Columnists

Honor God with your faith

By PASTOR STEVE GREENE

Matthew 8 includes the record of an actual event that took place in history. It is about a man with leprosy who approached Jesus and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.” That is a... Full story

Take charge and beat holiday stressors

By LAURA STAHL

Well, it’s on its way! The holiday season is well under way and along with this joyous time comes the stress that accompanies us each day as we prepare for being with family and friends at this special time of the year. You should be able to... Full story

Applause, applause

By JOANNE PERSINGER

Looking for good times in hard times? Look no further than the nearest arts offerings, two of which happen to be coming to Brownstown this weekend. If you’re in the mood for something smooth and melodious, the Seymour Mello-Tones are... Full story

Trust essential element of relationship with God

By PASTOR STEVE GREENE

When life turns messy, where do you turn? Do you tend to turn to God, yourself or do you turn to something or someone else? Where do you place your trust? Have you ever thought about what your life would look like if you had absolute confidence in... Full story

Military stands ready to answer

By JOANNE PERSINGER

Veterans Day was Wednesday, and the news, both locally and nationally, was filled with tributes to the troops. That’s as it should be. Many words were spoken, honoring veterans past and present, and thoughts were turned to the present... Full story

God will help people in trying to live a holy life

Warren Wiersbe writes that the “same grace that redeems us also reforms our lives and makes us godly.” God is training us through the Holy Spirit to be the kind of people that bring glory to him. God is training us to be holy.These... Full story

Live a life of self-control

By PASTOR STEVE GREENE

Self-control is the ninth and final quality Paul includes in his list of the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). The reason self-control is so difficult is because we are at war. Paul speaks of our dilemma in Romans 7:18, where he says,... Full story

Cats: Don’t try to understand, just love them

By JOANNE PERSINGER

Some nights when I come home, it looks like there are dead cats all over the house. There actually are only two, and they’re not dead, just very, very relaxed. Unlike the nights when they meet me at the door, or are busy playing with each... Full story

Buy a super value red: Spanish Tempranillo

By HOWARD HEWITT

There are so many great value alternatives to the traditional Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot that it’s hard to cover them all. Malbec and Tempranillo are the first wines many people will recommend as a full-flavored red wine that is easy to... Full story

Gentleness stems from God

By PASTOR STEVE GREENE

We’ve been considering the qualities that Paul refers to as the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). The next in our list is the quality called gentleness. I want to offer three key observations on gentleness for you to think about today.... Full story

Happiness is red curtains and killer shoes

By JOANNE PERSINGER

I’ve never wanted to be anyone but me. Sure, I’ve wished I were beautiful, thin and rich, but if I had to trade places with someone else to be those things, I’d rather be what I am — not beautiful, not thin and not rich.... Full story

God keeps his promises

By PASTOR STEVE GREENE

Several years ago, Hallmark had a card that really represented the mood of our culture these days. It said, “I can’t promise you forever, but I can promise you today.” That’s about as deep of a commitment as some are willing... Full story

Strong women rise above wrongs, even their own

By JOANNE PERSINGER

Olympia Snowe made her mark in the world this week by supporting the Finance Committee’s health care bill. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is rubbing elbows with heads of state all over the world. Sarah Palin has gone rogue. (I’m... Full story

Writing about wine spurs new experiences

By HOWARD HEWITT

One year of writing wine columns, blogging, and other wine experiences has been enlightening. It’s never been boring. It’s never felt like a burden. It’s easy then to suggest following an interest often pays big dividends even if... Full story

Kindness, goodness go together

By PASTOR STEVE GREENE

Over the past few weeks, we have considered the characteristics of love, joy, peace and patience and how they are demonstrated in the life of Spirit-filled believers. The next two attributes in Galatians 5 are kindness and goodness. These two go... Full story

Readers share the legacy of the Limberlost

By JOANNE PERSINGER

Last week’s column on author Gene Stratton-Porter brought feedback from readers, including a first-hand report from The Tribune’s retired sports editor, Arv Koontz. Arv said he and his wife, Bonnie, visited Stratton-Porter’s two... Full story

Patience: A virtue and a choice

By PASTOR STEVE GREENE

A 4-year-old boy was traveling with his family and he kept asking the same questions over and over again. You know the questions. “When are we going to get there? How much longer? When are we going to stop?” Finally, the mother became... Full story

Remembering the Limberlost

By JOANNE PERSINGER

There are books that tell a story about an old, old time and place. There are also books that were written in that time and place, and offer a unique perspective. I was reminded of one such book when I recently read that a portrait of late Indiana... Full story

Choose to live at peace

By PASTOR STEVE GREENE

Our world is in constant upheaval. As was prophesied, there are wars and rumors of wars. There is turmoil in homes and schools across the land. We have experienced anything but peace from Wall Street to Main Street the past few months. What’s... Full story

Favorite book rediscovered

By JOANNE PERSINGER

Have you picked your favorite children’s book yet? Now’s your chance. Go to www.TribTown.com and choose from a list on The Tribune’s poll. You’ll find it at the bottom right of our Web page. My choice was “The Very... Full story

True joy found in Christ

By PASTOR STEVE GREENE

Of all people, sincere Christ-followers have the greatest reason to be joyful. Joy is another evidence of the presence of God in your life. People sometimes mistake happiness for joy. Happiness is circumstantial. It depends on what is happening at... Full story

Riding off into the sunset again

By JOANNE PERSINGER

Something I read recently struck me as funny and brought a line from an old Western movie to mind. “Shane, come back!” I said, laughing. Looking over at the younger person I was talking to, I realized he had no idea what I was talking... Full story

Have a slice of watermelon, or maybe two

By JOANNE PERSINGER

Watermelon is best served hot. Not the watermelon, you. They’re especially good on sultry summer days when the temperature and humidity soar in tandem. They’re the days when you putter around (or maybe even really do some work) outside... Full story

Gifts of the Spirit vary

By PASTOR STEVE GREENE

As we begin to consider the fruit of the Spirit, it helps to understand the distinction between gifts of the Spirit and the fruit of the Spirit as referenced in Galatians 5. The Bible is very clear that the gifts of the Spirit are parceled out as... Full story

Workers: From shovels and axes to icy long hauls

By JOANNE PERSINGER

Labor Day, a tribute to the working men and women who make it possible for the world’s needs to be met, is almost upon us. The day serves as more than an excuse for a three-day weekend, although that seems to be the first and foremost thought... Full story

Albarino will rock your wine world

By HOWARD HEWITT

Summer is the time for white wine and lighter flavors. If you have spent your summer sipping Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio and perhaps Riesling, then it’s time to try something different. Spanish and Portuguese Albarino is a varietal you... Full story

Persevere and finish the race

By PASTOR STEVE GREENE

I started this series with the story of “Wrong Way” Riegels. He is the guy who ran the football 65 yards down the field in the wrong direction during the Rose Bowl Game on New Year’s Day 1929. At halftime the UCLA players filed off... Full story

Getting through to the mamas and the papas

Our nation is somewhat like a family. The parents (our elected leaders) tend to the official business that keeps the household (government) running as it should, and the children (that would be the rest of us) are free to pursue happiness. Oh, we... Full story

Stay the course in life’s race

By PASTOR STEVE GREENE

Hebrews 12:1-2 reminds us of the importance of getting rid of anything that hinders us in this marathon race we call life. The latter part of verse 1 says, “let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” That’s... Full story

Rising above the rubble

Jackson County has lost four more businesses, but this time, the economy isn’t to blame. Instead, they have all fallen victim to fire. These businesses had kept their doors open in the face of a grinding, relentless recession, and the fact... Full story

'Columnists' Archives