As many of my readers know, I am the founder of the Bookcase for Every Child project. This project was started in 2005 because of the terrible problem of illiteracy we have in our nation. There are 42 million American adults who cannot read at level one, the fifth grade. If you have any idea of what life is like without being able to read, then you can understand the cascade effect of illiteracy on individuals with this challenge, and on society.             To be sure, this is a generational…

If you are up to it, today I have a true story to tell you about a pastor and his cat that will make you chuckle each time you think about it. As I write this, only a few days after the snow, ice and frigid weather conditions, I certainly need something that will bring a smile to my face, and I hope you do, too.             This story was told some time back by Dwight Nelson about the pastor of his church, and as I said, this story is…

The other day while reading an article in our local paper, I got a good chuckle. It was reported that some organization had conducted a study that children viewing violence on television produced more aggression when they became adults. I chuckled with the thought that I could have told them that and saved them all that time and money. Sometimes all we need is just some good old common sense and we would all be better off. Unfortunately, in some circles common sense seems to be in short supply. If…

As a young printing salesman in Little Rock, Arkansas, back in the late 1960s, I had the good fortune of working for a man by the name of Bert Parke. He was president of a printing company and very active in the community. I had spent the previous seven years in production with another printer, and had learned the business well. I had also inherited my father’s gift of gab, and Bert took a liking to me. Of course, it did not hurt that I was selling a lot of…

If you like music, here is a question I would like to ask you. Do you have a favorite song? Well, I do, and it’s a song that I have not known for very long. The title is “Till the Storm Passes By.” The words are terrific but the thing that makes it so special to me is that the message the song conveys is so appropriate for today. The Lord knows we have been in a “storm” in more ways than one. First, the rancor and discord in Washington…

My father was considerably older than my mother. Because of this he had been around several years longer than my mother when I was born. He was wise to the ways of the world and had made a lot of mistakes, but he learned from them. He told me that he had bought enough whiskey to float a battleship, and all it did was keep him broke and the talk of the town. However, when I was born he swore off it, and I never saw him take a drink…

Let me begin today by saying there are millions of us in our country who are gravely disappointed by all the rancor and bitterness that is taking place in our national government. It is all about power, and many of us are familiar with the saying that “Power Corrupts” and “Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely.” If we ever knew them, we should never forget the words of Benjamin Franklin when he said, “We must, indeed, all hang together or, most assuredly, we will all hang separately.” It is in this vein…

Here is a question I hope you will ponder with me for about the next 20 years. Have you ever seen a car with square wheels? Of course the answer to this ridiculous question is NO! The reason is because someone figured out centuries ago that a wheel rolls better if it is round. This simple truth has given rise to one of the most often used clichés in the English language: “It is not necessary to reinvent the wheel.” What I have just shared is almost too elementary to…

A while back a friend gave me a list of personal improvement items labeled “Common New Year Resolutions.” Now, you know that self-improvement is not just something to write down to start off the new year right, but is something to work on each day of our lives. This list contained 33 different actions that, when put into action, would certainly improve any of our lives. While viewing this list you will find that some are much more important than others, but each one can be used to improve our…

Do you ever get down-in-the-mouth because of some of the mundane tasks that you have to do each day or each week? If you do, I have something to share with you that may change your perspective. We don’t appreciate the sunshine until it’s rained or been cloudy for several days in a row. We don’t appreciate good health until we have spent several days in the sick bed or a hospital. We don’t appreciate having enough money to pay all of our bills until we have been through some…