Life on Purpose
“The purposes of a person’s heart are deep waters..” — Proverbs 20:5“He restores my soul…” Psalm 23 Charles Wittlesey is one of my heroes. An attorney prior to going off to war, he earned a Congressional Medal of Honor for his determination and bravery in the final days of World War One. His battalion took […]
I Want to Be In the Light
“Be imitators of God….For once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Live as children of light.” Ephesians 5:1, 8 I have uncles that are twins: Jerry and Lerry. When I was a teen I worked with them many hours each summer on construction sites. The work was hard but the […]
Kennedy on Religious Liberty
The separation of church and state is absolute, where no Catholic prelate would tell the president, should he be Catholic, how to act, and no Protestant minister would tell his parishioners for whom to vote…” — John F. Kennedy Some are guilty of treating the comma following the word “absolute” as though it was a […]
Vanity
“…every man at his best state is altogether vanity.” Psalm 39:5 John Adams was vain, writes Denise Kiernan in the book Signing Their Lives Away. Because of his keen intellect he was almost always right, and he knew it. Thus, the ego, the arrogance. If the synonyms for the word vain are accurate, he was […]
The Unknown Comic
A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. Proverbs 17:22 One of the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence was a comedian? His name was Matthew Thornton. Thornton came to America when he was four years old. His path to success wasn’t exactly one of ease. For […]
Was He In It For the Money?
“Always set a good example for others. Be sincere and serious….” Titus 2:7 Sam Adams was the “poster boy” of American independence. So writes Denise Keirnan in the book Signing Their Lives Away. Why? Because once he set the course for independence he saw it through. It could have been otherwise. Adams was so influential […]
The Real Handicap
Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land, you who do what he commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility…. Zephaniah 2:3 Some might see humility as a roadblock to success. The Bible teaches just the opposite stating in a number of places that pride, not humility, is the real handicap. Indeed, humility can enable success […]
Devoted to Public Service
Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. 1 Peter 4:10 For some people, success seems to come easy. But if you look closer, you will usually find that their was a great deal of hard work behind it […]
Too Quick to Quarrel
It is to one’s honor to avoid strife, but every fool is quick to quarrel. Proverbs 20:3 Author Denise Kiernan slams Elbridge Gerry (a founding father who held many political positions from Governor of MA to VP of the United States): If he received a performance evaluation it would have read “does not work well […]
A Remarkably Generous Man
Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. 1 Timothy 6:18 On my book shelf sits “Stretch,” a 1997 issue Ty Beanie Baby Ostrich that was given to me as a gift from the faculty and staff of Bass Memorial Academy while I was […]