Throughout the world at the present time, there is an activity being carried on that has been in existence in some form since the beginning of civilization.  However, since World War II it has been on a steady increase, and now we find it in just about every direction we look.

Yes, in just about every direction we turn our heads we see people building.  Buildings—of all different sizes and shapes, constructed of all types of materials, and for a variety of purposes—are being built.  And there is one thing that all of these buildings must have in common to pass inspection: a solid and secure foundation.

If a building doesn’t have a good foundation, it won’t make any different how much money is spent on it or how well it is built.  It will not be long until the windows begin to jam, the plaster cracks, and the floors buckle.  One must have a secure and solid foundation upon which to build.   

What we have been saying about buildings is also true of people—we must have a solid and secure foundation for our lives.  There was an Episcopalian clergyman I was acquainted with who wore a size “tipple D” shoe.  His foot was so big he was fondly referred to as “Reverend Footsie.”  But this is not the kind of foundation I am referring to: I’m thinking about the foundation to man’s soul, the foundation to one’s very house of life. Read more…

Year after year Christians around the world celebrate Christmas by focusing on the story of the first Christmas as recorded in the Gospels of Matthew (1:18-25) and Luke (1:26-38; 2:1-20): the story of Mary and Joseph and the baby Jesus.  We concentrate on the same details each year: that Mary was a young woman, had not been intimate with any man, yet gave birth to Jesus as a result of God’s selection of her to be the mother of the Messiah, and that she gave birth to Jesus in a stable; and that Joseph was a carpenter by trade, kind hearted, a devout Jew, a good father to Jesus, and a very caring wife to Mary.  The purpose of this week’s article is to look at some aspects of Mary’s and Joseph’s lives less often written or talked about.

We do not know exactly how old Mary was. Read more…

It was about 2,044 years ago, in 30 B.C., that there was a great celebration throughout all of the Roman Empire, especially among Roman leaders.  The Roman army became the supreme ruler of the land, and the ships of the Roman people became the rulers of the sea.  There was no question that Rome was the ruler of the world as it was known at that time.

There appeared to be much glory and splendor throughout all of Rome, but much of it was like surface skin that covers deep and fatal sores not visible on the surface—in this case, the hidden resentment of the common people.  They were poor.  And more than being poor, the common people were terribly mistreated.  Cruelty seemed to be the policy of the government toward them.  As far as the common people were concerned, there was no hope for the future, and they had become depressed, despondent, easy to mistreat, and subjected to becoming slaves.

But one night all of this changed when, in Bethlehem, a young girl, unknown to the world, gave Read more…

The Motion Picture Association of America rates movies to provide viewers with advance information about the content of films.  If asked to rate this blog, I would say it is “not politically correct.”  Having been reared in a small town in the Ozarks of southwestern Missouri during World War II and immediately following, I firmly believe there are some things we need to be reminded of as we prepare for Thanksgiving 2014, even if it means being politically incorrect.  Bear with me for four paragraphs, and you will see what I mean. Read more…

On Monday of this past week, the Pew Research Center released the results of a poll taken earlier this month about religion, with this heading, “Public Sees Religion’s Influence Waning.”  The survey addressed a wide range of religious topics relating to life in America.  

The first question in the poll was: “At the present time, do you think religion as a whole is increasing its influence on American life or losing its influence?”  The answers: 72% answered losing its influence; 22% said increasing its influence; and 6 percent responded the same or don’t know.  “Losing its influence” is up five percentage points from 2010, to the highest level in Pew Research polling.  

Most people who say religion is losing its influence in American life see this as a negative development, Read more…

On August 27, 2014, Andy Thomason, news reporter for The Chronicle of Higher Education wrote: “You are getting older. You are older now than you were at the moment this page first loaded. And now you’re even older, and you can’t stem the tide of time.” What he wrote, of course, is correct. From the minute we are born, we continue every second of our lives to get older. Over time, this can become somewhat disconcerting. I suggest that there is, however, something we can do to make each stage of our lives more rewarding. 

As human beings, male and female, young and old, we never seem satisfied with where we are in life.  For example: Read more…