After you read what I have to share today, you are probably going to say that Jim has quit preaching and gone to meddling. Well, what I am going to say may not be popular in some circles, but it is still something that needs to be said. To be sure, I am part of the older generation; you know the one whose tithes and offerings pay most of the bills for our churches, and I am not as efficient on using IPhones, social media and most of the other…

When you think about the state of national politics in America today, it makes millions of us very sad. There are a number of words I could have used instead of “sad” but when you think about what is happening in our nation today, in both political parties, it is truly a sad state of affairs, and somehow it has to improve. I have some suggestions that may help. First, let me say that as a syndicated columnist I have been very careful not to take sides because I don’t…

If you would like to expand your knowledge, especially in the area of the Civil War, I have a suggestion for you: buy and read a copy of Nancy Glenn Powell’s terrific book “Where Grass Grows High: And Slavers’ Hounds Don’t Howl”. I can promise this will do it, at least it did for me. To begin, please allow me to pass along the “Author’s Note” at the beginning of the book. “This creative nonfiction novel is based on the life of Samuel Glenn, and contains family stories passed down…

There is a scourge that is attacking our land today and it needs to stop, or at least be reduced to a minimum. This is the scourge of fraud, people being victimized by others, and it is particularly hard on the elderly, who in many ways are the most vulnerable of all our citizens. This is because the elderly among us, including yours truly, come from a generation when the vast majority of our citizens were people who had integrity and good morals, and telling the truth was a virtue…

Well, it happened again. How many times have you attended a conference or a seminar and some really big names are on the program, and at least one other person’s name is there that you have never seen or heard before. This is what happened to Janis and me several weeks ago when we attended The Jubilee Conference in Branson, Mo. We had heard the names of Bill Gaither, Dino, The Melody Boys, Karen Peck & New River and The New Speer Family, but had never heard the name Charles…

One of the main reasons America has become the greatest nation in the history of the world is something we call volunteerism. This is simply people helping other people with no thought of personal gain. Here in my later years one of my favorite sayings has become, “A community becomes great when its citizens plant trees whose shade they will never sit in.” For most of my life I have worked hard to earn enough money to meet our needs, and to save enough to have a little left over…

The late W. Clement Stone is a personification of America’s self-made man. He started with less than $100 in capital and built a multi-million-dollar organization. If you started at the bottom of the rung or may still be there, you will appreciate and be thrilled with his story. By the way, he was born in 1902 and died in 2002, living to be 100 years of age. As you read along, you will see the power of his influence. He was born on the south side of Chicago, his father…

While I don’t know who said it first, there is an often repeated truism that goes, “We don’t miss the water till the well runs dry.” And I might add, you don’t miss your community newspaper until you don’t have one. Back in the prime of my weekly column in the late 1990s, I had more than 300 newspapers running it, and more than 375 in 35 states that ran it at one time or another. But due to the Internet and other electronic media, plus more than 32 million…

There is an old joke about this man who heard that 80 percent of all accidents occur within 25 miles of home -- so he moved. Well, apparently a lot of people are moving, but not for the same reason. There is an alarming trend taking place in America today that is cause for concern, at least in some circles. This is the loss of population in rural areas that has caused the majority of our citizens to believe that “rural America is dying.” The 2020 census is likely to…

Back in the early days, Truett Cathy, founder of the Chic-fil-A restaurant chain, had a very special tip for training employees. When he had them seated before him he would pose this question: “How do you know when someone needs encouragement?” After a bit, and a few puzzled stares, he would answer his own question. The answer is, “It is when they come in the door.” Now that is pretty simple, but it is also true. This is just another way of saying that we all need encouragement every day…