By Norris Burkes July 10, 2020 As I continue with my July Freedom Series, I recall a conversation I had with an Air Force officer who needed some updated information on the freedom of religion. “Watcha doin’, Chaplain?” The nonchalant question came from my 40-something deputy commander who had stuck her head in my open
July 5 2020 By Norris Burkes READERS: My wife, Becky, believes that it’s not enough to have only a single day in July to celebrate Independence Day. She has said for years that we should set aside the entire month of July to celebrate and display our patriotic pride. “Let’s call it ‘Freedom Month,’” she
By Norris Burkes June 28 2020 As June concludes, my guess is you’ve likely found yourself among the millions of worldwide folks forced to postpone a meaningful family event like school graduation, a Father’s Day gathering or a wedding. As a chaplain who has done scores of weddings, I remain especially conscious of the disappointment
By Norris Burkes June 21 2020 In 2011, I was at the annual National Guard Chaplain Conference in Washington, D.C., when I was sidetracked into a personal conference with a colleague. The morning session began with all the usual inspirational speeches from our higher-ups. Just before our lunch break, Chaplain Lawrence Witherspoon of Riverside, Calif., stood
Click on link to listen to audio commentary about Verdict By Norris Burkes June 14, 2020 These past weeks, our nation, even our world, was consumed with the tragic news of George Floyd, the unarmed black man killed when ex-policeman Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck during an arrest. As a columnist,
By Norris Burkes June 5 2020 Layman, Mitch Carnell from First Baptist Church of Charleston, S.C., has asked me to convey a national message to my readers. The church seeks others to join with them in setting aside the first Sunday of every June as “Say Something Nice Sunday.” No one is saying that you
By Norris Burkes May 26, 2020 (3/9/14) The old veteran was sitting on the edge of his bed, hunched over his considerable frame, studying the floor tiles. “Hello,” I called as I walked into his darkened room at the Sacramento VA Hospital in 2014. “I’m Norris, the hospital chaplain.” The man’s liver-spotted face flushed with
By Norris Burkes May 22 2020 “How’s your day going, Chaplain?” asked a colleague. I would’ve considered it a wasted question, but my inquisitor was Nancy Bloom, the licensed clinical social worker embedded with our Air National Guard unit in the 2010s. An Auburn, Calif., resident, she was a 40-something woman of slight build and
By Norris Burkes May 15 2020 Can you remember where you were as our world began to tilt? I was at Republica De Francia, a Honduran elementary school deep in the gang-ridden neighborhood of Honduras’ capitol, Tegucigalpa. I was there with two dozen of my readers to help Chispa Project establish their largest library yet,
By Norris Burkes May 8 2020 When my phone rang at 3 a.m., it wasn’t Mother’s Day. However, as the nurse began speaking, I knew this day in 2003 would belong to a new mother. “Chaplain, we have a baby not doing well,” she reported. “Parents are asking that you please come.” Thirty minutes later,
By Norris Burkes May 1 2020 Recently returned from Honduras, I feel a headache developing. A quick thermometer check prompts a call to my doctor’s COVID-19 advice line. I press all the options in the phone tree until a nurse finally answers. When I report my fever of 100.3, her triage questions become more focused.
By Norris Burkes, April 24 2020 Fred Rogers, AKA, “Mr. Rogers,” often quoted his mother’s advice he received during his childhood about scary events on the news. “‘Look for the helpers,” she said. “You will always find people who are helping.” Today, the news couldn’t be scarier because those helpers are in trouble. Thankfully, some
