By David Palmer Genine Perez, a dynamic 40-year-old with a big smile, big hair and a very busy Blackberry works on the front lines in the fight against smoking among adolescents and even younger children. If Perez can keep kids beginning as early as first grade and up through high school, from smoking, they may never smoke, and they may never use harder drugs. And if they have started, which is often the case, she’ll do her best to get them to quit. Perez directs one of many initiatives under … [Read more...]
Get out and stay out! Help for prison inmates grows
It’s no secret. Prison inmates have a tough time staying out of prison after they have been released. Estimates vary but one, accepted by many, says about three out of four commit another crime or break parole and end up behind bars again. They call this “recidivism.” Why do they do this? Hector Lozano with the California prison system says the simple fact is that “these men and women ex-prisoners know how to get back into prison. What they don’t know is how to stay out.” True, but actually … [Read more...]
My neighbor’s son died the other day
By Steve Straessle My neighbor’s son died the other day. He was a beautiful kid only 21 years into this world. Police and ambulance sirens blared as they raced up our street in an effort to revive him, but the sirens served only as an alarm that a life had been extinguished much too soon. The boy’s parents are constantly soggy-eyed now, and they busy themselves in the yard in the hope that physical exhaustion will somehow exorcise the pain in their souls. The boy’s father was mowing the … [Read more...]
Faith keeps family together after tragedy
My husband and I are actively involved in several ministries in our church, and we were absorbed in planning for Christmas events including planning meals, making all kinds of lists and cleaning and decorating our house. In the midst of these thoughts the phone rang. When I answered, an unfamiliar male voice said, “Is this Jared’s mother?” I answered yes, trying to remember if I had ever heard the voice before. He continued, “This is Mary’s father, have you seen her or Jared? They … [Read more...]
Avoiding Heartache
If you are pregnant don't drink. If you are drinking don't get pregnant By Cynthia Crone Don’t drink if you are pregnant or may become pregnant. Period. It sounds harsh, doesn’t it? It may to some, but not to those who are paying the price. Like this family. Ginny’s mother and father are having marital problems. And parenting problems. And school problems. It seems that all the problems have something in common: Ginny. A slender, bubbly, energetic 9-year- old, Ginny is outgoing and … [Read more...]
