Blogs
Nashville Homicide Detective Abbey Rhodes
“Abbey Rhodes” Water Grave – available for purchase 1/29/2025 Several years ago, I had an idea about a detective named Abbey Rhodes that was conflicted by her past. She first appeared as a Brentwood Police officer and main love interest of Graham Turner in Scales of Justice. Since that time, her backstory changed and took on […]
Who Are You?
“Who are you?” Acts 19:11-20 Introduction: I grew up in a city of 26,000 people. When the university was in session, the town doubled. My father was well-known and was a prominent member of many ruling boards. For one particular season of my life, my father was elected to the city council and even served […]
Daughters, Daughters Everywhere
In the last two years, I have had the honor of officiating the weddings of four of my children. In the last wedding, pictured above, I walked my daughter, Selina, down the aisle and then turned around to face the audience and officiated the wedding. It was strange and beautiful. This year I will have […]
Scales of Justice
In the mid 1980’s to early 1990’s I was plagued by an idea for a movie. Screenplay format was unknown to me, so I did what I knew to do. I wrote the idea in fiction. It all started with a comic book, Daredevil, specifically issues 181 and 191. In the story Matt Murdock, aka […]
Reboot of First Novel – Crossing the Line
In the mid 1980’s to early 1990’s I was plagued by an idea for a movie. Screenplay format was unknown to me, so I did what I knew to do. I wrote the idea in fiction. It all started with a comic book, Daredevil, specifically issues 181 and 191. In the story Matt Murdock, aka […]
Forget Me Not – Alzheimer’s & Faith
My mother suffers from Alzheimer’s. It is a very cruel disease. Her brain is literally shrinking and becoming brittle. We first noticed it through her fading memory. A woman with the memory of an elephant began stumbling with little details, which was followed by the loss of name recall. Then she struggled with our names. […]
The Power of Surrender
I’m currently writing a nonfiction book on The Power of Surrender as it relates to substance abuse addiction. I’ve always wondered why a person would write a book such as this. What education, expertise, or experience qualifies one to speak on the important issue of substance abuse? Now, I know. It’s a calling…a haunting of […]
The Buzz around Dungeons & Dragons
It’s hard to believe it took this long to have a Hollywood production of Dungeons & Dragons. Oh, there have been movies (poor attempts) before this, which, to be honest, repelled more people than they attracted to the game. I started playing in the late 1970’s with the only rulebook available, Greyhawk, a saddle-stitched paper […]
Refining & Pruning – Delayed Gratification
I’ll admit right off the bat…I’m neither a horticulturist or a metallurgist. I am, however, an avid reader and an observer of nature. I’ve witnessed the pruning process first-hand. I’ve also read many pieces on the refining process. I know how they both work, and I know why each process is a necessity to purification […]
I Will Not Be Silenced
It’s the pivotal point in the live action movie Aladdin, where Princess Jasmine steps up and sings, “I will not be silenced…” in the song “Speechless.” For me, in my present situation, it is one of my new battle cries. Due to poor health (a recurrence of my lymphoma) and critically low white blood cell […]
Hypersensitivity…Where Did That Come From?
Do you remember when people could take a joke? I know, it’s been a while. What happened to our country? Why and when did we become so hypersensitive? Have you noticed our country on its edge, ready to fight, taking everything the wrong way? What ever happened to our sense of humor? A lot of […]
My Top 10 Movies
If you Googled “Top 100 Movies of All Time” you probably wouldn’t see many of my favorites. Most of the movies that made the cut were “classic” or “legendary” in the sense that movie critics appreciated them. Something made them all stand out professionally, and if we’re going to be honest…the majority are in black […]
Thoughts on the Sunrise
I’d like to give two different thoughts on a sunrise this morning…consider it two blogs today. Thought one: Why do we still call it a sun rise? Back in the day when the intelligent population believed the earth was the center of the universe and the sun circled it, the idea of a sunrise and […]
Like Crabs in a Bucket
I heard that if someone put two crabs in one bucket, he would never have to put a lid on it. Why? Because, supposedly, the second crab will always pull the other one down as it tries to escape. I don’t know whether this is true or merely a legend, but the saying is all over […]
Take the Time to Do It Right
One of the things my father stressed upon me as a child and young man was, “Take the time to do it right.” Sometimes he said, “If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right.” Pretty much the same thing. This was one of his many lessons on integrity. As some of you know, we’ve been […]
Blast from the Past
This week I’ve been reminiscing a lot. I am planning on singing my sermon this Sunday, sharing how music influenced my relationship with Jesus Christ and challenged me to be a better person. As I thought back of the songs that were pivotal in my life, I really had to credit two specific groups: The Imperials […]
Survive or Thrive?
In one month I will be able to say, “I’m three years cancer free!” It’s a strange thing. Cancer comes into your life like a thief in the night, hoping to steal your hope and your energy and, if it is successful, take your life as well. Too many succumb to its power. Too many fall prey […]
Doing My Best
Thirty eight years ago I graduated out of a program that changed my life forever: Royal Ambassadors. Unless you’re in the Southern Baptist Church circles, you probably have never heard of it. Long explanation short, it is a missions organization for boys grades 1st through 12th. It’s amazing to me as I look back to see […]
“Raise the Wage” – An Empty Political Promise
“Raise the Wage” – Yeah, right. I just heard yesterday that the House of Representatives passed a minimum wage hike from $7.25 an hour to $15 an hour. Oh, my heroes! Not. I know it sounds great on the surface, but that’s all it is…a facade of American Prosperity. But when you walk through that […]
That Can’t Be Me!
Gaining perspective on who I really am “That can’t be me!” the thoughts surged through my mind, defensively covering for my unpleasing image. I had aged, eaten what I wanted with no restraint, and become inactive. What did I expect to happen? Even looking in the mirror didn’t dissuade me. Why not? Because my eyes […]
What is My Purpose?
I remember one of my children watching a show called Handy Manny. Manny was a handyman who carried a toolbox full of talking tools: a hammer, a tape measure, a screw driver, etc. Oh, I forgot to tell you, this was a children’s cartoon. Anyway, each of Manny’s tools had a particular purpose and was […]
Lessons Learned from a Gameshow
One of the most insightful and clever posters I’ve ever seen was entitled, “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten,” based on the book by Robert Fulghum. It gave us such wise nuggets as “Clean up your own mess,” “Play fair,” and “Say you’re sorry when you hurt somebody.” Fulghum used the […]
Socialism…Yeah, right…impossible on this earth
Socialism: a political and economic theory of equality and power to the masses. On the surface, it sound like a utopia. In theory, it is. But theories aren’t always true. That’s why we call them theories. I weigh in my thoughts on this hot topic with the experience of a father of 7, 11 years […]
