There are a number of subjects that I wrestle with, and that is after three-score-and-ten years of examples, moral lessons and biblical passages regarding capital punishment. In most modern examples, I am against it. I feel more comfortable with that position, so leaning towards life-in-prison sentences fits my opinion. But there are unsettling cases where death seems appropriate due to the crime and premeditation.

Since today’s elementary students marvel that their teachers “are from the 1900s,” I was profoundly affected when, just days ago, I flipped my calendar to September and was reminded of my own grandmother’s birth….in 1896. Yes, I knew (and loved) someone from the 1800s…someone who arrived in this world only 120 years after the birth of this nation. Last week, that math stopped me in my tracks. America is 250 years old. My grandmother would have been 130. And I’m…well…I’m not 130, or 250.

Have you noticed that when we are bombarded with negativity and told that the world is falling apart at the seams, it drains our joy and hope? Of course, we are concerned about our nation, the world, and the future of our family, but may we look beyond the veil of doom and gloom and realize the world is also filled with good news, whether we want to accept it or not. Like you, I scan information from newspapers, radio, television, the internet, including religious voices, and mostly what I gather are those obligated to relay how bad everything is. When someone relays a story, we should be aware they are relaying a view of what they personally believe or what they’ve been told. For example, when someone declares that no one can be trusted and that society is evolving into a mass of mindless zombies, we should realize this is a “glass half-empty” view. However, in reality, there are many kind-hearted and loving individuals are demonstrating what Jesus is saying.

Since today’s elementary students marvel that their teachers “are from the 1900s,” I was profoundly affected when, just days ago, I flipped my calendar to September and was reminded of my own grandmother’s birth….in 1896. Yes, I knew (and loved) someone from the 1800s…someone who arrived in this world only 120 years after the birth of this nation. Last week, that math stopped me in my tracks. America is 250 years old. My grandmother would have been 130. And I’m…well…I’m not 130, or 250.