My dad taught me how to say “No” and “Yes”
My mother and father tried to teach me some manners, how to behave at home and anywhere else and the proper way to speak to my elders. It was not just “yes” or “no.” To...
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Back to Church Sunday ?
National “Back to Church Sunday” was widely observed on Sunday, September 16, 2012. Earlier “Back to School” advertising specifically spelled out what every child needs to be in style. Quite a change since my first...
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Receiving a call from the Diabetes Association
One morning, August 2011, I received a call from the Diabetic Association asking me about my daily blood testing supplies. As far as I know, I am not diabetic. The conversation with a polite and...
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The place where education begins
Who are the most important people in obtaining a first class education? TIME magazine, September 20, 2010, carried this thought provoking front cover headline, “What Makes a School Great”; not a question, but the suggestion...
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It’s time to think about family life
When family life disintegrates and dissolves from what it was intended to be, the state and nation in which this takes place is precariously attempting to balance itself on the cusp of total destruction. Simply...
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Memorial Day is a time to remember and honor
Memorial Day was first observed on May 30, 1868, in remembrance of those who died during the Civil War. The day was honored on the order of General John Alexander Logan. It was a time...
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Extensive pornography collection found in in Osama bin Laden hideout
A hidden stash of pornography was found in the compound of Osama bin Laden by the U.S. commandos who killed him, current and former U.S. officials reported to Reuters news agency. The extensive collection of...
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High school and college graduation days are highlights
Most of us can vividly recall what it was like to graduate from high school and college. We felt a soothing sense of accomplishment. Our parents were filled with gratitude and pride. They felt like...
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What to do when there is not enough money
How do local, county and state governments deal with rising debt? What does a business or family do when the outgo exceeds the income? Most people make a determined effort to pay their bills...
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Reading can transform your life and put money in your pocket
Two brothers, men I am well acquainted with, wish they had learned to read when they were much younger. One is a well-educated and highly successful public school superintendent. His brother is equally educated and...
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Clergy flameout is not necessary and may be preventable
Twenty-four hours after a snowstorm in Teays Valley, WV, I walked out to the highway to pick up the Saturday morning Charleston Gazette-Mail newspaper, the largest in the state. Back at the kitchen table and...
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Some serious thoughts about marriage
Every week I look forward to reading USA Weekend. The February 11-13, 2011, issue was superb. The cover picture of Prince William and Kate Middleton presented a beautiful and handsome couple. You get the feeling...
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Fathers and sons serve as presidents of the United States
Many fathers may want their sons to follow in their particular vocation. It does not always work out that way. Play a little mind game and think of instances where sons followed their father’s vocation....
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Ronald Wilson Reagan, so close, but never formally met him
The lifeguard from Dixon, Illinois, the sports announcer and the president was always just out of my reach. We came close to meeting each other, but never did. This month we celebrate his 100th birthday....
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Fifty-six football definitions for Super Bowl fans
In the fall of 1984, Dr. Max Gaulke, college president, Houston, Texas, sent to me 13 definitions that were from the pen of the Earl J. Banning of Houston. I have added 70 or more...
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Meeting goals and needs in 2011
Our personal lives often come under attack. There is turmoil throughout the world. Our nation is dealing with numerous problems. Nobody and no place seem to be problem free. What I mention applies to most...
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How are we celebrating Christmas?
I enjoy Christmas so much that I always prefer to think of “The Twelve Days of Christmas” and when the celebration is completed, I begin to look forward to the next December. These days, however,...
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As we journey into Christmas
As a child, I began planning every Christmas for what I wanted and I hoped to receive from Santa Claus the next Christmas. Would it be a “Red Ryder BB” gun, a new toolbox of...
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How to vote intelligently
We are we are getting closer by the day to what may be the most important election in the history of the United States. The date to help determine the destiny of our nation is...
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Understanding what you believe
Apologetics has nothing to do with apologizing for what you believe. It is learning how to defend what you believe in a manner that makes sense, is reasonable, logical and displays the highest and best...
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Famous preacher addresses 124th North American Convention
Dr. Ronald V. Duncan, the church’s General Director, welcomed guests and visitors from throughout the nation and many other countries to the 124th North American Convention of the Church of God, meeting in Anderson, Indiana,...
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Reading books can be profitable in numerous ways
“And what have you been reading this summer?” Francis Bacon once commented, “Reading serves for delight, for ornament, for ability. The crafty contemn it; the simple admire it; the wise use it.” For years I...
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Church and state both face perilous times
We often hear discussions about the separation of church and state. There always seems to be a missing component in most of that kind of talk. Both are dependent on each other. Without the church,...
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Why do outstanding athletes choose to self-destruct?
I enjoyed watching the football bowl games at the end of 2009 and beginning of 2010, the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals just won by the Los Angeles Lakers and now parts of baseball games...
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A Tribute To A Father
Forty-seven years ago, the body my Dad lived in for 58 years, was gently lowered into the ground in Mt. Vernon Cemetery in the heart of beautiful Teays Valley, West Virginia. Today as I have...
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Characteristics of a well-ordered and successful life
I am always interested in what speakers have to say to high school and college graduating seniors. Numerous times, I have had the privilege of addressing graduates. I can still recall the first such address...
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Wedding success for the long haul
Kitty and I were married in June, the fourth day, four-thirty o’clock on Saturday afternoon. It was a blissful day and the wedding was beautiful. Everything seemed to be perfect, just as Kitty had meticulously...
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Summer time is youth camp time
Every time I pick up a newspaper there seems to be at least one story about young people and youth camps that begin as soon as school is out and continue until school begins again....
