All of us have a blind spot in regard to ourselves—it’s part of the human condition. There are things about ourselves, both good and bad, that we simply don’t see (Psalm 19:12 speaks to the bad). Other people, perhaps many, are aware of these things—but we’re not. So it’s best to have a spirit of humility and not take ourselvesContinue reading “Blind Spots and Due Diligence (1)”
Category Archives: History
Aah . . . Hope
The Assyrian king, Tiglath-Pileser III, stormed into the Mediterranean region and by 732 BC he had broken the Aramean-Israel alliance and captured Damascus. Northern Israel (i.e., the cities of Galilee) fell next, followed by Gilead. Following Assyrian custom, the people were deported and foreigners were brought in to occupy the land. (Conquered lands were much easier to controlContinue reading “Aah . . . Hope”
Faith is a Good Thing
To say that Will Durant and his wife, Ariel, were prolific writers of history would be like saying that turkey is eaten on Thanksgiving or people shoot fireworks on the Fourth of July. The Durants are best known for their monumental eleven volume work, The Story of Civilization. The series was written over four decades and hasContinue reading “Faith is a Good Thing”
Pax Romana and the Peace of God
Caesar Augustus was the first emperor of Rome and its ruler when Christ was born (Luke 2:1). One of the challenges he faced when he came to power was the kingdom had been at war for two centuries due to either the expansion of its territories or internally though civil war. The result was a significantContinue reading “Pax Romana and the Peace of God”
A Horse, A Desert, and Hope
Several years ago, our family vacationed at a state park near Warm Springs, Georgia, where FDR’s Little White House is located. Roosevelt had the house built just before he took office in 1933. He had initially visited the springs almost a decade earlier, like so many others, looking for a cure for the polio that ravaged his body. Although he never foundContinue reading “A Horse, A Desert, and Hope”
The Failure to Lead
The final thing John Wilkes Booth did before going to Ford’s Theatre on April 14, 1865, was to stop at a bar next to the theater. The establishment was known as Star Saloon. Booth had been drinking all day—doubtlessly trying to work up the nerve to do what had never been done before—assassinate the presidentContinue reading “The Failure to Lead”
Known but to God
Maude Brown writes that in the spring of 1862, when Confederate General Albert Sydney Johnson led his forces out of Corinth, Mississippi, and into Tennessee to launch a sneak attack on Grant’s forces at Shiloh, he had 500 coffins made. The good general was unduly optimistic in regard to the number of casualties his ArmyContinue reading “Known but to God”
Gloriously More
When Napoleon Bonaparte and Josephine were engaged in 1796, he gave her a ring composed of two tear shaped stones—a diamond and a blue sapphire set in opposite directions on a slim gold band. Each stone weighs slightly less than a carat. The ring is relatively modest considering the people involved but reflects the factContinue reading “Gloriously More”
The Right Side of History
“You don’t want to be on the wrong side of history.” I majored in history when I was in college (I tell our grandchildren it was easy because then there was a lot less of it to learn). Maybe that’s the reason my ears perk up a bit whenever I hear someone say the above.Continue reading “The Right Side of History”
Back to Bethlehem
Well, it’s that time of year when the Christmas cliches are taken out of their boxes, dusted off, and put back into circulation. Jesus (not the risen Lord but the less imposing perpetual baby) is brought out for brief appearances in Christmas pageants and plays. Everyone from movie makers to beer companies use His birthContinue reading “Back to Bethlehem”
A Taste of Grace with Bruce Green 