As though it was just yesterday, not the too-many-years-to-count that it really was, I can hear my daddy clearly. He’d pull back his shoulders, raise an eyebrow and point his finger at me – always with great meaning – and say, “Little girl, I’m about to learn you a thing or two.”

Answers to your questions about life, religion and the Bible

Pastors get some of the most interesting questions from people they meet and people in their congregations. Here are a few that I’ve gotten during my years of ministry and via email for this column.

It’s the biggest sales day of the year, the one day storeowners hope will send an avalanche of holiday profits their way.

Barack Obama says that we have to “jolt” the economy. That certainly makes sense, if you take the media’s account of the economy seriously — but should the media be taken seriously?

There’s a growing anti-trade sentiment in our country. Much of the dialogue is grossly misinformed. Let’s try to untangle it a bit with a few questions and observations.

Thankful for ... what?!

The question is bound to surface the moment heads incline in reverence at the Thanksgiving table, over pre-dinner drinks, post-dinner drinks, kitchen clean-up, trash take-out.

As anyone who has successfully passed through Marine Corps boot camp at Parris Island, S.C., or San Diego, Calif., knows, there is no such thing as an “ex-Marine.” There is a reason for the phrase, “Once a Marine, always a Marine.” The sense of pride in having served as a member of this elite group stays with a person forever.

It still is hard to believe but, if Hillary’s “confidantes” are to be trusted, Obama is about to appoint her secretary of state and she is about to accept.

For most folks, including us, Thanksgiving is a favorite. Nothing is expected of us if we’re invited to be with family or friends, except to gorge on a feast of traditional food and lend a hand with the clean-up.

When considering the Fayetteville Bypass, there is one easy concept that, hopefully, even our current crop of Fayette County Commissioners can understand.