CoffeeTime Articles
How To Simply Not Live
A few years ago, we were introduced to a book titled “HOW NOT TO DIE” by Dr. Michael Greger. This physician wrote an excellent book chock full of advice for keeping your body as healthy as you can, for as long as possible. We recommend it to anyone who is seeking to...
Whaddya Mean – I Owe Money?
When Andy was an eleven-year-old boy, he and his eight-year-old brother decided they were old enough to buy some calves to raise. This meant feeding, watering and daily maintenance - freezing temperatures or blazing sun, all of it was still going to be their...
It’s Hot Back Here!
Years ago, when we were a family of two young boys with their Mom and Dad, we traveled quite a bit. Either headed to a church where Andy was scheduled to speak, or leaving to come home. And rarely did we get all four doors closed or the motor started, before we heard...
Doug’s Dog-Dipping Days
If you have ever wanted to ask a couple how they have successfully stayed married for many decades, then this story is for you. In our column a few weeks ago, you read a story from Doug and Joan, who have been weathering the storms of life together for over 50 years....
Fooled By What You See
Tom lived in Smallsville. Everybody knew each other, and they all knew each other’s routines and habits. Tom had grown up in that town, and all the citizens of Smallsville knew of Tom’s rough and reckless lifestyle since his teen years. But one day Tom finally...
Hammers, Tenacity, and Patience
A few months ago, we relocated to a completely different part of the state. Sold our house, packed up everything that wasn’t nailed down, and dumped our lives into another home in another city. Looks easy on paper. But if you have ever experienced transferring your...
Don’t Do That If It Hurts
Several years ago, Andy developed a “hitch-in-his-get-along” as his Mom used to call it. Back when he was playing racquetball on a regular basis, while competing in a heated game he had run full speed into the concrete sidewall with his shoulder. Weeks later, the pain...
My Spouse: Dense, Or Just Different?
We went for our daily walk together that evening, just like always. As we passed a neighbor’s home a few houses down from us, Renie remarked, “Hey, look, they are evidently redoing the flower bed there on the right side of the house.” To which Andy grunted a...
Above All, Don’t Let Daddy Down
As a kid, Andy was outdoors during much of the summer months. And not lying by the pool with a Coke in one hand and a fetch-it stick for his dog in the other. His dad started him at age nine to help in the family hay-hauling business. Working many times from “Can’t...
Coffee Cups Have Rims
That fateful morning I quickly poured my cup of coffee as soon as it was hot and ready. Been looking forward to it all the way to the office. Well, yes, I guess could have been a little too eager. And I guess I may have been a little distracted. Thankfully I looked...
My Bed Was Already On Fire
A book title, “It Was On Fire When I Laid Down On It” caught my eye a few years ago. Curiosity being what it is, I looked up the story behind that title. True story. A small local fire department was called to put out a house fire. They also found and rescued a man...
Laughter is Like Medicine
I can be sitting at my desk, deeply engrossed in thinking of a serious crisis the world is facing. My mind spiraling in never ending circles, like water going down a drain. And as I contemplate the seemingly unsolvable issue that has my attention, if I am not careful,...
The Cussin’ Pastor
He was so upset that fateful Sunday morning. The Ol’ Devil had been busy, creating heartache and emotional injury in his small East Texas town. So the young pastor had decided that it was time to preach against that wily serpent. High time somebody exposed who was...
A Story From 50 Years of Marriage
Some friends of ours tell this story from the earlier years of their marriage this way: We were living in South Texas temporarily, several hundred miles from our family and dear friends. While Doug worked long hours at a construction job there and had to be gone most...
Beware: Hellion Alert!
The preschool –aged boy suddenly screamed like Beelzebub himself was after him. Recently Andy was having a quiet lunch alone in a local restaurant in a small Oklahoma town. The place was pleasantly filled with patrons, all quietly talking with companions at their...