Second of three parts In my last post I mentioned how Sam Quinones, the author of Dreamland: The True Tale of America’s Opiate Epidemic, kept the attention of a capacity crowd recently at Marshall University. I think one reason is the fascinating details he revealed about the legwork and research that went into his book.…
Read more
First of three parts Conventional wisdom advises public speakers to limit their remarks to 15 to 20 minutes to avoid losing their audience. Supposedly, in today’s short-attention-span world, going any longer means most people will tune out. I recently watched an author that wisdom on its ear. Sam Quinones, the author of Dreamland: The True…
Read more
When new believers in Christ share their newfound faith and why they changed their way of life, the reaction from many people is to run away from the truth. They pass it off with a convenient comment like: “Oh, you got religion.” Granted, some people do “get religion.” But this is a life-killing, spirit-killing brand…
Read more
A recent TV news story about a break-in at an area business had a familiar feel to it, until the owner talked about the impact of drugs, the root cause of so much crime. He mentioned the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945 and compared the drug situation there to that devastated Japanese city.…
Read more
There’s nothing like a mammoth car repair bill to feel like you’ve been shanghai-ed, punched in the mouth, and told to dodge traffic in the middle of an interstate highway. Which is why a slew of recent spam mail promising eight-figure fortunes in return for personal information and ATM fees brought me some much-needed comic…
Read more
I recently interviewed leadership expert John Maxwell for a story about one-time pastors who left their pulpits to have greater influence. One comment in particular he made from his years operating primarily in the business world struck a chord because of the lesson it offers all church members. “You can’t start a conversation with criticism;…
Read more
I saw two movies recently. One captured an Academy Award two years ago. The other ought to when next year’s Oscars are handed out, although being a Disney film will likely torpedo its chances. The first, Searching for Sugarman, chronicles the story of Sixto Rodriguez. A singer whose first two albums sold next to nothing,…
Read more
Having enjoyed Stephen and Alex Kendrick’s Courageous, we laid aside our customary habit of waiting for the DVD release to take in a first-run viewing of War Room recently. We weren’t disappointed. In my case, there was a bit of a personal connection. I kept thinking that one of the lead characters, Tony Jordan, looked…
Read more
I used to think that retailers were putting themselves out of business by failing to stock adequate supplies, leaving the door wide open for online sellers to fill this gap. However, after my latest, fruitless foray into trying to order my favorite brand of writing pen, I think online sites have met their match. At…
Read more
When we cut the cable TV cord two years ago, I thought we were trend-setters. However, judging by several conversations with people younger than me, we were late to the party. An increasing number talk about how they long ago cut cable or satellite service. In its place, they watch Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, computer clips…
Read more
