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…

Several years ago when I was working in the production department for a printing company, we used to have a saying: “The eagle has flown.” This saying was heard mostly on Fridays, because this was payday and the day that checks were passed out. The eagle in this case was synonymous with money, because over the years the picture of this majestic bird has been printed on different denominations of our nation’s currency. Most people know that the American Bald Eagle is America’s symbol, but there is a story behind…

The legendary football coach Vince Lombardi once said, “No one ever fails in life until he blames someone else.” Unfortunately, many people in our prosperous nation were never taught that accepting responsibility for themselves and their actions is the most visible sign of maturity. This is a personal quality that will contribute greatly to individual success. It’s also a vital need if we are to preserve our freedom in the perilous and ever-changing times in which we live. As it relates to our personal and collective freedom, I would like…

Does it make you sad when you lose an old friend? It sure does me. Several years ago I lost an old friend who was also one of my best friends. His name was Bob Gannaway. Bob was my Dale Carnegie instructor, later my business partner, hunting and fishing buddy, someone I could always count on and one who could keep a confidence. Good friends like this do not come along very often and I sure do miss him. What brought this remembrance of Bob to mind was something a…

Each year on the first Sunday in January, our pastor Brother Don Chandler gives us a “State of the Church” message. We all look forward to it because it not only gives us an overview of where we have been but some optimistic projections of where we are going. Of course, those of us who know Jesus already know where we are going: we are going to Heaven when we die. It is a wonderful feeling to be part of a vibrant growing church, where the pastor is truly preaching…