The matter of drinking alcohol

“They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits end” (Psalm 107:27). Most people around the world tend to only know of one definition of ‘wine’. Since there are two actual definitions of ‘wine’, the Bible uses both, depending on the context.

Politics and one-liners part of history

We are deep into the political year to end all political years. More than 20 Democratic candidates are winnowing down to five or so. The primaries have started.

A space-force Bible

The new U.S. Space Force has an official Bible.  On Jan. 12, a Holy Bible was presented by Air Force Chief of Chaplains Steven A. Schaick, to be blessed by the Episcopal church’s Bishop of the Air Force at the Washington National Cathedral.

Graham County's crisis of contempt

The headline of this column is borrowed and slightly amended from a speech by Arthur C. Brooks given last week at the National Prayer Breakfast. The speaker is not a preacher, but he is a professor and sociologist and a person of profound faith.

Happy trails, Graham County!

By the time you read this, I will be gone.  No longer the staff writer for The Graham Star, I will be back in the classroom, teaching ninth-grade and creative writing at Cherokee High School.

Old Frank's Creek homesites visited

Recently, Hoot Gibbs and I visited some old homesites in the Frank’s Creek area.   Looking for old homesites in the woods is one of our favorite things to do. Much research of old land papers by Hoot – with the assistance of the Graham County Register of Deeds – helps greatly.

Feed faith, starve fear

“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6,7).

Do you love your children and grandchildren?

“Say whaaaat???? Have you gone crazy???? “Of course I love my children and grandchildren.  “I hug them. Listen to their problems and wipe away their tears. Feed them and care for them. I want to raise them to be good, moral people. That columnist must have gone crazy to ask such a question.

An outsider's take on prohibition

I never was much of a drinker.  Aside from a bad semester or two early in my college years, I never allowed drinking to become a habit. Even at my college worst, I only drank once per week.