We have a member of our family who is 104 years of age. Her name is Hattie Hankins. Really, she is Janis’s cousin, but since I am a member of the family, she is my cousin, too. We have attended her last seven birthday celebrations and have marveled at the sharpness of her mind. A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of interviewing her for this column, and what a story she has to tell. After doing a little research, I discovered that she has lived during the terms…

There is one thing for sure: some people will disagree with what I am going to say in this column. In view of the violence and bloodshed in our country, and especially the tragedy of school shootings like the one in Uvalde, Texas, many Americans would like to confiscate all guns and take them off the streets. I do not agree with that and think that guns are getting a bad rap. But please hear me out. First, there are more than 400 million guns in our nation, with more…

Former president Woodrow Wilson once said, “Witness the Lord’s Prayer. The first petition is for daily bread. No man can love God and serve others on an empty stomach.” This may be the reason people who live in the South are known for their wonderful Southern Hospitality. We both know that good hospitality involves having food. In this regard, we have a terrific couple in our church who got the message. Ricky and Hettie Ingram drive about 45 minutes each Sunday to attend our church. They live about 10 miles…

After working with our schools as a businessman consultant in the decade of the 1970s, I made the decision in 1980 to begin my own daily radio program. I was inspired by the late Earl Nightingale’s program titled “Our Changing World” that ran on 1,000 stations across the nation. Well, I got my five-day-a-week program titled, “How to Plan Your Life,” up and going, and my first commercially sponsored station was KARN in Little Rock. At this time there was a young DJ on this station who was making waves…

It has been my good fortune to purchase and read a terrific book, one that made the New York Times best seller list in only a few short weeks. The title of the book is “The Women of the Bible Speak” by Shannon Bream. This book contains the wisdom of 16 women who are scattered from one end of the Bible to the other. The reason for the title “You Can Feel Her Heart” is because there are parts of the book, especially in the chapter about Hannah, you can…

If you have ever served as a pallbearer at a funeral, you may really appreciate what I want to share with you today. Several weeks ago, I lost my very best friend that I had on this earth. We were the same age, grew up in the same county, and later spent countless hours fellowshipping with family, playing golf together, and duck hunting and deer hunting on his property. To protect his family, I best not tell you his name. I might add, he was a terrific golfer, shot a…

If you are the parent or grandparent of very young children, I have some thoughts to share in this column that may be the most important thing you have ever heard with reference to the future success of your child or children. A few weeks ago, we had the Honorable Chris Carnahan, District Court Judge in the Arkansas First Division, speak to our local Kiwanis Club. He talked about a number of things, but mainly the types of cases that came before him. The acoustics were bad, and I didn’t…

“To the glory of God, this book – “Your Future Begins Today” -- is unlike any that has ever been written, anytime, anywhere or by anyone else. The author is uniquely qualified to write this book. It is written from the perspective of an era when we did not have to lock our doors at night, take the keys out of the car’s ignition and it was safe for women to walk the streets alone, at night, even in our large cities.” Faulkner County Judge Jim Baker, who wrote this…

‘Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not -- nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not -- unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not -- the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.’ What you have just read is a famous quotation “Press On”, by J. Calvin Coolidge, 30th President of the United States of America. Over the years I have read and used thousands of quotations, many by famous people, but I…

In my younger days I learned the value and importance of setting goals. For a goal to be valid it must be specific and not general, and it must have a time limit, as this creates a sense of urgency. However, there is another element that I did not learn until later in life, and that is to ask God for His help and to bless it. I would often set goals that I did not reach, and I came to realize that His timetable was better than mine. Granted,…