Archive

Archive for the ‘William B. Bradshaw’ Category

How About Some Respect

January 5th, 2015 No comments

I wish many things for 2015, but one in particular is “Respect for others.”  The basic concept of respect covers a large spectrum of subjects; I am mentioning only a few in hopes that my comments will stimulate your thinking.  Perhaps together we can come up with a list of things we all need to do to help make respect for others more prevalent in 2015.

 

In my opinion respect for others starts in the home with young children.  Parents need to teach and practice respect for themselves and other members of the family.  I am appalled at how some parents talk to their children and allow their children to speak to them.  I witness some parents and children shouting at one another, and sometimes using foul language.  This is teaching disrespect that goes far beyond the family.  Parents need to teach children early on how to disagree with another person without shouting and yelling and name-calling. Read more…

Will Your Foundation Pass Inspection?

December 31st, 2014 No comments

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…

Mary and Joesph

December 20th, 2014 No comments

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…

Celebrating Christmas

December 15th, 2014 No comments

 

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…

Ferguson

December 11th, 2014 No comments

It is not my intention to take sides one way or the other on the decision of the grand jury relating to the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, by Darren Wilson, a police officer.  My purpose here is to clear up some misunderstandings and incorrect information.

 

The national news media have, for the most part, portrayed Ferguson as a small town located in the distant suburbs of St. Louis.  Traveling by surface roads, Ferguson is about 1.5 miles from the City of St. Louis. 

 

St. Louis County is a large county: 524 square miles, consisting of ninety municipalities and ten unincorporated census-designated areas, with a total population of 1,001,500 people.  The City of St. Louis is a county in itself and, therefore, is not included in St. Louis County.  The City of Ferguson is one of the larger municipalities in St. Louis County, consisting of 6.2 square miles with a population of slightly over 21,000 people.

 

There has been much criticism of the county prosecutor’s decision to announce the results of the grand jury at night.  The New York Times (11/26/14, p. A24) described it as a “reckless” decision because “darkness placed the law enforcement agencies at a serious disadvantage as they tried to control the angry crowds . . .”  Read more…

Thanksgiving and Political Correctness

November 25th, 2014 No comments

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…