Shall we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the EPA?

December is the 50th anniversary of the National Environmental Protection Act, which created the Environmental Protection Agency.  Did we need a new federal agency and has it done a good job? The answer is an unequivocable yes! During the 1960s, we began to realize that Earth was in trouble.

Perils may come with scolding people

It was late winter, 1974.  Three young women – Ann Porter, my wife Shirley and someone whose name we can’t recall –were sitting inside a beauty salon in downtown Boston, Mass. The salon had closed, but there they were, three more customers waiting anxiously to get free haircuts.

Cherokee trails provided early access

Scattered throughout the woods of Graham County are a number of old trails and roads.  Many of them are probably unknown to most people, with the exception of hunters.  One of the favorite things that Hoot Gibbs and I like to do is to locate these old trails and roads.

The word was made flesh

Athanasius’ fourth century work, On the Incarnation, is still recommended and read today as a primer to understand why God became human to redeem humanity.  He wrote it as a defense against those who denied Jesus was fully God and fully human.

Control your blood pressure, before it’s too late

There are some individuals who are really easily stressed out whenever they hear bad news. Consequently, they are so overwhelmed with a situation that this causes their respective blood pressures to shoot up aggressively.

With liberty and justice … for some?

The world is consumed with the idea of justice. I count myself among the many in that regard, because I too expect justice.  The common premise that most societies accept is Lex Talionis, otherwise known as an eye for an eye.

The power to pardon

The purpose of a Presidential pardon is to restore civil rights and other privileges of full citizenship, such as the right to carry a gun to felons convicted of federal offenses.  The power to pardon is provided in Article II, Section 2 of the U..S. Constitution.

Post-Thanksgiving thankfulness

It is now a week past Thanksgiving and I would like to share some post-thanksgiving thoughts.  I believe that we can never think too much about what we can be thankful for. Americans have a long tradition of thanksgiving.

Take a stroll through the December woods

It might seem strange to some when I say that winter is one of my favorite times to be in the woods.  Gone is the threat of poisonous snakes, yellow jacket nests, and those pesky gnats and mosquitos. With the leaves down, more distant vistas are opened up.

"Well done, good and faithful servants"

Jesus told a parable (Matthew 25:31-46) to his disciples about a group that He praised for all they did helping people, including providing food.  They were surprised and asked, “Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee?