Latter-Day David Saves Sister With Slingshot

by Kevin Burton     So now you know two stories involving a slingshot. And two extraordinary stories they are.    Thirteen-year-old Owen Burns heard his sister screaming earlier this month, then looked out a window to see someone trying to kidnap her.    Burns grabbed what he had at hand, what he was familiar with, …

Murder She Wrote: Author Under Arrest

by Faith Karini, Andi Babineau and Sara Finch, CNN    Kouri Richins’ husband was found dead at the foot of their bed last March.    She’d just closed on a house for her business, she told investigators at the time. Around 9 p.m., she brought her husband, Eric Richins, a celebratory Moscow Mule cocktail in …

Take Care Of Mom As She Took Care of You

by Kevin Burton    From the cross, the most difficult circumstance imaginable, Jesus took care of His earthly mother.    He knew He was ending his earthly walk and He was telling the disciple John to meet her needs.    “So when Jesus saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said …

Home Decluttering Means No To Garage Sales

by Kevin Burton    Just two hours on a recent Tuesday greatly enhanced how we feel about our house, and all we did was open the front door.    Electricians came and executed six of the seven small projects we had scheduled. The seventh is much more involved than we thought because of the way …

The Power To Make Someone’s Day

by Kevin Burton    You have a superpower that you might not know about; the power to make another person glow.    So says a “happiness expert” quoted on CNBC.    Stephanie Harrison, founder of The New Happy, writes that using nine phrases will instantly brighten someone’s day. She says we underestimate how happy someone …

Christmas Tree Is A Loving Family History

by Kevin Burton    By one measure it has been Christmas season for weeks now, but by another it hasn’t started yet.    I used to say it isn’t Christmas season until I have broken one of the glass Christmas tree ornaments.   At least twice before we were married, I came to Jeannette’s house to …

Bovine Divas Bolt From Acting Debut

by Kevin Burton   Two reluctant actors in a live Nativity scene were on the mooooove Dec. 3, reports Mark Price of the Charlotte Observer.   Stage fright is a thing, but usually not a call-the-police thing.    “One coastal church’s wish to recreate a “live Nativity” scene turned chaotic in the strangest way, when …

God The Gift Giver, Jesus The Greatest Gift

by Kevin Burton    Tis the season of gift giving and that makes you a gift giver. By now you’re way deep into it, I’m sure.    Are you done with the shopping?  Do you have some anxiety about the gifts you don’t have purchased yet?  And what about the shipping?  You still have some …

Oh My Word! Scrabble Goes Crazy

by Kevin Burton    If you read this column often you know I’m a Scrabble player. Guess I’ve become an old Scrabble player.    I used to laugh at my mom because she objected to some of the new words in the Scrabble Players’ Dictionary. I’m not laughing anymore.    I have the sixth edition …

Thursdays With Mom: Golden Memories

by Kevin Burton    I took custody of the gold yesterday.  Didn’t make me any richer, not in the monetary sense anyway.     The transaction took place at my mother’s apartment at an assisted living facility twelve miles north of where I live.  I go there to visit her just about every Thursday.  We are …