I spent several days this past week with a few good men.

No, it wasn’t a Marine Corps reunion, although the men I shared a week with have many of the qualities and characteristics of Marines I have known.

No, this was a gathering of priests who serve as pastors and who came to Orlando for a church growth conference. But these were not just any kind of pastors and this was not just any kind of conference. Read More»

There are certain phrases that incite concern and fear, as in Paul Revere’s call to arms, “The British are coming!” And then there’s, “Honey, there’s a letter for you from the IRS.” But all these pale in comparison to my wife’s question, “Has anyone seen the cat?”

I did not grow up as a cat person. I was a dog person. In my family we nearly always had a dog that spent his/her time outside, lived in a dog house, and brought joy to the Epps kids and caused tears and sorrow when they died. Read More»

Rusty Wilkerson is a columnist for my hometown newspaper, The Kingsport-Times News. While in Kingsport, Tenn., recently, I picked up a copy of the paper and found Wilkerson reporting on two stories of government actions worthy of a nod from Forrest.

Wilkerson reported that, in 2007, the Environmental Protection Agency mandated that an ingredient that did not yet exist be blended into gasoline and diesel fuel by 2011. So far, oil companies have failed to comply. Read More»

It is Wednesday morning and I am in northeastern Tennessee where I did not expect to be. Yesterday, I awoke in Champaign, Ill., to a temperature of 28 degrees and, by 2 p.m., my flight had brought me home to a balmy spring-like 67 degrees.

It was warm enough that I rode my motorcycle in search of a podiatrist who would alleviate the pain of an in-grown toenail.

While there, I received a call from my wife that her mother had been admitted to the hospital and transferred to ICU and was informed that we would be making the trip to Tennessee. Read More»

Growing up In Kingsport, Tenn., I played football for the Redskins of Ross N. Robinson Junior High School.

Well, in the eighth grade I mainly rode the bench. I actually started as an offensive center in the ninth grade. Our crosstown rivals were the Warriors of John Sevier Junior High. We would all meet up at Dobyns-Bennett High School where those who continued to play would join forces as the Indians. Read More»

From a recent article in the Newnan Times-Herald, Newnan, Ga.: “It is not wise to have photos of nude or scantily clad women on your phone, especially if your girlfriend will find them. But such was the case this weekend. And that ended up with the man and his girlfriend both being arrested on battery charges and ending up at the Coweta County Jail. Coweta County Sheriff’s Office deputies were called to the Forest Circle Apartments early Saturday to break up a fight. Read More»

What if you heard that a new law was passed that said that anyone named Bill could be legally put to death? Certainly, you would protest the “law” and say it was wrong.

Wouldn’t we all come together at once to restore legal protection to all Bills?

We could certainly say that this new law was against the Constitution, which claims to protect the rights of every person. But suppose that even the Constitution were changed to say that it’s okay to kill Bill. Would we then say it was really okay? No, it would still be wrong. Read More»

I have watched with interest the furor surrounding Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow.

Few deny that Tebow is a gifted athlete. Tebow was ranked among the top quarterback prospects in the nation as a high school senior and chose to attend the University of Florida.

As a backup, Tebow helped the Gators win the national championship during the 2006 college football season.

Tebow was the Gators’ starting quarterback during the 2007 season and became the first college football player to both rush and pass for 20 or more touchdowns in a single season. Read More»

I rode my Harley-Davidson Road King motorcycle for over 10,000 miles before I ever considered allowing a passenger on the bike. It was easy to not have passengers for several reasons.

First of all, my wife had two requests when I took the Rider’s Course in August of 2010. The first was that I not ask her to ride with me. The second was that I keep my life insurance premium paid.

Secondly, I knew my limitations: a rookie rider has no business taking on passengers.

Thirdly, my bike did not have a passenger seat. Problem solved. Read More»

“Paging Janice Doogan. Janice Doogan, please report to Gate 4 for boarding.” I didn’t know who Janice Doogan (not her real name) was as I and my wife waited at Gate 4 in St. Louis. Our flight to Atlanta was preceded by a flight to Orlando. Apparently, Janice Doogan was in danger of missing her flight.

Again, the call went out, only this time a countdown began. “Janice Doogan, please report to gate 4. Your flight will close in 15 minutes.” Read More»