Check your benefits

Enid, Okla. -- There are more than 21 million veterans — including more than 312,000 in Oklahoma — living in the United States, according to 2014 U.S. Census Bureau figures. About 20 percent of those veterans suffer from some form of disability due to injuries or environmental exposure incurred while in the military, and about …

Our reality horror show

The Oklahoma Legislature today continued its complete inability to govern, with a budget deal falling through in the closing hours of what many hoped would be the day we funded a budget that was due in May. If a budget is not funded by Wednesday, $215 million will be sucked out of state health care, …

A tale of two Christianties

A tale of two Christianities is now playing out in Bangassou, a city of about 25,000 in the Central African Republic. U.S. News & World Report on Thursday reported that Muslims in the city have been paying huge sums of money to U.N. contractors to smuggle them to the relative safety of the nation’s capital. …

In time

Man's hands build skyward / Claiming permanence with pride /  Time waits with laughter

Be proactive about your care: a breast cancer survivor’s advice

Ringwood Okla. -- Michelle Schmidt was in her mid-30s when she found a lump in her breast during a self-examination. The discovery led to the early detection of breast cancer, the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women in the United States and the second leading cause of cancer death in American women, according to the American …

In faith, security

I am, by nature, a worrier. I come by this attribute honestly, having hailed from a long line of men who insisted on being grumpy and stressed-out long before Grumpy Cat made it cool. Anxiety-induced insomnia and depression have been my longstanding companions. Overcoming the insatiable desire to worry about tomorrow and all its possibilities …

Let go

Death's grip clings to past / Mourning now all we must lose /  Blind to all we gain

Diwali, Light and Christian Love

Today marks the last day of Diwali, the five-day Hindu festival of light also celebrated by followers of the Jain and Sikh faith traditions. I must admit, my knowledge of Diwali is limited to a high school religion class a quarter century back and some online searches to refresh my memory. What I remember and …

Turn

Turning either way / Work begins beyond your curves / Hands turn to purpose

The life and ministry of Christ

The Life and Ministry of Jesus Christ These synopses were written for an ongoing project at St. Matthew's Episcopal Church in Enid, Okla. to recall the Biblical messages and symbolism behind the church's stained glass and art work. These are works of art, but the messages behind the glass are far more precious than any …