Were we in the “good old days” of Christian retailing, right now booksellers, publishers, authors, agents and others would be preparing for the annual International Christian Retailing Show (ICRS) in early July at a major convention center. Crowds of 12,000 to 15,000 would be expected, a magnet for national media coverage and book signings by…
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Despite her status as a New York Times bestselling author with scads of fans that I assume run into the millions, I have never read a Karen Kingsbury novel. Still, the name is familiar to most folks in the Christian products industry. So when I saw a magazine story recently about the Amazon Prime series…
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A woman my wife and I know was ready to hop on a plane recently to visit her brother, whom she had been unable to reach via phone or text. Her concern stemmed from news he had placed on social media about having cancer. She was determined to find out what in the world was…
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Many years ago, an acquaintance gave me a copy of Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, a history of the persecution of Protestants that dates back to 1563. The fact that a book published more than 460 years ago remains in print is testimony to its impact. However, just a few pages into the first chapter, I…
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I never knew Mandisa, the talented and yet troubled singer who fought numerous battles before apparently succumbing to them in mid-April, when she was found dead at her Nashville home. (Her father blames it on Covid.) I was a latecomer to her fan club, only relatively recently hearing “Overcomer,” the title track of her 2014…
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Years ago, I talked with a businessman from California who had been through all kinds of agony with his daughter. After she got hooked on heroin, it took several trips through drug rehabilitation to get her free. Describing some of the challenges he had endured, he asked, “Do you know how to tell if a…
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Churches appear to be on the downslide—or that’s what recent headlines would make the public think. There is evidence to buttress such views, from a widespread decline in attendance to the stomach-turning sexual abuse cases and other scandals afflicting Christendom. Yet, it’s worth noting that even non-believers appreciate the value of churches and the attendant…
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More than a decade ago, in the midst of a periodic economic slump, a job possibility appeared, based in a state in the South. With that year beginning with the loss of freelance contracts and projects totaling $2,100 a month, I gave it serious consideration. As it turned out, the logistics of an interview fell…
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Buoyed by presidential support and the Inflation Reduction Act, sales of electric vehicles (EVs) reportedly rose last year, only to encounter a brutish dash of reality come 2024. As I watch the cascading headlines of recent months that portend a slowly gathering transportation (and economic) disaster, I wonder if there is a way to reverse…
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Despite rather chilly (50 degrees) temperatures suited more to football, on Mar. 1 Marshall University christened its new baseball stadium. The long-awaited development brought an end to 50 years of broken promises. As local newspaper columnist Chuck Landon wrote later, “I never thought it would be built. Never ever. Not going to happen. No chance.…
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