The Christian world was rocked by the September 11 announcement that mega-church pastor Jarrid Wilson, who spoke openly about his mental illness, took his own life. No attempt was made by the press, family, or friends to veil what had happened. In a final act directly related to his depression, the popular young Christian leader committed suicide. Since his heartbreaking death, multiple blogs and articles have focused on the high rates of depression among pastors.…
We are at the mid-point of the US Open Tennis Championship. But before fans even gathered at Flushing Meadows, NY, commentators were already reminiscing about last year’s women’s final and Serena Williams’ angry diatribe, in which she branded chair umpire Carlos Ramos a “liar” and a “thief.” During the 2018 final against Naomi Osaka, Williams was slapped with a code violation for receiving coaching. She disagreed, became angry, her game started to fall apart, and…
According to the website areavibes.com, the crime rate in San Francisco, CA, is “151% higher than the national average. For every 100,000 people, there are 18.86 daily crimes that occur in San Francisco. . . .In San Francisco you have a 1 in 15 chance of becoming a victim of any crime.” Yet, in August city officials decided to sanitize language referring to criminals. The Board of Supervisors is purging the city’s vocabulary of words…
Remember VeggieTales? If you were around in the 1990s and were much into Christian pop culture, you do. Their Bible lessons on VHS tapes were ubiquitous in the homes of Christians with kids. And their lessons and songs—well, what can I say? They stick with you. Silly songs with Larry (“oh, where is my hairbrush?”). Rack, Shack, and Benny–because Bible names are too hard to pronounce. And that moment when Jonah gets tossed overboard and…
Missing an opportunity unintentionally happens all the time. But squandering one intentionally? Well, that’s another thing. As valedictorian of the San Ysidro High School class of 2019, senior Nataly Buhr squandered one such moment. In fact, she steamrolled it. Chosen to represent her class as valedictorian, Buhr began her three-minute speech in the usual fashion, thanking her classmates and then thanking specific teachers and administrators by name. Nothing too unusual. But then, without pausing the…
Just before Father’s Day, a group of Roman Catholic schools in Australia decided it was time to officially advance their belief that the Bible should be “gender neutral.” Therefore, they concluded that God should no longer be depicted as male, that is, as a Father. In addition, the all-girls schools are attempting to produce a more feminist interpretation of the Bible by stripping the Bible of pronouns that portray gender bias, such as “He,” and…
Teachers at the Billy Earl Dade Middle School in Texas were planning a “Breakfast with Dads” event for December 14, 2017. Around 150 boys, ages 11 to 13, signed up for the event. But about 90% of their students came from low income families, and Kristina Dove, the senior partner relations manager at Big Thought, a youth development nonprofit, wasn’t sure if every student would have a father present during the program. So, On Dec.…
Whether you are a fan of the game show “Jeopardy!” or not, you are likely aware of the remarkable run that Las Vegas sports gambler James Holzhauer enjoyed since April. His risk-taking, rapid-fire answers cemented his advantage over nearly every other player that faced off with him in the last thirty-three weeks. He was on pace to match, and then to break, the record of Ken Jennings, the highest earning player of all time, but…
Lots of couples get married this time of year. But will those marriages be around in another 10, 20, or even 50 years? No matter what opinion people have about marriage, when a couple demonstrates longevity and endurance, it makes the news and nearly everyone admires them for it. Especially in a culture that disdains longevity and commitment. But hardly anyone expects a marriage to last 82 years. That’s right. On March 31, D.W. Williams,…
It’s Memorial Day. Are you off work? Sleep in, cook out, enjoy the day. But also, remember why you have the day off in the first place. After all, it’s not about you. Memorial Day honors all those who have served our nation and paid for our freedoms with the sacrifice of their lives. While the history of Memorial Day has been punctuated with disagreement and even disunity, the occasional pothole hasn’t deterred our nation…