Tuesday afternoon, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake rocked the small island nation of Haiti and its nine-million inhabitants. The quake flattened the president's palace, the cathedral, hospitals, schools, the main prison and whole neighborhoods. Officials feared thousands – perhaps more than 100,000 – may have perished but there was no firm count. One leading Haitian senator commented that there could be as many as 500,000 dead.

Have you noticed that some words fairly drip with intensity and descriptiveness? Even the very sounds of these words help convey their meaning. You know the kind I mean. Words like snap, boom, sizzle, or fizzle, words like expunge, lunge, whack, and whirl. Interesting, you might say, but not very significant. Yet, words do have an impact.

Recent news articles have speculated about the "end of Western civilization." Interestingly enough, as you read through those articles, the reasons put forth for the end of our way of life have stemmed from our lack of energy conservation awareness to our addiction to oil for our energy needs. Political issues, environmental issues, educational issues are all put forth as arenas for the salvation of mankind.

An ongoing study provides shocking insights into dangerous deceptions from the most trusted individuals in the life of a child—his or her parents. Is it harmful to tell children that Santa Claus is real? Is it simply encouraging them to use their God-given imagination, thereby broadening their future mental potential? What effect does parental lying have on the minds of impressionable youth?

From December 26–January 1, several million Americans will be celebrating Kwanzaa, a "harvest festival" first proclaimed in 1966 to celebrate blessings of African heritage. How should we view this recently-devised holiday?