Finding the Perfect Phrase: A Linguistic Hunger Games By the way, I love idioms.Seemingly nonsensical phrases that nonetheless convey colorful pictures that are easily understood worldwide. They have crept into our lexicon over centuries. Even today there are dozens of generic terms that have been adopted into the English language, suggesting that waves of idioms [...]

A Bedouin shepherd left his flock behind one day in 1947 to find the one sheep that had strayed. A natural response of Middle Eastern shepherds for centuries. His search led him to the Qumran caves near the Dead Sea, where he stumbled upon the first of the scrolls that have become one of the [...]

With President Lincoln’s birthday approaching on Feb. 12, I can’t help but look ahead to the anniversary of another joyful day that turned terribly wrong. In fact, most of us will miss it. April 9, 1865, a slice of history that has been long forgotten. There were wild celebrations on the streets of Washington, [...]

It’s Black History Month I assume we know the celebrated figures in Black history—Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, Rosa Parks, and Martin Luther King, Jr., among them. But I’m learning there are so many other lesser-known Blacks with significant stories that must be told. As someone who loves American history, I must confess I’ve been [...]

Dedicating most of my Substack writing to history and culture, I thought this to be a fitting topic. In today’s chaotic world, people throughout our country—indeed, in every nation—are searching for light in the darkness, but we’re coming up short. Well…maybe we should consult that Bible gathering dust in most of our bookshelves. It’s [...]

Here we go again. It’s January, and maybe you’re like me, compelled to take stock of that dreaded checklist—the promises-to-myself that I constructed last year at this time. Let’s see…recover well from a hip replacement. Check. (Thanks mostly to Karen’s love and care. I wasn’t such a good patient the first couple of weeks.) [...]

The air was wet as the five of us emerged from a meeting at the church office. It was cold and dark, a typical winter night in the Pacific Northwest. But the car heater took away the chill, and my anticipation at joining a “band of brothers” warmed me on the way home. That’s [...]

Karen and I are slow to put Christmas away. The special decorations are still out—the manger scenes, the statues of the wise men, and such. The Christmas dishes, bowls, and mugs are still displayed on our kitchen counter. A hint of Santa can still be found around the great room, especially ornamenting the tree. Yes, [...]

A story of powerful faith and devotion. As we approach another Christmas season, Karen and I are so thankful for our family and friends whom we love, our church community, and the many blessings that bring us great joy. Yet, to be honest, a blanket of sadness covers us most days. One we must [...]

Grab ‘em right away with your opening lines, or they will put your book down. As a novelist, I’ve had this advice hammered into my brain, and my keyboard. This is not an easy task. And I’ve found this to be true with the books I pick up. Goodness…how many novels have I taken [...]