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A power outage, however brief, causes a lot of consternation. Lights go out, computers are down, refrigeration ceases and life as we know it with all our modern conveniences grinds to a halt. This happened in our city recently during a busy lunchtime, disrupting the schedules of thousands of people who were having their noon break. Restaurants and other...
The last notes of the “Big Band” music hung in the air, and—as hundreds of us gazed upward expectantly—a slender column of flame arched high into the evening sky. Our small English town’s shining beacon was just one of 4,200 similar beacons that were lit around the world at 10:00 p.m. on June 4, in celebration of Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee.
In a world where barely one in four people can name all four of the New Testament books known as the “Gospels,” is it any surprise that most people do not understand the true Gospel that Jesus Christ and the Apostles proclaimed? Many accept shallow and false promises contrary to Christ’s message, while some even uphold distorted teachings that in fact deny...
Pull two cents out of your pocket or purse. What is a cent or penny worth? It is only 1/100th of a dollar. But what are your “two cents” really worth?
We might hear someone say “That’s not worth two cents!” in describing some item they regard as almost worthless. This idiomatic expression is also illustrated when one offers an opinion when it wasn’t requested....
A little more than two generations ago, on January 20, 1961, in his only inaugural address, United States President John F. Kennedy called on his audience to support him in advancing the ideals of freedom and common prosperity. A little more than 50 years later, how have the U.S. and other Western nations fared in achieving President Kennedy’s goal?
Most of us grew up having learned childhood “fairy tales” about figures such as Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy. In our innocence, we may have believed them with all our hearts. They filled our young minds with fun and games. We happily “pretended”—and were encouraged to do so by our parents, who loved us and only wanted to make us happy.
Just imagine winning a prize of hundreds of millions of dollars with the only investment being a tiny piece of paper no larger than a book of stamps. This prospect of winning great wealth for just a few bucks, as pathetically remote as it is, often results in a frenzy of activity when the lottery shoots up—a frenzy that fuels itself. Especially huge numbers,...
In the days before modern mass communications, it was the church building or the schoolhouse where most would go to find out the news of what was happening in their communities. News from farther away would come when travelers passed through. It took time for news to travel, so most people were either out of date or entirely ignorant of what was going on in the...
One way we learn is by imitating someone. Children, especially, are imitators. But adults also learn by imitating others, particularly those they admire. Who do you imitate?
Several years ago, there was a terrible accident on Lake Hamilton near Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas. A popular attraction on the lakes in this tourist area was a land tour and lake cruise in amphibious (operating on land and water) vehicles. These craft were WWII vintage, and were called “Ducks” because of the acronym “DUKW” for the vehicles’ military...