It has been said that “birds of a feather flock together,” and from personal experience I know this is true. We just love to be around people who talk like us, look like us, believe like us, have the same hobbies, and have a lot of things in common. When I meet someone new, one of the first things I usually do is ask them where they are from. Because I have made speeches in 72 of the 75 counties in our state, I usually know someone they know, and…

If you read my column on a regular basis, you know the various topics and subjects I address are not about current events, but rather they involve principles or examples that are timeless and we can apply to our lives. Such is the case today, as I want to talk about the senseless violence that is taking place across our nation with regards to members of our law enforcement community. While there are bad apples in every profession, let me say here in the beginning that I totally support our…

There is a path that many people take through life that, while appearing attractive at the time, ultimately leads to nowhere. I’m talking about the Path of Least Resistance. Since making wise choices is what success is all about, it might be worth investing a little time to determine if you are on this path. In a general sense, the person who is on the Path of Least Resistance usually looks for the easy way, and if there is a short cut they will take it. From a psychological standpoint,…

Several years ago I had a secretary by the name of Desmond Walls Allen, who did a fantastic job of typing the manuscript for my daily radio shows. In our casual conversations around the office, she also taught me a lot about life. She had some health problems and I remember her telling me about visits to her doctor. She said, “I told my doctor, ‘I don’t want you to pat me on the leg and say ‘Honey, everything is fine’. I want you to tell me like it is.…

As I begin today, let me say that I just woke up from a dream, and what follows is the essence of it. My friend Nancy Ballard sent me a terrific article the other day and I would like to share it with you. It begins, “I grew up in rural America in the ’50s and ’60s. On any given day, you could walk through the high school parking lot and observe that half the vehicles parked there were trucks with windows rolled down and doors unlocked. Most of them…

I would like to tell you a true story about “Three Life Sentences” that I believe will touch your heart. I know it has mine. Several years ago I met a man here in our community by the name of Don Bingham. Don is a very fine man, but he is also one of those multi-talented individuals who have distinguished himself in a number of different fields. He is a gifted musician, author and entertainer, and he is also a fantastic chef. He has hosted his “Celebrate with Cooking” show…

As the old saying goes, “Houston, we have a problem,” and that problem is that every day, Socialism becomes more and more popular among young Americans. You would not think so much about this were it not for the fact that if this trend continues there will be a future day when they will take over our country and the system of Capitalism and Free Enterprise will be replaced with Socialism. You may say, “What’s wrong with that?” Well, if you don’t know, I am delighted that you are reading…

Some time back I got a letter from a young lady who lives in Mill Shoals, Illinois. After stating her name she said, “I would like to ask you a question about teenagers. I am writing a book about teenagers. I also think that this past year will make teenagers much more aware of our constitution and our government. My question to you is this: What do you think of teenagers today? I am almost thirteen and this is my project for the summer. Please answer it if you can.…

Perhaps you have heard the song “Stars Fell on Alabama” and assume it came from the book titled with the same name written by Carl Carmer in 1934 as well as the song with the same name written by Mitchell Parish and Frank Perkins a few years later. However, few people realize that the words probably came from an actual event on November 13, 1833, in Northern Alabama. On this night, people in this part of the state went to bed as normal to be awakened around midnight when a…

Did you know that there is one thing we cannot hide, except by silence? Care to guess what it is? Well, it’s the use of our language, and how we use it goes a long way in determining our success or failure in this old world. Yes, when we open our mouth and begin to speak we proclaim to the world where we are on the social and economic pyramid. It has been proven countless times that a person’s vocabulary is one of the key factors that determine our standing…