From the day he was born until the day he was murdered, 39 years later, Martin Luther King, Jr. was outside the mainstream. King was the original Black Lives Matter leader. Born to a comfortably middle class family, the color of his skin made him a second class American. He refused to accept the status quo of racism and became the famous face of the original Black Lives Movement. With his visage on United States postage stamps and a federal... Read more
By Hugh Haynie. First published in the Louisville Courier-Journal on Dec. 24, 1961. Jim Meisner, Jr. is the author of the novel Faith, Hope, and Baseball, available on Amazon, or follow this link to order an autographed copy. Read more
For more about Kelly Latimore, visit his website: https://kellylatimoreicons.com/ Jim Meisner, Jr. is the author of the novel Faith, Hope, and Baseball, available on Amazon, or follow this link to order an autographed copy. Read more
As sure as Christmas means Santa and gingerbread, someone asks about the “virgin birth.” Some Christians find value in the Biblical birth narrative. Some demand belief in the Virgin Mary or belief in the scriptures that give us the Christmas story of a babe born in a manger. But early Christians weren’t as concerned with the birth of Jesus, as they were concerned with the death and resurrection of Jesus. The story of Jesus’ birth is in only two of... Read more
How many times have you seen A Charlie Brown Christmas, the Emmy award-winning TV program charming audiences for more than 50 years? As Charlie Brown struggles with the commercialism of Christmas, Linus reminds him of what Christmas is all about. The Christian messages are both obvious and subtle. Linus was actually a contemporary of Paul and active in the early church. The soundtrack includes the hymn, Hark the Herald Angels Sing: Hark the herald angels sing “Glory to the newborn... Read more
A seven-branched menorah symbolizes Jewish Temple tradition. The nine-branched Hanukkah menorah is lit during the eight-day holiday of Hanukkah. A new branch is lit on each night of Hanukkah. In the ancient story, when the Maccabean revolt led to the restoration of the Temple, there was only enough oil to light the lamp for a night. But in miraculous fashion, each evening enough oil remained for another night. And then another, and finally enough oil for eight nights. The ninth... Read more
“The House speaker’s worldview is dictated by the Bible,” read the New York Times headline after the elevation of Louisiana’s Mike Johnson to the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Johnson may claim his worldview is “dictated” by the Bible, but it isn’t. I am loath to criticize fellow Christians, but we must speak up when Christianity is weaponized in the name of faith. Nothing in Johnson’s public life is remotely Christian. Christians need to hold him accountable and help... Read more
I first spoke to former President Jimmy Carter during his Sunday school lesson at his church. An elder had warned the group of around 50 people that he would ask pastors to stand up and identify themselves at the beginning of the class. Around five or six of us stood and shared what denomination we were with and what state we were from. He asked a woman minister to open the proceedings with prayer, held in the sanctuary of Maranatha... Read more
“Jimmy Buffett’s here.” I knew he was playing golf that day, that’s why I was there on my day off. I’d seen his name on the reservation sheet the day before. The golf course where I worked hosted many famous people, giving me the opportunity to meet people as varied as John Denver, Bruce Hornsby, and broadcaster Jim McKay, to Vice President Dan Quail, and Senators Sam Nunn, Ted Kennedy, and Rudy Boswitch. Even in the late 1980s, Buffett was... Read more
On July 2, 1964, President Lyndon Johnson signed into law the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The year before, in a landmark nationally televised address on June 6, 1963, President John F. Kennedy laid out the stark terms of racism in the United States that evening. “The Negro baby born in America today, regardless of the section of the Nation in which he is born, has about one-half as much chance of completing a high school as a white baby... Read more
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