Opinion

Living on Purpose

The topic of the afterlife is interesting and I appreciate the comments. I want to remind myself and everyone else that I’m not necessarily dogmatic about certain Biblical insights and do not want to seem like an authority on subjects that we will probably not understand until we get to heaven. Topics such as end-time prophecy and predestination are complicated and controversial. The bottom line in many cases is that no one really knows everything about the Bible, and most everyone has their own opinions. Biblical understanding is based on correct interpretations and unfortunately this is where the prideful arguments bring division and separation. Many declare there is only one truth based on the idea that God is truth and cannot contradict Himself and neither is He the author of confusion. We are looking forward to the day when all of God’s saints will know His perfect truth, and agape love will bond us together in peace and joy forever.

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50th anniversary of end of Vietnam War and 60th anniversary of US combat in Vietnam

In March, I made a business trip to Vietnam. This was my second visit, with the first having been in 2000. Vietnam was preparing for the 50th anniversary of the end of its war with the USA. Indeed, on April 30, 1975, Saigon fell to the Communist Viet Cong. Contrary to popular opinion, the famous photo of people climbing stairs on a rooftop to board a helicopter was not the US embassy. Rather, this was atop an apartment building rented by the CIA, which a tour guide showed us. In fact, he went on to tell us that those “in the know” had been instructed to listen to the radio, then report there for evacuation when they heard Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas,” although it was April!

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People Speak

It is spring and summer is not far off. Most colleges are done with finals and the students are on break. Local public schools are down to just weeks before the kids will be out enjoying the sun and fun. There are those who say that Memorial Day is the unofficial start of summer. With that kind of thinking it is hard to believe who know little to nothing about the real purpose of the day.

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People Speak

Most everyone in our nation today will admit to like having choices. This is pretty common in human nature. If you go to the store and they only have one kind of ice cream, you may or may not purchase it. This is especially true if it is a flavor of ice cream you don’t like. On a grander scale, some people will like one grocery store better than another.

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People Speak

With so much need in the world, it is sometimes hard to know how to help. As I learned many years ago, an old adage applies here. “How do you eat an elephant ear sandwich? One bite at a time.” Here in Madison County, there is one great group of dedicated people who do that with everything they see as important to improve our community and our world.

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People Speak

When we look at military forces and wars throughout history, we have these pictures of men fighting the the murderous hoards of the enemy. War posters show men in combat and dress uniforms eliciting pride in male service. Through all of that, there is something that for thousands of years has been left out of these pictures. WOMEN!

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People Speak

At Heart of Indiana United Way, we are committed to building stronger, healthier communities where every individual and family has the opportunity to thrive. Indiana Senate Bill 2 (SB2), known as the Medicaid Matters bill, threatens that mission by putting thousands of Hoosiers at risk of losing their healthcare, including working families, children, and vulnerable populations who rely on Medicaid and the Healthy Indiana Plan (HIP).

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Op-Ed: How tax dollars work in public schools

With the start of the 2025 session of the Indiana General Assembly, the investment in K-12 public education will become a focal point of the two-year state budget. When examining the areas that consume the largest portions of the state budget—while Medicaid is the fastest-growing expenditure now at 19 percent of the state budget—K-12 education remains the largest expenditure at 47 percent. This number decreases to 42 percent when deducting the obligations for retired teacher pensions. The annual appropriation of more than $9 billion for K-12 education supports teaching and learning opportunities for more than 1 million Hooser children. About $5 billion of this amount pays for the salaries and benefits of the 63,000 teachers in the classroom.

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