The Place Where They Cried I am the place where they cried That sad march left their scars upon me Many lifeless bodies were left by my side The bones yet remain but their spirits are free Five civilized tribes on the run The Land of the Free treated them this way Prodded like sheep by the soldiers’ guns Forced from their lands without delay The Supreme Court ruled they could stay To remain an island sovereign... Read more
This is my fantasy: For 24 hours, I’ve been given supreme power to make any change to the American political machine that I want. I submit to you that my plan would liberate us from this confounded divided cesspool in which we are hopelessly mired. Here is what I would do. Step 1: Outlaw Political Parties Poof! They are gone, never to return. Step 2: Eliminate the Electoral College Poof! It’s gone–good riddance. Step 3: Create a New System by... Read more
The debate about salvation, faith, and good works is as old as denominational Christianity. In fact, this debate is the very reason we have denominational Christianity. When Martin Luther broke from the Catholic faith, taking (eventually) millions of Protestants with him, this was the root cause. Protestants are called to believe there is nothing we can do to earn our way into Heaven. We are supposed to believe that faith alone is what saves us. This belief should be humbling.... Read more
Look at that guy sitting in the pew over there. Who does he think he’s fooling? Don’t you know that he is one of those bleeding heart liberals? Doesn’t he realize we are on to him? He doesn’t belong here, he’s not one of us. I heard he shows up at all kinds of protests against our president. He doesn’t believe that Trump was sent by God to make our nation great again. He votes for Democrats. Anyone who... Read more
Lately, there has been a topic frequently churning around in my head. I’ve written several articles on it in the last few weeks. The topic is the self-destructive nature of the Democratic Party, particularly the far left portion of it. I have documented my own political journey often in my writing. I was born into a left-leaning family of Christian Democrats, I eventually turned more toward conservative Christianity, but in recent years, I’ve come back to the left, quite a... Read more
Note: This is the third in a series of articles I’m writing about songs that are particularly important and meaningful to me. These are songs that carry an important message about America, our history, and our continuing struggle to live up to our own creed. ________________________________________________________________ In this third installment of my analysis of songs that have meant a lot to me, I’m going to share a song called Lives in the Balance. Unlike the first two songs I shared, Wildfire by Mandolin... Read more
Dear President Trump, In the last few years, I’ve written a lot about you. I’m sure you’ve never read a word of it, but quite a few people have. I’ve got to be honest, Donald, most of it has been less than flattering. I’m not a fan of your policies, nor the way you comport yourself or treat others. I don’t think you’ve been good for this country at all. But, I must admit, you’ve been pretty good for me,... Read more
Note: This is the second in a series of articles I’m writing about songs that are particularly important and meaningful to me. These are songs that carry an important message about America, our history, and our continuing struggle to live up to our own creed. ________________________________________________________________ As I continue my attempt to share with you some music that has had a significant impact upon me, I’d like to introduce you to Jason Isbell. Like Mandolin Orange, whose song Wildfire I wrote about a... Read more
I’ve been here for a long time I couldn’t say how long Time means little to me Beyond the story it writes in my rings Throughout my long life I’ve watched so many of you come and go But I still don’t understand you When I was much younger I watched the red boys wrestling Chasing each other all around me Some used me to stop their arrows as they honed their skills They seemed so free, like... Read more
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Faith and the Pursuit of Happiness
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” —Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence Without a doubt, those are the most well known words in the history of the United States–our solemn creed written so prominently on our national birth certificate. Yes, we hold these words dear. We also have abused them... Read more