qualified to share my views. There's a good deal of talk today about family values and traditional Christian marriage, as contained in biblical scripture. The following scrap of scripture comes immediately to mind. Years ago, Ephesians 5:22-24 was often contained in marriage vows. It says, "Wives, obey your husbands as you obey the Lord. The husband is the head of the wife, just as Christ is the head of the church." Good luck with that. In The United States of America, in the year of our Lord 2025, this scripture is rarely if ever contained in marriage vows, and I'm going to guess it's even more rarely practiced.  Without this verse as its capstone, biblical marriage no longer exists. Add to this the fact that, while sex was once expected to be enjoyed only within the confines of marriage, today most consider sex little more than a socially acceptable pastime to be enjoyed between two consenting adults whenever the opportunity arises.  More and more, monogamy is an outdated concept. So much for Biblical marriage.

So, what is marriage today? Marriage today is one part relationship and one part partnership. For the relationship to thrive within a modern marriage, it's essential that each partner consider their partnership to be fair and equitable, with each partner sharing an equal part of the household responsibility. Ideally, each partner would perform those essential tasks at which they were best suited, thereby making the best use of each mate's abilities and maximizing the couple's potential. If this can be accomplished in communion with each individual's faith, so much the better, but today, most do not consider faith a prerequisite. Partnerships provide legal advantages, and a thriving partnership is conducive to a rewarding relationship. Under the very best of circumstances, modern marriage is challenging; statistics suggest more than half fail. Of those that survive, more often than not, they do so because they are bolstered by the couple's faith and the constant, dependable, and unwavering expression of love and mutual respect by each partner. Good luck! And may God Bless. 

Shannon Thomas Casebeer

FAITH

As a little boy, back in the 1950s, I became very ill. My mom and dad loaded me into the old Chevy and took me to the doctor. A spinal tap determined that I had Poliomyelitis. Following the diagnosis, I spent several terrifying weeks confined to a hospital ward at Kaiser Hospital in Vallejo, California. There I saw other children struggling with the crippling disease. Some were in braces. Some were confined to iron lungs. Some never walked again. Some never left the facility. Some died.

One night, all alone in my room and scared half to death, I remembered one of my favorite books back home. The title of the little children’s book was “Jesus, A Boy’s Friend”. I began praying as only a terrified child can pray. I prayed and cried until I finally fell asleep. Several days later the doctor had good news for my family. My symptoms were gone. They were free to take me home.

As I left the hospital, hand in hand with Mom and Dad that day, I began a path that has led me to this day. Some days my faith is just as strong as the day I left that hospital. Other days, not so much, but from that day to this I’ve set out each day to walk the path I’m given, in the light I’m given. On my very best days, I share that light with others. Each of us walks a different path, revealed in a different light. As a result, we each have different perspectives, different convictions, and varying points of view. We need to show each other a little compassion and cut each other some slack.

I was only four, but I remember well the other kids in the ward with me in the hospital. I remember incubators, braces, buckets of ice, and being haunted for years by the horrific thought of spending my entire life in an iron lung. I remember missing Mom and Dad and praying like I'd never prayed before, from that moment to this day, for anyone who suffers such a fate. I remember when I first got sick, my folks bundling me up in the old Chevy for the two-mile trip to town. I remember Doctor’s Bliss and Elliot and the spinal tap that verified the prognosis. I remember being terrified and held down, and screaming “Daddy, Daddy!” at the top of my lungs, and the sound of a scuffle outside my door as they tried to restrain my father. I remember tugging my cowboy boots on and walking out of that hospital with Mom and Dad. And I remember being very, very thankful. I remember sitting in the bright sunshine back home on Reservoir Hill and pondering the whole experience over and over. And I remember all through school befriending other boys and girls, who walked funny or talked funny, or for whatever reason, didn’t quite fit in. And it warms my heart to this very day when I see folks accepted for who they are.

Shannon Thomas Casebeer