In his early February State of the Union message, President Joe Biden proclaimed his affinity for the blue-collar workers and other folks harmed by manufacturing declines of late. “Too many people have been left behind or treated like they’re invisible,” he said. “Maybe that’s you watching at home. You remember the jobs that went away.”…
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I had another birthday Monday. But at my age, those aren’t major occasions. Besides, the date I paid more attention to this year fell in late January. It marked the 15th anniversary of my double bypass surgery. Something about heart trouble seems to bring out skeptics from every corner, doubting the medications you take or…
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Ever since losing a project about five years ago when a businessman thought Grammarly could edit his copy as well as me, I’ve been aware of the threat posed to my livelihood by Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its cousins. Still, when headlines about the debut of ChatGPT spread over the internet and beyond, I didn’t…
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For the second time in three months, a faith-based film ranked #3 in national box office revenues the last weekend of February. This time, Jesus Revolution pulled in $15.5 million, more than twice advance projections. To top that off, the weekend of Mar. 3 it earned another $15 million and was #4 in the rankings.…
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Halfway through the Super Bowl, I received a most unexpected and yet welcome text from a friend in North Carolina about a remarkable revival breaking out at Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky. “Our son is flying there to participate,” he said. “Professors are canceling classes. Go Holy Spirit go.” While I didn’t do any searching…
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Years ago I interviewed a cutting-edge pastor for a feature story. When I spoke to him again later for another publication, he had left traditional church ministry to lead open discussion groups. He wanted to encourage Christ-followers to engage in active reflection instead of relying on one person to dispense spiritual insight. While I appreciated…
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This week marks 44 years since I said, “I do.” One of the funniest memories of that day was my wife’s aunt approaching me at the wedding reception after she had dipped a bit too heavily into some adult refreshments. Warning me Janet deserved a good husband after all that she had been through (including…
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As a former newspaper reporter and editor, and sometime contributor to news-oriented publications today, I generally don’t throw stones at journalists. I know something about the intense deadline pressures, diminished resources, and other obstacles they face. Still, amid the ever-growing chorus of the anti-Asian, anti-Black, anti-gay, anti-anyone-who’s-different-than-the-suburban-WASP reports purporting to portray American society, I have…
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Bestselling author, ghostwriter, and speaker Cecil Murphey (or as his friends call him, Cec) celebrated his 90th birthday last weekend. That I’m only acknowledging it now isn’t a belated greeting as much as not wanting to spill the beans ahead of time about the flock of well-wishes extended to him by folks around the nation.…
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When Buffalo Bills’ safety Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field in Cincinnati Jan. 2, the injury proved so shocking it ended the game. Afterwards, I felt amazed at how quickly the value of prayer and prayer itself became an acceptable public practice. The week following the game, our local newspaper carried a syndicated editorial cartoon.…
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