Tag Archives: honor

I, Plastic Dino, Do Solemnly Swear…

Posted on April 19, 2018 by

[Note:  Image, originally from Facebook, courtesy of Military.com.] “I, Plastic Dino, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Military History, Musings | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Your Enemies You Will Have With You Always

Posted on April 16, 2018 by

Yesterday afternoon I spent a good deal of time visiting with some friends of mine in a neighboring congregation.  While engaged in conversation with the pater familias, I heard a story about an ongoing dispute over some land that had … Continue reading →

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We Don’t Talk Anymore

Posted on February 1, 2018 by

It is perhaps unsurprising that I have spent a great deal of my life as an observer or a participant in places where people found it impossible to communicate.  This is not to say that I consider myself a great … Continue reading →

Posted in Musings | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Distorting Reality By Despising Others

Posted on October 29, 2017 by

Yesterday at services in Portland, the gentleman who gave the sermonette had a thoughtful subject to discuss [1] and he went about his message in a very intriguing way.  First, he began with an object illustration that I found highly … Continue reading →

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You Take The High Road, And I’ll Take The Low Road, And I’ll Get To Scotland Before You

Posted on October 21, 2017 by

One of the music reviewers online whose videos I enjoy–there are quite a few–is named Anthony Fantano, who claims himself to be the Internet’s busiest music nerd [1].  Some time ago a magazine wrote a hack job on him that … Continue reading →

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Book Review: Sacred Mundane

Posted on August 21, 2017 by

Sacred Mundane:  How To Find Freedom, Purpose, And Joy, by Kari Patterson [Note:  This book was provided free of charge by Kregel Book Tours.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.] To a large degree, I am not part of … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, Christianity | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Book Review: Abraham Lincoln In The Post-Heroic Era

Posted on July 10, 2017 by

Abraham Lincoln In The Post-Heroic Era:  History And Memory In Late Twentieth-Century America, by Barry Schwartz There is a lot to admire about this book.  It is likely that very few people will like this book, given the author’s stilted … Continue reading →

Posted in American History, Book Reviews, History | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Book Review: Last Of The Blue And Gray

Posted on June 28, 2017 by

Last Of The Blue And Gray:  Old Men, Stolen Glory, And The Mystery That Outlived The Civil War, by Richard A. Serrano I have to admit that I was surprised by how interesting this particular book was.  The author, who … Continue reading →

Posted in American Civil War, American History, Book Reviews, History | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Nor Curse A Ruler Of Your People

Posted on June 11, 2017 by

[Note:  This is the prepared text for a sermonette given at the United Church of God congregation in Portland on June 10, 2017.  It had been previously given at the UCG congregation in Hood River on June 3, 2017.] I … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Biblical History, Christianity, Church of God, History, Musings, Sermonettes | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

The Promise Being Made, Must Be Kept

Posted on June 10, 2017 by

As is the case with everything else about Abraham Lincoln, the extent to which we may consider Abraham Lincoln to have been strongly influenced by the racism of his generation or by our own self-professed egalitarianism is hotly debated [1]. … Continue reading →

Posted in American History, Christianity, History, Love & Marriage, Musings | Tagged , | Leave a comment