Tag: freelancer writer

Casting Stones is Dangerous Business

Unless there is some earth-shattering development in the next two weeks, Hillary Clinton will become the nation’s next president. Donald Trump’s campaign has been on the decline ever since his crude remarks about women 11 years ago became public knowledge. (Pause here to say that a woman I know very well remarked recently, “Anyone who…
Read more

Contentious Debates Reflect More Serious Problem

The presidential debates have now concluded, but I can’t say they did much to help me make up my mind about how I will vote in less than three weeks. Whether it was Hilary Clinton and Donald Trump—or their running mates—going at each other, it felt more like watching dueling sound bites. Or listening to…
Read more

In the Blink of an Eye, We can be Wrong

Though Blink was published nine years ago, an observation by author Malcolm Gladwell in his bestseller is more relevant than ever. A treatise on the split-second decisions we often make, at one point Gladwell talked about the negative reactions people had to various stimuli. As the son of a Jamaican mother, one wouldn’t consider him a…
Read more

Presidential Gaffe Emphasizes Need for Prayer

The fact that Gary Johnson didn’t attract enough supporters in leading polls to qualify for last week’s first presidential debate is a good indication that the Libertarian candidate isn’t going to win the forthcoming election. It didn’t help matters any that a few weeks before, while being questioned on a national TV program about the…
Read more

Lessons Forged in the Crucible of Misery

The comment that came out of left field one day left me wounded for the entire weekend. I wasn’t just offended. It was a kick-in-the-gut, you’re-not-too-hot sort of insult that left me clutching my stomach. Now that a couple weeks have passed, I marvel at the way God led me through this crisis of confidence.…
Read more

The First Simone Biles

With football season in high gear and the presidential election drawing ever closer, the Summer Olympics are already fading into memory. Yet I couldn’t let them pass without commenting on the special feelings they left millions with—like me, awed by the incredible athletic talents displayed in Rio de Janeiro. Ironically, our Olympics viewing tended to…
Read more

Serious 9-11 Allegations Ignored

The 9-11 terrorist attacks that created the Patriot Act and the Department of Homeland Security also inspired the tagline: “See something, say something.” However, when people take those words seriously, they aren’t necessarily treated with respect or seriousness. Case in point is the educator and former car salesman who observed numerous 9-11 hijackers in southern…
Read more

The Grief of Losing a Close Friend

Bad news travels fast these days, as I discovered last week through the modern equivalent of the back fence: Facebook. A family member posted an RIP for Tom Sirotnak, an evangelist in Southern California who I had known for nearly 24 years. Until I met Tom through a writing project that led to collaborating with…
Read more

Drawing Inspiration from a Dead Football Hero

College football kicks off tonight with a slate of 16 games, followed by 11 more on Friday and such big-name clashes on Saturday as Alabama vs. Southern California, and UCLA vs. Texas A&M. However, if you want to watch some football and finish with a good feeling—no matter who wins—check out the movie, Greater. The…
Read more

A Masterful Vision Comes to Life

Last year I wrote a blog about the impressive public art project in Huntington, West Virginia known as the Artisans Express.  A fund raiser for the Hoops Family Children’s Hospital, it was sponsored by the Cabell Huntington Hospital Foundation. The organization invited artists to submit their interpretations for train engine models (trains being a key…
Read more