Question Everything

Last updated on: August 4, 2020 at 11:15 am By John Mark N. Reynolds

Socrates was killed for asking the wrong questions in a city that could not handle open minded investigations. John the Baptist was killed by politicians who did not like having their corruption and immorality pointed out. Tyrants never enjoy having their actions questioned and they particularly resist explaining them. Americans must live by the lessons of Socrates and the Baptist: Question everything. Examine everything. Dare to challenge anyone especially our rulers. Free woman and men demand to know not just... Read more

Moral Medicine

Last updated on: August 4, 2020 at 11:34 am By John Mark N. Reynolds

Morality uses medicine, but so does immorality. When I was a little boy, I knew a man who had been given “medical treatment” by the State of New York in the name of science. The brain surgery he received had more to do with his race and secular attitudes toward humanity at the time than any illness. It left him permanently unable to live in society. At the same time, I know medical doctors and nurses who take their time... Read more

Whit Had Great Value to God (Thoughts from Dad)

Last updated on: July 30, 2020 at 11:43 pm By John Mark N. Reynolds

When stuck in life, a basic policy has been: “ask Dad, he knows.” He told a story the other day that needs sharing. It reminded me of some home truths. I hope it does the same for you. I had a great uncle whose nickname was ‘Whit’. When he was young, he had something wrong with his eyes. The country doctor treated him, but he was left with poor vision. His brother gave him a home and he earned his... Read more

We can do better.

Last updated on: July 30, 2020 at 11:39 pm By John Mark N. Reynolds

Standing in the entrance of Disneyland, I have often seen small children crying when their parents try to take them through the arches that lead into the main part of the park. At first I was puzzled by this strange reaction to the Happiest Place on Earth until it happened with my own children when they were small. My wife and I discovered that the children were heartbroken to leave the most beautiful place (from a child’s perspective) that they... Read more

Deeds Not Just Words: End Our Discrimination Against God’s Children

Last updated on: July 29, 2020 at 1:37 pm By John Mark N. Reynolds

Americans too often worry more about what we call people than how we treat them. We may cringe when people are hateful, rightly so, and demand more loving language, but this is not enough. We need deeds not words. Recently, I heard a young person use the term “retard” to describe another human. The term “retarded” has outlived any usefulness, having turned into an insult. A different and more important problem is how we treat differences in mental acuity. I have... Read more

Hardish Times

Last updated on: July 28, 2020 at 7:11 pm By John Mark N. Reynolds

Like the knowledge that you will be hanged in the morning, bad economic times concentrate the mind wonderfully, but with the added advantage of being able to do something with what you have learned next week. What should we learn from hard times? If my bad finances are the result of foolish or wicked behavior, there is an obvious lesson to learn. Assuming that high returns can come without high risk is foolish. Spending your spouse’s retirement fund on a... Read more

A Bully in Nanny’s Clothing

Last updated on: July 26, 2020 at 3:40 pm By John Mark N. Reynolds

It is bad enough if bad information costs you the value of your 401-K, but worse if it costs your soul. Being told you are wrong is important at any time, but hearing that you might be wrong about critical areas is vital. Who wants to be wrong about the big questions of life? No friend would see such a major mistake being made by his pal without expressing his opinion and giving warning. This is especially true in the... Read more

Long Pants (Happy Birthday Dad)

Last updated on: February 27, 2023 at 9:07 am By John Mark N. Reynolds

Seventy-three years ago one little boy was disappointed. He got a very nice suit of clothes, what used to be called “church clothes,” but they had short pants. He had been hoping, trusting, that at ten he was ready for long pants, but his mother decided otherwise. Given the financial conditions of the times, where one wore out clothes before replacing them, that was going to take some time. Why did my dad want long pants for his birthday? Long... Read more

Jerusalem meet Athens, Athens meet Jerusalem

Last updated on: July 26, 2020 at 2:52 pm By John Mark N. Reynolds

The American Declaration of Independence is wise when it appeals both to the truths of nature and nature’s God. Without a divine vision the people perish and without being able to count the cost, our grasp on the divine vision can fail through human folly, bad choices, and weakness. We need to know what should be, but also what is and can be. Too much vision and a nation cannot act, but too little and it cannot act well. The... Read more

Global Anglicanism Finds a Voice

Last updated on: July 24, 2020 at 12:48 pm By John Mark N. Reynolds

Imagine a fan boy so full of admiration that he takes your name and moves into your house. Your family has always tried to reach out to others and so you allow him to stay with you as an act of kindness. Weirdly, after this fan moves in he becomes quite critical. He decides that many of your customs are unworthy of the family name and begins to demand that you change them. Your own children stop coming home because the... Read more