By Norris Burkes Dec 11 2022 In Rodger’s and Hammerstein’s musical, “Oklahoma,” Ado Annie Carnes declares, “I’m just a girl who can’t say, ‘No.’” I love those kinds of people because, well, for a guy named Norris that starts with “No,” I really hate the word “no.” For instance, whenever the 16-year-old ticket seller tells
By Norris Burkes Dec 4, 2022 (3) During my years working as a chaplain for Sutter Medical Center in downtown Sacramento, I usually flew solo when making my patient visits. While I was occasionally interrupted by a well-meaning staff member offering an unsolicited prayer, or even an overambitious clergy pressing his or her theology, I
By Norris Burkes Nov 27 2022 I hope you saw the signs. I trust you are ready. Sunday is the first day of Advent. Yes, it’s still November, but all the signs point to the coming of Christmas. Retail saw it coming but doesn’t respect the start date. Advent is all about reading the signs.
By Norris Burkes, Nov 20, 2022 First, comes Halloween. Then we have the election season. Coincidence? I think not. Seriously, some of the candidates characterized the state of our nation in absolutely ghoulish terms. It’s as if they wanted us to believe that electing their opponent would bring the Zombie Apocalypse. Wow. If that’s true,
By Norris Burkes Nov 13 2022 If you’re a military veteran, you’ve likely met an Airman Snuffy. “Snuffy” is a condescending term that military instructors use to describe the hapless, clueless or lazy recruit who’s constantly on the verge of trouble. The name comes from a long-running comic strip, Barney Google and Snuffy Smith. Snuffy is
By Norris Burkes Nov 6 2022 To be honest, I hate to hear someone begin a sentence with, “To be honest.” The phrase seems to say, “Get ready, I’m really going to let you have it.” Nevertheless, to be honest, I really, really hate coffee. I know hate is a strong word coming from a
By Norris Burkes Oct 30, 2022 In 2009, I was the senior chaplain responsible for Sunday worship services at the Air Force Field Hospital in Balad, Iraq. One Sunday, a few hours before our 10 a.m. service, I watched my sleepwalking, still jet-lagged, chaplain assistant, Sgt. Peoples, fuss with the chapel arrangements as if preparing
By Norris Burkes Oct 23, 2022 Did your team win last week? Did your stocks go up? Did you have a terrific vacation? If so, I’ll bet you’re singing today. Singing is easy with good news, good weather and full stomachs. But if you’ve had a bad day recently, you’ll know why Judith Viorst
By Norris Burkes Oct 16, 2022 The “Third Chapter” is a popular term anticipating our retirement days filled with fun, food, and travel. This past month, my wife Becky and I added more stories to our third chapter as we traveled Europe by plane, train, automobile – and even a bus, gondola and tuk-tuk. We
By Norris Burkes Oct 9, 2022 By Norris Burkes Permission is given to reprint if author is credited. Twelve years ago, only seconds before I took the podium to speak before a Mansfield, Ohio, audience, my host handed me a small envelope from a woman who asked him to relay it to me. Curious, I
By Norris Burkes Oct 2. 2022 “What does God want me to do about this, Chaplain?” That’s a question I’ve been asked repeatedly over the years I’ve served as a military or healthcare chaplain. An Army sniper sought my counsel wondering if God approved of him killing enemy combatants. Unhappy couples questioned if God was
By Norris Burkes. Sept 25 2022 If you can imagine how frustrated a preacher would have to be to swear a blue streak, then you might understand the old expression, “It’s enough to make a preacher cuss.” I grew up in a Baptist church, so it’s safe to say that I’d never heard a preacher
