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If you've stayed in a hotel or motel in North America, no doubt you have opened the top drawer of your bedside nightstand and found a Gideon Bible or New Testament. It usually is a black, brown or red-covered hardback book with the Gideon symbol, a two-handled pitcher and torch, on the front. Gideon Bibles were standard issue in motels long before TV and...
Each year in January our community holds a ceremony commemorating religious freedom in America. My wife and I have attended several of these memorials over the years. They are celebrated here because it was in January, 1777 that Thomas Jefferson, Edmund Pendleton, George Mason, George Wythe and Thomas Ludwell Lee met at Weedon's Tavern in Fredericksburg,...
As a sportsman, I was disappointed when, upon moving to North Carolina, I encountered the "Sunday law." No deer hunting on Sunday. Period. As a Sabbath-keeper, this has brought me no little consternation! I will not hunt on Saturday, and according to the laws of the State, I may not hunt on Sunday. That leaves Monday through Friday – not ideal for getting...
A hearty laugh is good for us. Something truly funny, that tickles our "funny bone" and causes us to laugh out loud, has a calming, stress-relieving effect on us as human beings. Scientific studies have shown the benefit of hilarity and good humor on our health and well-being. And yet, much of what passes for humor today has a bite to it or the laugh is at...
For years, economists have worried about inflation. But now, the fear of deflation is haunting governments and business leaders alike. Could we experience a devastating deflationary period followed by an almost unimaginable death-blow of rapid "Zimbabwe-like" inflation? How can you prepare?
On January 20, 2009, Barack Hussein Obama assumed the leadership of a mighty but beleaguered nation. Regardless of whether we are individually thrilled, indifferent, or dismayed about the new American president and his Democratic majority, perhaps we should ask ourselves an honest question: are we sincerely praying for President Obama? A brief check of the...
My family walked in the shadow of death this last year. Not a pleasant subject, to be sure, but one that was thrust upon us nonetheless. I lost my mother in April, 2008. She was elderly and infirm, and for the last two years of her life suffered from the scourge of Alzheimer's disease. So, while it was sad to close that chapter, it was not unexpected, nor was...
How are you doing with your New Year's resolutions? Are you determinedly following through on your personal commitment to improve your appearance or your behavior? Or, are you feeling guilty because you are behind schedule? Maybe you haven't even started them yet. One of my favorite TV shows is CBS News Sunday Morning. Last Sunday's show had a brief segment...
While the syndicated "Dear Abby" advice column in many newspapers across the U.S. has been celebrated for decades for its wit and "common sense," in the column I read the other day it was clear that "Abby" had struck out. The individual writing to "Abby" was a 16-year-old, struggling with seemingly overwhelming homosexual feelings. Struggling to deal with those...
2008 closed as one of the most dramatic years in decades. From a historic election, to a reeling economy, to the outbreak of serious hostilities in the Middle East, every corner we have turned this year has confronted us with major changes. Change is a constant in our physical world. Our bodies change, aging and adjusting. Our families change, with children...