Opinion: ‘The joy doesn’t lessen the grief’
“The universe isn’t obligated to make sense to us. There’s no requirement for rhyme and reason. Things just happen, be they good or bad, and the burden is on us to find a way to make it work.”
Topic: opinion
RSSThere are 226 article(s) tagged opinion:
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June 2026
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May 2026
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Opinion: ‘The Bible gives us good reasons to stand up for democracy’
“Opposing such blatant gerrymandering isn’t a Republican or Democratic issue. It’s a democracy issue.”
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Opinion: Beyond redistricting rhetoric are reality and results
“To hear many Tennessee Democrats tell it, partisan redistricting is some unprecedented assault on democracy itself — a historic political crisis unlike anything the state has ever experienced.”
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Echols: Will we recognize each other in Heaven?
“The musicians among us will be familiar with the concept of ‘tonic chord.’ It’s that set of notes in a musical score that leaves the ear — and therefore the mind and even the body — feeling settled, complete, finished, at rest.”
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Opinion: ‘What have I learned today?’
“I don’t need to sing. I don’t need to dance. I don’t need to be the best writer. In short, I don’t need to chase who and what I’m not; it’s enough to be thankful for what I am and work to be the best I’m capable of being.”
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Opinion: ‘Uniting to create lasting change globally, locally and personally’
“What we gain instead is something far more valuable: purpose, friendships and the knowledge that we are making a difference.”
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April 2026
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Sanford: Time for Big Shelby to come to the table — and vote
“(This) all adds up to being arguably the most significant county primary in recent memory. And it is almost exclusively a fight among Democrats who make up a majority of the more than 432,000 active registered voters.”
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Echols: ‘We have dulled our own human-ness’
“Our culture has some good things going for it, but at the moment, we have dulled our own human-ness in ways that makes the God behind icy winds and spiraling leaves harder and harder to notice.”
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Opinion: The call is around us all the time. The trick is to recognize and respond.
“The trick is to recognize and respond. That’s easy when the call is a call to appreciate life’s blessings. It’s a bit trickier when it’s a call to endure hardships. With those, it’s easier to forget.”
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March 2026
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Echols: ‘Not understanding each other’ is hardly limited to different languages
“The cacophony of languages rising from the upstairs coziness of this one tiny coffee shop in a small foreign village brings back wonderful memories for me as well as excitement for my children.”
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Echols: ‘What wrestling with God has looked like for me’
“When the story of who God is and what he has done for humanity comes to light, the risk of offense is high, granted, but the potential for bellyaching laughter is even higher. And one outweighs the other every time.”
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February 2026
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Opinion: Presidents Day is a good time to commit to your most deeply held beliefs
“You don’t have to be a president or famous to believe in freedom, dignity, character, honor, goodness, generosity or integrity.”
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January 2026
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Opinion: Why the Shelby County Clerk’s Office deserves our attention
“At its best, the Clerk’s Office is where the government meets everyday life, where efficiency, fairness and accountability translate directly into better public service.”
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December 2025
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Opinion: ‘Now we must get serious about second-chance hiring’
“I say as a retired police detective: If Memphis wants fewer repeat offenders, fewer victims, and stronger communities, we don’t need to look far for solutions. We just need to open the doors that lead to work.”
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Opinion: The good side of going viral
“Social media provides profound community benefits: the power to spread messages, support causes and connect neighbors.”
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Echols: Thinking about what’s behind our thinking
“Once you take a thought captive and lock it up tight, you must replace it with another thought. Very few of us are able to sit quietly with nothing at all going on up top.”
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November 2025
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Echols: ‘Discovering what we are called to be’
“How can I do this life well? What is it that you can pass on to me so that I will not have to relearn the same lessons at the expense of my own heart, mind, body and relationships?”
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Opinion: Why we need a strong and independent public health service
“To deploy truly lifesaving public health care in this pandemic requires a spirit of self-government primarily motivated by love of neighbor and a sense of personal responsibility.”
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Opinion: Embracing the best moment of life
“May this Thanksgiving week awaken the power within each of us to give and receive thanks, to uncloud our minds from the unnecessary things and embrace the best moment of life.”
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Opinion: Protecting public safety from digital manipulation
“The internet isn’t just a separate world we visit; it is now an inseparable part of our streets, schools and homes. The ultimate safety app is awareness.”
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Echols: The things that never touch your conscious mind
“Once you start to see his handiwork in the details, you notice it everyday. And if you’re like me, you find yourself wondering how many other things you see everyday ... that never touch the conscious mind.”
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Opinion: Comparing violence intervention in Memphis to Baltimore
“Reducing violence requires ... data — credible data — which requires collaboration.”
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Opinion: Beyond the scroll — what social media is really doing to us
“Research shows ‘fake news’ spreads significantly faster than the truth. Why? Because the social media algorithm is structured to reward engagement.”
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October 2025
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Echols: What word does God use for you and me?
“What we name each other, both on legal documents and in earned fellowship, is enough to determine some amount of lifelong meaning. But the grace-filled name God gives to us, both in secret and in stone, will be who we are for the rest of eternity.”
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Opinion: Amend Germantown’s charter to support a full-time mayor? Where’s the outrage?
“The qualities needed to win an election are not the same qualities needed to manage a modern city like Germantown.”
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