Here’s a Change of Pace on Thanksgiving Dinner with Friends!
Intro Usually we think of Thanksgiving Dinner as a time shared with our family. Sometimes we include members of our extended families from distant places and that makes the occasion even more special. Thanksgiving is also a time (in the U.S, anyway) of remembering the origins of our country – the Pilgrims who suffered greatly […]
Continue readingAmazing TED Talk – Two Thousand Voice Virtual Choir
What is a Virtual Choir? All I need to say is that if you have the slightest interest in choir music you MUST watch this nearly 15 minute TED Talk presentation by composer/conductor Eric Whitacre that explains and then performs wonderful choir music by combining prerecorded individual parts from all over the world – a […]
Continue readingWhat’s Important About Your Family?
Measuring the Value of Family We don’t always need a familiar language to communicate the value of family. Sometimes we do need to remember what is and is not important about it. This video was produced for Petronas, the Malaysian Energy Company, and shown on television as a “good will” commercial. The video builds to […]
Continue readingI Am Lauren Scruggs and I Am Second
Lauren Scruggs’ was a 23-year-old model and fashion editor when her life changed dramatically in an instant on December 3, 2011. Lauren walked into the path of an airplane propeller as she exited a small plane. She was severely injured, losing one eye and her left hand, but she has a unique outlook on […]
Continue readingHalloween Wrap Up
Intro Well, we have looked at the “facts” of the history of Halloween and made some “objective” comments on the history. All that remains is to say “So what. What does it mean for me?” It means different things for different people, of course, so I will be answering the question for myself. Commercialization […]
Continue readingHalloween – Part 2 -Comments on History
Intro As a writer looks over historical facts or what the historical writers believed to be facts, it is hard to be fully objective . Part of me wants to make purely “academic” observations and part of me wants to try to interpret what I have read through the lens of my experience and my […]
Continue readingWho Invented Halloween? Part 1- The History
The History of Halloween I have had mixed feelings about blogging about Halloween. In one sense, Halloween in the U. S. today is simply a commercialized holiday pretty devoid of the traditions, both pagan and Christian, that were at its origin many centuries ago in Europe. As such, the interest in blogging about it might […]
Continue readingVideo Tour Belfast and Northern Ireland with Rick Steves
I recently posted a tour of the Republic of Ireland and referenced this post of Northern Ireland. So I thought it would be better to post about Northern Ireland while the other tour is fresh in the minds of those who have seen it. And for those who haven’t see it, here is the link […]
Continue readingFr. Maximilian Kolbe – Saint of Auschwitz – Heroes of the Faith Series
Father Maximilian Kolbe’s story is extraordinary as was his life and his example. Jesus said “Greater love has no one than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” Jn 15:13. This is exactly what Fr. Kolbe did to finish strong a life of devoted, courageous service to God and to […]
Continue readingA True Story of Miracles by a 7th-grader
Inspire21.com is a great source of inspiration in the form of short stories, free ecards and sayings and quotes. All of the material is available for free sharing and its worth your time to check it out! …Dick Courtesy of Inspire21.com The staff at Inspire 21 was extremely pleased to receive this inspirational story about […]
Continue readingAn Autumn Image to Brighten Your Day October 8
I said a few days ago that in autumn images the reds were my favorite leaf color, and they are. BUT, if anything could change my mind, this photo of oranges would be the one – at least that’s what I think after scanning a few hundred autumn images to find the ones in this […]
Continue readingVideo Tour the Irish Republic with Rick Steves
In 2015 I posted Video Tour Belfast and Northern Ireland with Rick Steves with a 2017 update and it has proved to be a popular post. If you haven’t seen it, take a look after you digest this post. I think you’ll like it. In that post, I said I would do a post on […]
Continue readingAlone Yet Not Alone – Joni Eareckson Tada – Faith Stories You Won’t Forget
Alone But Not Alone is a low-budget movie with Christian themes. A song of the same name sung by an unknown singer and unlikely choice for a movie sound track was nominated for an Academy Award in January of this year.
Continue readingI’m Enough! – What Do YOU See When YOU Look in the Mirror?
Update! The Mrs band has moved very successfully beyond its initial 2014 start which is described in the post below. The band has released an album titled simply the Mrs and has produced a music video featuring one of its popular singles – In the Blink of an Eye. The band’s website has much more […]
Continue readingSaint Peter’s Basilica – Rome, Italy – The World’s Largest Christian Church
Introduction to Saint Peter’s Basilica St. Peter’s Basilica (Italian: San Pietro in Vaticano) is a major basilica in Vatican City, an enclave of Rome. St. Peter’s was until recently the largest church ever built and it remains one of the holiest sites in Christendom. Contrary to what one might reasonably assume, St. Peter’s is not […]
Continue readingTrue, You Can’t Make Your Kids Love God, but You Can Do This—And It Could Change Everything in Your Family–Forever
A popular post on Faithit.com was titled: True, You Can’t Make Your Kids Love God, but You Can Do This—And It Could Change Everything in Your Family–Forever It was basically an HD quality video that runs 10 minutes and that was and still is worth every minute of your time. Faithit commented that it […]
Continue readingThe Vatican City – Take a Rick Steves Narrated HD Video Tour
Tour the Vatican City with Rick Steves The Vatican City is the home of the Roman Catholic Pope and the government of the Roman Catholic Church worldwide. It has an interesting history and Rick Steves, well known tour guide and tour guidebook author, does a excellent job describing both the history and the important sites […]
Continue readingJim O’Connor, Vietnam Vet, Tough Teacher, Baby Cuddler and More
Jim O’Connor is a former Vietnam era veteran, a bachelor, a high school math teacher, an award winning blood donor and a 20 year baby hugger and cuddler. Don’t tell his students about his soft side, though. It might change his classroom image which is well known over the years as strict, no nonsense and […]
Continue readingCastle-Studded Rhine River Rick Steves Video Tour
Cruising the Rhine in Style This post describes a Rhine River cruise and the several castles along the route, as well as other attractions for the tourist’s enjoyment. Over the past year I have posted several tours of specific castles many narrated by Rick Steves, known worldwide as the a tour guide book author and […]
Continue readingGeorge Mueller, Orphanages Built by Prayer – Heroes of the Faith Series
Courtesy of Christianity.com “The children are dressed and ready for school. But there is no food for them to eat,” the housemother of the orphanage informed George Mueller. George asked her to take the 300 children into the dining room and have them sit at the tables. He thanked God for the food and waited. […]
Continue readingSee What Happened When Teacher Nancy Flexer Retired – and Get A Kleenex
Intro There is a website and also a YouTube Channel with the name SoulPancake (how it got this strange name I don’t know) that features a variety of interesting, creative and uplifting videos for all ages that are well worth watching. Check it out at: http://soulpancake.com/ and on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/user/soulpancake One of the featured […]
Continue readingJUST A CLOVE – a Short Story from Precious Memories by Lynn Stannard
As a young bride, I decided to try cooking beef stew for my dear husband. I carefully followed the directions in the cookbook. The stew cooked all afternoon. He would be so pleased. I knew he liked it. After the stew had been cooking for a couple hours, I checked the cookbook instructions again. […]
Continue readingBen Stein – His Last Column Called “Monday Night at Morton’s”
For many years Ben Stein had written a biweekly column called “Monday Night At Morton’s.” (Morton’s is a famous chain of Steakhouses known to be frequented by movie stars and famous people from around the globe.) On August 9, 2004, Ben wrote his final column to move on to other things in his life. Reading […]
Continue readingI AM SECOND – Rapper Lecrae – Dramatic Testimony
Intro Rapper Lecrae has a powerful story and he is telling it everywhere. Lecrae’s life went “down the tubes” as he went through his teenage years. He rebelled against the advice of his Christian grandmother to read his Bible by tearing out the pages. He looked everywhere for “significance” – but he looked in all […]
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