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St. James, a Son of Thunder
James the son of Zebedee and brother of John the Apostle was one of the first disciples of Jesus, was a fiery personality completely committed to the Great Commission, and was the first martyr of Jesus’ disciples. The Gospels … Continue reading
Posted in Christianity, FAQs of Christianity
Tagged bible, Christianity, faith, god, Jesus, roman-catholicism, saints
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Saint Anthony of Padua, Franciscan Thaumaturgist
St. Anthony (1195-1231, Anno Domini) was a Franciscan thaumaturgist famous for his erudition, oratory, works of charity, and miracles. A native of Portugal, for a time he was a cleric with the monastic order of St. Augustine. In his early … Continue reading
Posted in Christianity, FAQs of Christianity
Tagged catholic, Christianity, faith, Jesus, Miracles, Religion, roman-catholicism, saints
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Saint Athanasius: Saint and Doctor of the Church
Athanasius (196-373 AD) lived a long and varied life subject to philosophical, political, and theological controversies, violence, exile, and contentious relations with the most powerful rulers of his time, the Roman Emperors. Athanasius is well known for the Creed named … Continue reading
Posted in Christianity, FAQs of Christianity
Tagged bible, Christianity, creeds, faith, fourth-century-ad, history, Jesus, roman-catholicism
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The Sorrels Family Orchestra
Ephraim Deals (Deal) Sorrels, Arkansas farmer and woodcutter, was a singer and perhaps a fiddler–at least it is clear he had a musical bent. And Van, his son, took after his father. Whether or not Van was a singer is … Continue reading
Posted in American History, Biography
Tagged arkansas-history, family-orchestra, fiddlers, genealogy
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Van Sorrels, the Woodcutting Musician
As the woodcutter sawed and chopped and hewed oak, hickory, maple, and pine, he sang songs to the past, to the land, and to the Lord. His name was Van. He was a simple man. He could read and write … Continue reading
Posted in American History, Biography
Tagged arkansas-history, fiddlers, genealogy, history, rural-arkansas, wood-hewers
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Diary for 1933, 1934, 1935, and 1936 by Lida J. Newcomb of Haverhill, Massachusetts
Lida (Elizabeth) Jane Newcomb was born in San Rafael, California, in 1871; she died at Country Pond, Kingston, New Hampshire, in 1941. She lived most of her life in Maine and Massachusetts, wife to Robert Eugene (Gene) Newcomb, a tinsmith … Continue reading
Posted in American History, Biography
Tagged 1930s, Biography, diary, great-depression, history, housewife, massachusetts, new-hampshire
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Teddy: Do Dogs (animals) Go to Heaven?
It has been twenty-one months since my pup Ted died. He was only nine years old. After several months dragging his left paw along on walks, and after multiple tests by veterinarians, it was discovered in June that he had … Continue reading
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The Sound of Freedom
My community allows unrestricted fireworks of any type on July 3 and 4 until 11:00 p.m. Many people complain but those who enjoy shooting them off and making noise late at night argue that it is the “sound of freedom,” … Continue reading
Posted in American History, General Essays
Tagged American Revolution, sound-of-freedom, War
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Red-Shouldered Hawks and the Grace of God
One of the blessings about where I live in the Arkansas River Valley is the prolific numbers of birds. Today I watched astonished as two red-shouldered hawks danced above me in the clear morning air, calling to each other. They … Continue reading
Posted in Christianity
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God’s Providence: What did Early American Religious Thinkers Believe about the Role of God in Human Affairs?
The eighteenth century in America was a time of awakening from the slumber of the past. Light was shed on the darkness of superstition, irrationality, autocracy, aristocratic privilege, and dogma. The individual, weighed down by the chains of time, institutions, … Continue reading
Posted in American History, Christianity, God's Providence
Tagged bible, Christianity, Early American Christians, god, history, Protestants, Providence, Religion, theology
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The American Plutarch 