Civilization
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="485" caption="The Alamo, 1854"][/caption] When the outnumbered defenders of the Alamo refused the Mexicans’ demand to surrender, General Santa Anna ordered his buglers to play “El Deguello” – a call meaning “no quarter”, a signal that no prisoners would be taken, and anyone surviving the assault would be put to the sword.…
Fabled career goes up in smoke because a subordinate took a wrong turn Joe Paterno spent 46 years coaching football at Penn State University. Last night, the Board of Trustees told him no, you can't retire in six or eight weeks. You're fired, as of now. And he's not the perpetrator. Joe's problem really stems from…
Oddly enough, we were on the way to church when the subject of Halloween costumes came up. Our approach to the event has been contrarian from the start (more…)
“What is it that drives people to dress like that for Halloween?” my wife asked me. She wasn’t talking about little girls dressed like ballerinas and fairies, but folks of any age play-acting the monster variety. Why, indeed, would anyone want to pretend to be a zombie, a vampire, or a ghost for a few…
Today is St. Crispin's Day, my son informs me, the 596th anniversary of the Battle of Agincourt. [caption id="attachment_3842" align="aligncenter" width="486" caption="King Henry V at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415, John Gilbert (1817-1897)"][/caption] King Henry V of England was hopelessly outnumbered by the approaching French Army, but (more…)
Not many movies had me in tears in the opening sequence. "Courageous" did. I'm not an "early adopter" of whatever comes down the road--I think I didn't upgrade to Windows 95 until Windows 98 came out. Movies are a little different, and there may not be many days left in the theater schedule for this…
When Daniel was told not to pray, he knew he faced being thrown to the lions. When Christians in Tennessee are told not to pray, they may face a lion of a different kind, the unemployment “lion.”
Recently in Westmoreland, Tennessee, four high school football coaches bowed their heads during a student led prayer at a game.
We love to see the manly virtues played out in real life! Yesterday, we wrote in a Facebook note and shared the story of our courageous friend, missionary Mike Richardson and his determination to overcome fear to bring the gospel to those living in one of the most dangerous places on our continent - the…
I was intrigued when our son sent me a link to a graphic illustration of the most commonly used words in toy advertisements for boys and girls. Scanning over the words, I see something very different than the original researcher did... The words used in advertising toys for boys are things like battle, power, heroes,…
From time to time it's helpful to ask, and try to answer, the question of just what is a "real man." I recently saw a book criticizing the commercialization of boyhood. The cover artwork showed a hapless young man about ten or twelve years old. He was wearing a football helmet, shoulder pads, and Superman…