Looking for a good, clean movie with strong production values—one that teaches a little-known chapter of American history? Such movies are hard to come by these days. Well…add A Great Awakening to your watch list on Amazon. My pal Tom, with whom I share a deep love of American history, told me how it [...]

What did our Founding Fathers think? In my last three stacks, I’ve been asking for us to consider whether certain critical events in the Revolutionary War were facts, fictions, or miracles. I think it’s safe to say that the prevailing view among many of America’s Revolutionary leaders was that Providence had intervened on behalf of [...]

“…a sudden rise of the waters…” This July 4th, I’ll do as I always do on my birthday. Watch Mel Gibson’s movie, The Patriot. Somehow, I never tire of that film. Gibson shows us a scene loosely based on the Battle of Cowpens, Jan. 17, 1781, where the American militia faces the advancing forces [...]

A Revolution saved by what’s in a pair of boots. Say the name Benedict Arnold, and most people who know American history will respond—Traitor! But there’s a story behind this infamous double-cross—Arnold trading his allegiance to the cause for liberty for a commission in the British army. Changing sides, as it were. His decision, [...]

Around 2,200 British troops are marching over the Appalachian Mountains. Their mission—seize the French Fort Duquesne. It’s July 9, 1755, the French and Indian War. The British militia, with the likes of Colonel George Washington and a 20-year-old wagon driver named Daniel Boone in its ranks, are suddenly attacked by French soldiers and their native [...]

Hoping to gain more wisdom in my life, I’ve taken a deep dive into the Old Testament Book of Ecclesiastes in recent days. Ecclesiastes is defined as “the words of the Teacher”—someone wrestling out loud with what life really means. It was written by King Solomon— maybe—who’s regarded in Jewish and Christian tradition as the [...]

Karen and I are certainly not teetotalers. We enjoy an occasional drink now and then—a gin and tonic, maybe, or a glass of wine with dinner. But when a beloved friend showed up at our door in early December, looking like her 40-ish, stylish, former self, and proclaiming she hadn’t had a drink for several [...]

If modern wisdom is supposed to guide us, why does the world still look like this? On Aug. 14, 2025, I published a Substack that promised a series on the topic of wisdom, as seen from the world’s perspective, and from the three great religious traditions—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. That post (Part 1) was [...]

At times, it can be terribly frustrating. Anyone who has stared at a computer screen, waiting to be zapped with just the right sentiment, metaphor, or brilliant turn of phrase—only to keep staring far longer than they care to admit—knows the feeling. Whether it’s the next great American novel, a heartfelt letter of apology, [...]