I had not been to Niagra Falls since I was quite young, and my parents and my sister and I went, and saw both the American and Canadian side of the Falls including a ride on the Maid of the Mist.  But that was during high summer, and this time my old student and friend was taking me in frigid time— November 1.  There is a reason why super spicy hot wings were invented in Buffalo and are called Buffalo... Read more

Unbeknownst to me, I went to see the Turner visiting collection, and a bunch of French impressionist art was part of the permanent collection here, including considerable diversity, from both the early and later impressionists. Impressionism is as its name suggests, not an attempt at stark realism but an attempt to render how certain lightings leave certain impressions on the artist. In other words, it is a more subjective rather than objective take on the subject matter, along the lines... Read more

This is the Advent sermon I preached in Estes Chapel on Dec. 7th at Asbury.   Read more

Whilst in Fort Worth in November, I had the time between lecturing to go see the various exhibits at the Kimble Art Museum because I had heard about a special Turner exhibit curated from collections from all over the world.  Since he’s one of my favorite 19th century painters, especially of seascapes, I and my friend Gene Wilkes went to see the exhibits. It turns out there are other interesting exhibits there as well, the first of which is early... Read more

Above, Paul and Titus and the Church in Crete. Paul never really talked about the birth of Jesus much, though Paul mentions he was born of woman, born under the Mosaic Law (Gal. 4.4) and that he was of Davidic descent (Rom. 1.3).   Clearly, as Phil. 2.5-11 would show he is more concerned with the significance of the incarnation of Christ as a human and yet divine person than about the particulars in regard to how and where he came... Read more

The S of course stands for Samuels. There are various antiques and more modern art glass pieces in the house, as well as much Makers Mark memorabilia. Notice the rustic scenes painted on the walls. That’s my wife Ann on the divan. And no…. she does not come with the house!  But it is certainly well worth visiting and having a nice weekend at this B+B which has quite nice plush modern beds and bathrooms installed.  A good time will... Read more

Ye olde carriage house at the Samuels mansion.     The Samuels house from various angles today.  And below the lovely lane on which it sits. The house is in remarkably good condition for a 19th century fixer upper.  In our next post we will explore the inside story. Read more

First of all, I’m not referring to Joe Walsh and company. That should go without saying when you look at the pictures above. Most of you will know something of the history of Frank and Jesse James during the period of the wild Midwest.  But what you may not know is that while these boys were born in Mizzou, that ended up spending a fair bit of their time in Kentucky, in particular in the Samuel’s house on the outskirts... Read more

Frogs yes, gnats yes, locusts yes…. but sharks?  This lively painting is found in the kindergarten wing of a Methodist Church in the greater Atlanta area, a church where I was doing an event.   Who knew Moses had to deal with sea creatures too! Read more

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dq9AX-Z1pc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5l5iLUiemo Read more