Author: Jeff Mitchell

Gold Pursuits The “forty-niners,” as they were called, came from all over the world in search of the yellow-colored stone called gold. As few as two to a maximum of 250,000 people descended on central California from all over the world. The gold rush only lasted from 1848 to 1952. With over $2B in gold…

Discover Discover means to see something for the first time or to make known or visible, according to Merriam Webster. The truth be known, it is widely misused. I recall a “Seinfeld” episode where George Costanza is asked who his favorite explorer is, and he replies with DeSoto because he discovered the Mississippi River. Jerry…

Received When someone has the desire to bestow a gift upon you, what do you say? What do you do? Most folks will say, “No, thank you. You don’t have to do anything for me,” or, “Don’t bother yourself. It’s too much trouble. I’m okay.” They wave their hands or shake their heads signifying, no.…

Sons of disobedience While growing up, it seemed that I got spanked for just about everything, choosing poorly in language, behavior, and deed. I heard, “Wait until your father gets home,” far too often! I can’t say that at times, the spankings weren’t warranted, but looking back, some were not and seemed severe for the…

On the surface Have you ever seen a planet through a telescope? It is incredibly amazing because we are seeing God’s creation on yet another level. When I was a boy, I looked through a telescope at Saturn. It was so brilliant and perfectly round with its rings encircling it. I recall in my mind,…

Integrity is a choice Integrity is something one must desire to be. It is not an ending it is a never-ending process that is to be pursued. Merriam Webster defines integrity as a firm adherence to a code of especially moral values, unimpaired, complete, and undivided. It could also be considered consistent in behavior that…

Speech What is your speech? What words do you speak to communicate or express thoughts? What words do you use more often than others? Many use filler words that don’t have meaning. Profanity is useless speech, which has no purpose. Profanity removes the effectiveness of the communicator. There are other “filler” words used similarly as…

Looking to me instead of looking to God Have you ever been betrayed or lied to? Has someone ever been unfaithful to you? If you have experienced this terrible situation, chances are you have been hurt by it. Chances are, you still recall it vividly. Chances are, when going through it, there is a high…

A Lifestyle of Mistakes Have you ever made a mistake? Have you made a bad choice, errored in a decision, or harmed someone by a choice you made? With each and every person that ever breathed a breath, the answer shouldn’t be just an emphatic “Yes,” but truly, “and how many?” We all have made…

Ally versus Adversary Who do you ally with (unite or form a connection), and who is an adversary (an enemy or opponent)? All of us have friends and family we can count on in both blessed and cursed circumstances. It may be that one friend or family member that no matter the day, the evening,…