Straight From The Hart

  Civility is the buzzword of the day, especially in the political arena.  We have certainly come a long way from the example our Founding Fathers set as they worked to bring this nation together. Our first president was known to have quite a temper.  But Gouverneur Morris, one of his friends and political contemporaries, described him as having  the “tumultuous passions that accompany greatness,” but also noted that his passions were “controlled by his stronger mind.” He worked on controlling his temper by copying a translated version of a French book of etiquette, and he routinely practiced  these principles  in his political and social life.  They included the following which he called his Rules of Civility: Read no letters, books, or papers in company unless there is a necessity for doing so in which case you must ask leave.   Come not near the books or writings of anyone so as to read them unasked, also look not nigh when another is writing a...

  Random Thoughts on Love and Marriage, by Joan Rowden Hart. I have performed many weddings since I was first ordained 34 years ago.  My first wedding was outside at a resort near the Niangua River.  My last was outside at a Lebanon park.   I probably will never do another one because of my health problems. In between I have performed weddings at my home, at other homes, in churches, and even inside the state prison at Farmington.  I have always felt that the traditional wedding ceremony and vows were much more profound than most people realized, even the bride and groom. The promises made to have and to hold, from this day forward; for better, for worse; for richer or for poorer; in sickness and in health; to love and to cherish until separated by death, are not meant to be taken lightly. My husband and I were married in 1963.  Fifty-six years of marriage is not all that unusual now if you will notice as you read the anniversary notices in this newspaper e...

  First Editions written by Joan Rowden Hart  in 2017. In the living books on the shelves of the eternal library of life, we are all first editions.  No one has ever been exactly like us since the world began, and there will never be anyone exactly like us even until the end of time. Our book was nothing but blank pages when the Great Author of life conceived us in His mind, numbering both the  days of life we would have (see Psalm 139)  and numbering the hairs on our head (see Matthew 10). He knows our story from beginning to end, and the narrative is unlike that of anyone else, and to confirm that fact He stamped our unique fingerprint on the tips of our fingers.  Those are our copyrights. Then he sent us out into the world, where we began to fill the book of our life with our own story, making decisions which will impact our destiny for eternity. Every page is a clean slate.  Every dawning is a new day and as darkness descends amid the night time so...

  Gratitude makes sense of our past,  brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.  (Melody Beattie) Americans need a day dedicated to gratitude.  I have noticed that in the lineup of most of our holidays that Thanksgiving is perhaps the one least given over to secularism - the one we still observe in a traditional fashion.  We need it to keep our focus clear and  to teach our children what it means to be thankful for family, friendship and faith. We need a time to gather around the table with extended family and enjoy turkey and dressing and gravy, two kinds of potatoes, cranberries, hot rolls, green bean casserole, pumpkin pie and whipped cream.  We need it, not for the calories, but to create an awareness that there are those who don’t have those blessings, because in the hectic pace of our everyday lives we tend to forget those in need. Family and food are important, but above all else, Americans need a rededication to our faith. Fait...

In ancient Bible times a small two story rock structure stood near the main road leading to the town of Bethlehem, which is now a Palestinian city located in Israel’s West Bank about 5 miles south of Jerusalem.   There were many rock towers spread over the countryside.  These watch towers provided shelter for the shepherds when they needed to bring wounded sheep in for healing, and the shepherds used the upper level to give them a good vantage point from which to view the sheep in their care as they fed in the pastures.rabbi The Old Testament Prophet Micah referred to the roadside tower as Migdal-Eder which means “tower of the flock”.  It  was significant in that it was used as a birthing place for the special lambs which were raised to be used as temple sacrifices for the Jews at Passover.  In order to qualify as a temple sacrifice, the lambs had to be perfect in every way - no blemishes, no crooked or missing limbs, no signs of sickness. And the shepherds...

  Everything Old Is New Again, Or Maybe Not, first published in LDR back in 2012. EVERYTHING OLD IS NEW AGAIN….OR MAYBE NOT In a few days we will be ringing in a new year and once again there will be the juxtaposition between the old and the new. When we converted to natural gas last month, my husband bought a gas cooking stove, the first one we’ve  had since early marriage.  I grew up with one but was so excited when we were able to get a modern electric range, which I soon found were just not as good with keeping cooking temperatures regulated, so I’m excited to be cooking on what I once considered “old fashioned” again. Even food preferences change.  I remember back in the 60’s when boneless hams were all the rage at church dinners and parties - I guess because they were new and expensive.  But I eventually realized that bone-in hams really had a better taste, even though they were out of fashion for a while. And those little baby carrots that came already cl...