Prior to church last Sunday morning, my wife asked, “Are you going to say something about the school slayings in Connecticut this morning?”

Frankly, I hadn’t planned to. The whole thing was just too horrible to think about, much less talk about.

Besides, what would I have to say? That there are evil and wicked men in the world? That the innocent always seem to suffer the worst? That no one is ever truly safe anywhere? That many people, myself included, are mad at God because so many innocents lost their lives?

“Do you really think I should?” I asked.

“Yes, I really do.” Read More»

I was following several professionally dressed educators into a hotel in a Texas city. It was a bitterly cold December day and we had disembarked from the same shuttle bus and were headed for our rooms.

I know the other men and women were educators at the college and university level by the convention badges they all wore. Read More»

“Peace on earth, good will toward men,” (Luke 2:14) seems but a dream. The recent past has seen angry protesters occupying public venues, a bitter political campaign has been concluded, American citizens are polarized on many issues.

The economy remains sluggish, some 23 million are unemployed, social commentators lament the loss of civility, and many are concerned that the future isn’t as promising for young people as it was for previous generations. Read More»

Out of town and staying in a hotel room, I awakened early one morning and made my way to the Starbucks that was open for business in the lobby. On the way, I passed a staff sergeant, a U.S. Marine, seated in the lobby, in his winter green uniform, working at a laptop and engrossed in whatever he was doing. I decided he looked too busy for me to interrupt him. Read More»

Guy Mitchell, commandant of the Sgt. Clyde Thomason MOH Detachment #1325 of the Marine Corps League, turned the gavel over to new Commandant Jim Daughtry, Sharpsburg, after serving two elected terms.

It was over 50 years ago that Mitchell graduated from Sarasota High School. Some time later, convinced he was about to be drafted, Mitchell enlisted in the United States Marine Corps for a three-year hitch. Read More»

For a number of years there has been a discussion among many about whether the United States is or is not a Christian nation.

What the recent elections have established is that the United States is no longer governed or overwhelmingly influenced by Christian values and that a culture that opposes the Christian culture has become entrenched. Read More»

It was a spur of the moment idea and plans were made. My high school alma mater, Dobyns-Bennett High School of Kingsport, Tenn., has recorded the most high school football victories in the history of Tennessee. D-B has also garnered the most state football championships.

The legendary coach, Bobby Dodd, (as in “Bobby Dodd Stadium” at Georgia Tech) was a D-B graduate (1940) and legendary football player. I played offensive center during the 1966, 1967, and 1968 seasons. I was not legendary. Read More»

While passing through northeastern Tennessee, I noticed that, in Gray, Tenn., a fairly new fossil museum had been constructed. Curious, since it wasn’t there when I lived in the area, I stopped in.

It was there that I discovered that, several years ago when Interstate 26 was being constructed, workers hit an usually dark area of dirt that, upon closer examination, appeared to contain bones. Work was halted and eventually re-routed around what turned out to be an ancient fossil pit. Read More»

In a few days, the citizens of the United States will elect a President. Either the incumbent will be re-elected or the challenger will take office in January.

It is not my place to tell people how to vote. It is my role, however, to articulate biblical morality and to stand firm on those issues that the Church throughout the ages has espoused. I am, in fact, to be a “defender of the faith.”

I am not a Republican, a Democrat, or a Libertarian although I have cast votes for all three in times past. On many issues there can be genuine disagreement. Read More»

I arise at 5 a.m. on Sundays. I don’t have to be at church until about 8 a.m. since the early worship service begins at 8:30 a.m. However, by getting up early, I can shower, dress, make a pot of coffee, and still have at least two hours remaining to go over my sermons notes, tweak them if need be, and prepare for the day ahead. Read More»