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"Friends are Friends Forever" By: Kendall Wingrove. Posted 8/19/10 (840 words)  “A friend loves at all times.”  -  Proverbs 17:17.    When Miep Gies became an assistant to the owner of a pectin manufacturing company in Amsterdam during the 1930s, she never could have dreamed that events would make her a pivotal character in one of the 20th century's greatest dramas.  It’s an amazing story of loyalty and friendship...

"'Going' On A Mission" By: James J. Jackson. Posted 8/13/10 (500 words)  Mission activities near home, throughout American and abroad, can be very beneficial to those in need – and personally rewarding for those who make a commitment to serve in this manner.  I've participated in several mission trips, most recently in Chihuahua, Mexico to distribute eyeglasses, where people of all ages were greatly appreciative of improved sight.  Acquaintances have expressed a desire to go on mission trips, but have not done so....

"Prayers for Hitch" By: Tom Flannery  Posted 8/11/10 (810 words)   Christopher Hitchens had logged his millionth mile on his most recent flight, entitling him to free airline upgrades for the rest of his life.  His newest book, the memoir Hitch-22, had just made it onto the best-seller list.  He had appearances lined up in sold-out venues and bookings on popular TV programs like The Daily Show to promote it.  And yet, awaking one morning in June, none of it mattered.  He was rushed to the hospital ...

"Atlanta Volunteers Change Lives" By: Rusty Wright. Posted 8/11/10 (580 words)   Want a dose of inspiration and motivation?  Take a look at these fine folks who are getting “out of their seats and into the streets” to help meet Atlanta’s physical, psychological and spiritual needs.  (Short op-ed)

"Beware All Who Stumble the Little Ones" By: William E. Cripe, Sr. Posted 8/4/10 (620 words)  The voters of our fair state recently rendered a well deserved set back to the foes of common sense, decency and what were once commonly understood to be  "traditional values."  I am certain that even if the most liberal ones of our culture could be transported back into time only a scant few decades ago, they would be appalled by the caliber of issues that have gained respectability in our culture....

"Praise the Lord:  Hummingbirds Don't Have 'Middle Fingers' " By: Gregory J. Rummo. Posted 8/4/10 (715 words)   The other night I was lying in bed alongside my 8-year old daughter. We had been out in the yard like two kids, actually, enjoying a cool, late July evening spread out on a chaise cushion on the patio watching hummingbirds come and go to my feeder for almost an hour.  By the time darkness and the mosquitoes had driven us into the house my younger 6-year old daughter had already fallen asleep across the room in her own bed.  Our habit almost every night involves sharing a story...

"'Mad' Mel's Lethal Mouth" By: Tom Flannery  Posted 7/22/10 (640 words)   Well, at least he didn’t blame the Jews this time.  In excerpts from taped phone conversations released in recent days, we hear Mel Gibson calling his ex-girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva every filthy name imaginable, and threatening to kill her and bury her in a rose garden.  Gibson has gone, in a relatively short period of time, from movie hero...

"The Murder of Marriage:  An Unsolved Mystery" By: Gary Hardaway. Posted 7/16/10 (640 words)  Many years ago I stumbled onto the delights of murder mysteries and, inevitably, became hooked. I believe it was Jewish writer Harry Kemelman and his remarkable amateur sleuth, Rabbi David Small, who administered the addictive drug. Then came the descent into the depths of detection: Agatha Christie, Rex Stout, Erle Stanley Gardner – purveyors of fascinating schemes and characters that irresistibly draw one into layered webs of intrigue. The desperate reader feels compelled to solve the burning question:  Who done it? ...

"Hilarious High School Bloopers" By: Rusty Wright with Meg Korpi. Posted 7/6/10 (600 words)   “Worst analogies written by high school students” had me laughing till I ached.  Discovering their true source reminded me to practice what I preach.  (Short op-ed)

"We All Need to Feel Useful" By: Gary Hardaway. Posted 7/2/10 (700 words) A friend of mine recalls growing up in a well-organized home where the four children each had many assigned chores every day. On one occasion his parents took in a foster boy of about three years old. In the evening, as the kids and their mom systematically went about preparing for supper, this little tyke, who was closely watching all this activity, suddenly burst into tears. Banging his spoon on the table, he proclaimed, “I want job! I want job!” They quickly gave him something to do....

"Life Lessons Learned from Linkletter and His TV Program"  By: Jan White.  Posted 3/30/10 (520 words)  If you can remember watching Art Linkletter’s show, “House Party,” on TV, you’re telling your age.  His program ran on CBS radio and TV from 1945 – 1967.  My family and I watched the program on our black and white television set when I was growing up.  We enjoyed Art’s interviews with the children and their unpredictable responses.  Many of their humorous comments were later published in a series of books, “Kid’s Say the Darndest Things.” ...

"A Perfect Game in an Imperfect World" By: Tom Flannery  Posted 6/14/10 (665 words)   There’s no crying in baseball, as Tom Hanks so famously said in “A League of Their Own.”  But all that changed on June 2 when Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga tossed a perfect game, was robbed of it by a bad call at first base by umpire Jim Joyce, and the unfolding events turned into one of the most inspiring sports stories to come along in years.  In an age of whiners and self-professed victims, when so many want to blame their own shortcomings or failures on others (or on the world at large), this was more than just a teachable moment.  It was a revelation....

"Remembering A Life Well Lived" By: Greg Asimakoupoulos  Posted 6/11/10 (850 words)  The sports world is mourning the death of a true legend. John Wooden was an amazing man who touched our culture in remarkable ways. Although he reached many milestones in his life, he failed to achieve one that was on the near horizon. He fell short of reaching his 100th birthday.  The one who became known as "the wizard of Westwood"...

"Reality Catches Up With Helen Thomas" By: James J. Jackson. Posted 6/11/10 (600 words)  Helen Thomas, an 89 year old fixture at White House daily press conferences since the Kennedy administration, was recently unceremoniously removed from (or resigned from) her position. The fact that she no longer occupies the ‘front and center’ seat in the pressroom is not the most amazing fact, but that it took so long for it to happen....

"What Will You Do in Heaven?" By: James J. Jackson. Posted 6/11/10 (600 words)  “…I know you’re looking down on us from Heaven, like so many we have lost along the way…”  This line from a Mariah Carey song came to mind recently, when a friend asked me in an email about my perspective on Heaven.  My friend’s father died recently, and his young son asked him if Grandpa is now an angel ...

"Seeking the Perfect Outcome" By: Kendall Wingrove. Posted 6/11/10 (745 words)  Hall of Fame pitcher Warren Spahn once described baseball as “a game of failure,” noting that even the best batters are unsuccessful about 65 percent of the time.  On the evening of June 2, 2010, nobody on the Cleveland Indians roster succeeded in getting on base after a talented, young right-hander had taken the mound for the Detroit Tigers.  With two outs in the ninth inning, Armando Galarraga had retired 26 batters and was on the verge of pitching the 21st perfect game in major league history.  But to err is human, and a split-second decision by a veteran umpire...

"Paying the Daily Cost of Freedom" By: Kendall Wingrove. Posted 6/3/10 (810 words)  The name John Finn probably doesn't ring a bell.  The fact that so few
people know about him speaks volumes about our country and what it values.  When he died at 100 just before Memorial Day 2010, John Finn was the nation's oldest Medal of Honor recipient and the last to earn the medal for bravery during the attack on Pearl Harbor.  On December 7, 1941, Finn was stationed at a naval air station on the island of Oahu....

"Hello Dalai, Goodbye Truth" By: Tom Flannery  Posted 5/28/10 (640 words)   The Dalai Lama was in New York City last week, promoting belief in Buddhism — or whatever other religion happens to strike your fancy.  In an appearance at Radio City Music Hall, he explained:  “I never say Buddhism is best.  Buddhism has been best for me.  Each person is different.  I cannot say what is best for 100 people:  Their own religion is best for them.  It’s like medicine.  We cannot say pick one medicine, this is best for everybody.” ...

"Is Casual Sex Losing Its Zing?" By: Rusty Wright. Posted 5/20/10 (560 words)   Hot news from CNN: Some university students are giving up casual sexual activity because they feel it’s not fulfilling.  What’s going on here?  (Short op-ed)

"Ernie Harwell Has Made It Home" By: Kendall Wingrove. Posted 5/13/10 (710 words)  Every year, countless baseball fans would gather around their radios and wait to hear the familiar verse from the Song of Solomon:   "For lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone, the flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land."   Quoting Scripture wasn’t merely an annual ritual for legendary broadcaster Ernie Harwell.  Faith was the hallmark of Harwell’s personal and professional life....

"Now I'm A Terrorist" By: Tom Flannery  Posted 5/13/10 (565 words)   I've been called a lot of things through the years for my beliefs, but never a terrorist.  At least until now.  My high crime is having written opinion columns over the past few years for the Christian conservative site WorldNetDaily (www.wnd.com).  WorldNetDaily is, without question, one of the most influential news and opinion websites on the Internet.  As such, it has become a lightning rod for the Left.  Most recently, in a published report funded by the Guggenheim Foundation, WorldNetDaily was identified as being part of a “Network of Anti-Abortion Domestic Terrorists.” ...

"National Day of Prayer:  A Progressive Adventure" By: Greg Asimakoupoulos  Posted 5/5/10 (540 words)  For six decades our country has called us to a National Day of Prayer.   Indisputably a great notion. But how do we make the most of such a day?  With that dilemma in mind what follows is a simple suggestion for making the most of this year's National Day of Prayer. I call it a progressive adventure.... A logical place to start is at your community's Veterans Memorial.  Spend some time in silent reflection...

"Beware the Dangers of Social Networking" By: James J. Jackson. Posted 5/5/10 (610 words)  In just a few years, an explosion of social networking sites, such as FaceBook, Twitter, U-tube, etc., have arrived on the Internet  These sites allow us to find lost friends and family members, get and stay in touch with others.  Social networks are often used to spread prayer requests to others, raise funds, and widely disseminate information quickly.  But some use these sites (especially Facebook) like an electronic diary, spilling out every thought, conflict, joy, fear, etc., for the world to see....

"Be Careful of Your Witness" By: James J. Jackson. Posted 5/5/10 (600 words)  The framers of the U.S. Constitution believed that certain rights are bestowed-not by the Constitution or by man-made laws, but, rather, by God, and that those rights include life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.  From that declaration, people have fought to expand that definition, to include rights in the list that are...

"Reminders at the Curb of Life's Chapters" By: Gregory J. Rummo. Posted 4/23/10 (590 words)   One bright and sunny afternoon earlier this spring I noticed that my neighbor had put some stuff out by the curb presumably for the next day’s garbage collection. Garbage piled out by the curb is not something that normally captures my attention but this was different. T he items were a wooden crib, a plastic red wagon, a stroller and a child car seat....

"Marital Strife and Your Health" By: Rusty Wright. Posted 4/19/10 (570 words)  

Being married can mean better health, but being happily married seems to matter most, says current research.  Learn to fight fair.  (Short op-ed)

"Slow Down to Speed Up" By: Linda Downing. Posted 4/16/10 (660 words) 

Many of us feel used by time, powerless to choose how we spend such a precious commodity. With so much to do and so much rushing about, it is hard to believe that becoming more productive and less stressed demands we slow down.   Spending 35 years in prison for a crime he did not commit ...

"Instant Communication Hinders Real Connections" By: Jill Darling. Posted 3/30/10 (700 words)  Lauren and Ashley got together for lunch at their favorite haunt. They started in on conversation that had been on hold for too long while checking the menu and placing their orders.  Fifteen minutes into catching up on the latest, Lauren’s phone rang and she answered.  They began sharing again, but twenty minutes later another call came in and then another.  Their much-needed time to reconnect was hijacked.  While connecting with people electronically, we’ve managed to neglect relationships with those we care about in real time and space....

"We're All Prodigals When It Comes to Health-Care Reform" By: Gregory J. Rummo. Posted 3/30/10 (600 words)   Despite all of the complaints from the right that liberals play fast and loose with their agendas in order to get elected and the liberal mainstream media shills do a poor job of exposing this tendency, I still wonder if the Congress we have, awful as it is, is not simply a reflection of our own miserable selves.  We’re profligate spenders swimming in a sea of debt against a riptide of consumerism....

"Press the Attack!:  God's Knight" By: Debbie Thurman. Posted 3/30/10 (720 words)  The holiest week for all of Christendom is here. We celebrate the Passion of Christ, the suffering servant, but also King of kings and Lord of lords.   Were he still among us, one warrior-servant whose deeply abiding faith and military prowess helped shape him into a legend — a latter-day knight — would be solemnly worshiping. He also likely would be recalling another Easter Sunday 38 years ago at almost precisely this time of year, in a quaint but war-ravaged South Vietnamese village called Dong Ha....

"Canadian Overcomes Adversity to Impact the World" By: Jan White.  Posted 3/30/10 (500 words)  The fourth child of Scottish immigrants, Jim was born in Ramsay Township in Ontario, Canada on November 6, 1861.  By age 9, he had lost both of his parents.  His grandmother raised him until her death two years later.  Then, he lived with a bachelor uncle.  In 1875, Jim entered high school, but attended less than two years.  Later, he did complete his high school equivalency in a year and a half, graduating in 1883.  Then, he attended McGill University in Montreal where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Physical Education, participating in football, rugby, and lacrosse.  Jim often visited the YMCA in Montreal....

"Congressional Leaders Deserve A Taste Of Its Own 'Medicine'" By: Gary Hardaway. Posted 3/24/10 (685 words)    Is there any conscience, any capacity for shame left in those souls driving the “health care” blitz? First there were all the bribes and kickbacks. “Just business as usual,” we were told, the “way things get done on the hill.”  Though there’s a modicum of truth in this claim, it’s 98% jive. That’s because this particular bill ...

"Oscars Take Right Turn" By: Tom Flannery  Posted 3/18/10 (680 words)   Hooray for Hollywood!  They actually held an Oscar ceremony last week in which there wasn’t a single word of left-wing lunacy uttered throughout the entire evening.  And some of Hollywood’s looniest libs — Alec Baldwin, Barbra Streisand, Sean Penn — were completely subdued in their appearances ....

"Mankind's Futile Quest for Self-Absolution" By: James J. Jackson. Posted 3/18/10 (650 words)  From time to time, a phrase, title or label will come to mind that seems so bizarre that I convince myself that it is a figment of my imagination, rather than a factoid from my past.  It might be a weird song that comes to mind periodically. Often, just as I convince myself that I made it up, the song will play over the air, or a stranger will be humming or singing it. ....

"Global Warming & Snowmageddon" By: Tom Flannery  Posted 3/3/10 (800 words)   The global-warming alarmists have hit some rough waters of late.  And, no, it’s not from rising oceans or melting glaciers.  Their “proven science” has proven to be junk science.  It’s collapsing all around them — unlike our supposedly endangered planet, which is holding up just fine.  First there was Climategate, the scandal that rocked the environmental science community ...

"Tiger's Faith-Road Home" By: Rusty Wright. Posted 2/22/10 (600 words) 

Tiger gets religion?  “It's up to me to start living a life of integrity,” affirmed golf’s superstar as he confessed to his affairs.  He says to save his marriage and children, he wants to balance his spiritual and professional lives.  Can he?  (Short op-ed)

"Please, No More 'Help!' " By: Gary Hardaway. Posted 2/19/10 (630 words)  

I believe it was Ronald Reagan who once said that the most dreaded words in the English language are, “I’m from the government, and I’m here to help you.” More recently, Charles Colson, commenting on the 2000 page “Health Care” bill passed by the House of Representatives, evoked a similar theme, by suggesting an “even more terrifying” prospect: “I’m the government’s health care choices commissioner. Let me see your insurance policy.” The bill called for the creation of 111 new government agencies. That’s an awful lot of “help” that a lot of people don’t seem to want. I know I don’t....

"In Religion and In Science, Humility Has Its Place" By: Don Lindman. Posted 2/19/10 (630 words)  “Dark energy” makes up 74% of the universe, and scientists confess that after 10 years of study they don’t have any idea what it is.  This awareness has “shaken the fields of physics and astronomy, much as Copernicus did five centuries ago when he declared that the Earth revolved around the sun,” said Robert S. Boyd of McClatchy Newspapers, writing in the Detroit Free Press....

"Where Was God When. . ."  By: Don Lindman. Posted 2/19/10 (470 words)  The newspaper informed me that a child died senselessly in an auto accident, and my thoughts went back nearly 20 years—to 1991—when the child who died was my child.  Coming back from a ski trip Jill drove head-on into a semi-trailer truck on a rural highway.  The young man with her was badly bruised, but his life never was in danger.  Jill was killed instantly.  The automatic reaction of loved ones is to question where God was.  Why didn’t he intervene and stop the accident? ...

"To Many People, Christianity Doesn't Make Much Sense"  By: Don Lindman. Posted 2/19/10 (575 words)  Jews, Muslims, Unitarians, atheists, and agnostics are among a long list of people who find many Christian ideas incomprehensible.  For example, from its early years Christianity has confessed that God exists in three persons—Father, Son, Holy Spirit—but is never-the-less one God.  This belief, that Christians call “the Trinity,” is illogical and irrational, say the critics.  Illogical, perhaps, but true, reply Christians....

"Something Tangible" By: Linda Downing. Posted 2/10/10 (660 words) 

Sometimes we find encouragement in surprising places. If economic and natural disaster, terrorism, and other threats destroy expectation, then cynicism, like that in the first half of the 20th c., strikes. After two world wars, even some theologians said: “God is dead.” He wasn’t—and isn’t ....

"So, Abstinence Really Works?" By: Debbie Thurman. Posted 2/10/10 (680 words)  In the world of adolescent psychology aimed at moderating teen sexual behavior, up is sometimes down and yes is sometimes no. But then, all secular science is that way ....

"Go Home" By: Debbie Thurman. Posted 2/03/10 (650 words)  As I write these words, I sit with my first morning cup of coffee next to a bay window that frames a glorious winter wonderland scene. Some 15 inches of pristine snow, glistening under a robin-egg-blue sky, blanket our “God’s little acre” in Central Virginia. The birds that typically brave winters here gather around the feeders for their breakfast of sunflower seeds or suet. A blazing fire crackles in the fireplace.  Ah, home, warm and secure against the unusually harsh elements. No better place to be just now ....

"Choosing Life" By: Debbie Thurman. Posted 2/03/10 (670 words)  Just when we thought the abortion debate had taken a backseat to the economy and poor leadership in Washington, along come Pam Tebow and her Heisman Trophy-winning son, Tim — with some help from Focus on the Family — to celebrate Life in vivid personification, and the pro-life movement has a first-and-goal at the one-yard line ....

"Ted and Gayle Haggard's Courageous Journey" By: Debbie Thurman. Posted 2/03/10 (660 words)  When I first learned of evangelical leader Ted Haggard’s fall from grace through homosexual promiscuity, my heart immediately went out to him and his family.  Change the names and reverse the genders and you’d be looking at a situation more resembling the one my husband and I endured quite a few years ago ....

"Tim Tebow:  To Be or Not To Be, That Was the Question" By: Kendall Wingrove. Posted 2/03/10 (650 words)  Bob and Pam Tebow faced a decision.  The missionaries were expecting their fifth child and the pregnancy had been filled with one nightmare after another.  "The placenta was never properly attached, and there was bleeding from the get-go," Bob recalled years later. "We thought we'd lost him several times." ...

"What 'American Idol' Reveals About Our Culture" By: William E. Cripe, Sr. Posted 1/25/10 (525 words)  Another season of the wildly popular American Idol is underway and if you’re one of the millions who watch, I trust you will appreciate what I am about to say.  Week after week in these early stages of tryouts, we are “treated” to a montage of Americans who, with stars in their eyes, gyrate, rotate, vibrate, juggle and dance with a song in tow and a dream of being the next pop icon....

"Is Haiti Under A Curse?" By: James J. Jackson. Posted 1/25/10 (600 words) 

Evangelist Pat Robertson opined that the Island nation of Haiti has been cursed because its people have ‘sworn a pact with the devil.”  Robertson stated that Haiti promised Satan that they would serve him if he freed them from the French.  Robertson says that Haiti has suffered all much poverty and destruction ever since.  His remarks sparked a firestorm of protest....

"Here's What Happened in Massachusetts" By: Gregory J. Rummo. Posted 1/25/10 (900 words)  What bothered me the most about candidate Barack Obama was the revelation of his attendance at a church whose minister preached hate-America sermons on a number of occasions. Obama ultimately threw him under the bus and the largely un-churched mainstream media ignored it as a non-story.  But for a faithful churchgoer like me, it was really everything I needed to know about the man....

"Greed Almost Destroyed the World's Economies" By: Gregory J. Rummo. Posted 1/25/10 (800 words)  In the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon wrote, “Money answers everything.” Should this strike you as something of a surprise, keep in mind that the wise king, wealthy as he was, was a man well acquainted with human nature and all of its shortcomings. He knew the power of wealth to bless or to curse....

"Global Warming's Glacial Blunder" By: Rusty Wright. Posted 1/25/10 (600 words)  “World misled over Himalayan glacier meltdown,” declared the disturbing headline in The Sunday Times of London.  What caused a major UN climate change panel to backtrack and admit a serious mistake in its prediction?  What insights does this episode offer about determining the truth?  (Short op-ed)

"Every Life Can Impact Many Others" By: Jan White.  Posted 1/14/10 (515 words)  Every life, both born and unborn, has the potential to impact many others.  According to Genesis 1:27, God “created man in His own image.” The Creator God has stamped His image on each us....

"Is This Tiger An Endangered Species?" By: William E. Cripe, Sr.. Posted 1/13/10 (640 words)  I admit I am a "real" golfer.  I subscribe to three different golf magazines, I watch golf on T.V. and in the off season I have my putter, and several wedges in my office to keep my "game" somewhat tuned for when the weather finally breaks in May.  I admit too that I was a huge Tiger Woods fan.  I heard about him when he was 15 and there was a buzz about him even then.  The word was that he could be the next Jack Nicklaus. He did not disappoint--until recently....

"Is God on Our Side?" By: James J. Jackson. Posted 1/13/10 (605 words)  Politicians often accuse the so-called ‘Christian Right’ of believing they have God’s ear more than those of other political persuasions.  Many Christians do, indeed, believe God is on their side.  President Abraham Lincoln was once asked if he believed God was on his side.  Lincoln’s reply was, ‘… Let us not pray that God is on our side…, but let us pray that we are on God's side.’ ...

"Will You Seek God's Wisdom, or Play a Game of Chance?" By: James J. Jackson. Posted 1/13/10 (610 words)  Many of the TV game shows are based upon human greed.  On the show ’Deal or No Deal’, one can increase their winnings by making just the right choices of suitcases.  ’Jeopardy’ allows one to wager all of their money (or even more than they have) in order to increase their take.  The granddaddy of them all was the funny and entertaining ’Let’s Make A Deal’ ...

"How to Navigate through Life's Storms" By: James J. Jackson. Posted 1/13/10 (605 words)  Turbulence during flight can be very unsettling, even for a seasoned flyer.  A storm bounces the huge aircraft around like a toy in the paws of a giant cat.  The passengers’ utter lack of control or ability to do anything to ease the problem is most evident.  During such times, we often pray that the storm will end quickly.  Sometimes, it does ...

"What Happened to Justice for All?" By: Gary Hardaway. Posted 1/5/10 (685 words)   Our editorial syndicate strives to avoid partisan political discourse. We do, however, tackle moral and ethical issues, wherever they arise.  Such issues have now arisen. In Congress. In the dynamics of the health care debate.   Citizens and their representatives disagree ...

"Discover the Best Advice for the New Year" By: Jan White.  Posted 1/5/10 (510 words)  The wit and wisdom of Benjamin Franklin made his Poor Richard’s Almanac popular.  He published it every year from 1733-1758.  Almanacs traditionally include a calendar, facts about outstanding dates and events, and weather predictions especially useful for knowing when to plant crops.  Another thing almanacs are known for is practical advice....

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