The last piece of the pie, left out when the family went to bed, and gone at daybreak?

A key that worked before but cannot be depended on to open a cabinet door again?

A window that blew open just as the rain came and left the table wet?

A runaway roll of toilet paper?

Which are real?

My parents called any such mysterious anomaly the work of a “gremlin.”

In retrospect, I don’t remember any special rationale for gremlins except, perhaps, to find a source of mischief to clear one’s childhood reputation as a mischief-maker. Read More»

When I decided to run for secretary of the Fayette County Republican Party (FCRP) several weeks ago, it was a very difficult decision. My husband and I talked and prayed about the decision.

I feared the time commitment. I feared my lack of political experience and whether I had the ability to serve in such a position. I feared how it might hinder my ability to effectively speak to, and be of positive influence to family and friends who might disagree with me on some issues. Read More»

[Editor’s note: Parts I and II appeared in The Citizen March 13 and March 16, now online at www.TheCitizen.com.]

The desire of intellectuals for some grand theory that will explain complex patterns with some solitary and simple factor has produced many ideas that do not stand up under scrutiny, but which have nevertheless had widespread acceptance — and sometimes catastrophic consequences — in countries around the world. Read More»

After reading Dr. Thomas Sowell’s latest book, “Intellectuals and Race,” one cannot emerge with much respect for the reasoning powers of intellectuals, particularly academics, on matters of race. There’s so much faulty logic and downright dishonesty.

Many intellectuals attribute the behavior patterns of blacks to “a legacy of slavery” or contemporary racial discrimination. But when one observes similar behavior patterns among Britain’s lower-class whites, which can’t be attributed to “a legacy of slavery” or discrimination, it calls into question the explanations for black behavior. Read More»

Having just viewed Steven Spielberg’s “Lincoln,” and having observed Lincoln’s birthday, it seemed fitting to ponder one of Lincoln’s most famous speeches, and perhaps a lesson for Americans today.

On June 17, 1858 — less than three years before the Civil War — Lincoln gave his famous “House Divided” address while being nominated to run for the U.S. Senate seat in Illinois. Read More»

Everyone agrees that the Voting Rights Act (VRA) was desperately needed when it was passed in 1965. But that was nearly 50 years ago.

Since its passage, we have seen dramatic changes across the country, especially in the South, that points to the fact that the VRA needs updating.

Georgia has four African-American Members of Congress and some of the highest minority voter turnout in the country. In fact, in November 2012, a higher percentage of registered African-American females turned out to vote than registered white females or males. Read More»

It was one of those days. The kind when you have a lot of work to do and none of it you want to do, so you just piddle.

Tink and I both were piddling. He had a script for a pilot to write and I was rewriting the content for my website. Both creatively “stuck,” we sat in our office — he in a cushiony comfortable chair and I on the sofa — and we piddled. We checked email, discussed the brief rain that came, then, just as I set about serious work, Tink picked up the diary on the coffee table. It was Mama’s.

And that is where the piddling ended and the story began. Read More»

Answers to your questions about life, religion and the Bible

Pastors get some of the most interesting questions from people they meet and people in their congregations.  Here are a few that I have gotten during my years of ministry and via email for this column.

 Dear Father Paul:  You base your answers on the Bible.  What’s so special about the Bible?  Can you prove that the Bible is supernatural … that it is inspired by God? — E. V.
Read More»

Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 76, of Buenos Aires, has been elected the 266th pope of the Roman Catholic Church, taking the name Pope Francis. He is the first Latin American pope to lead the church, as well as the first Jesuit priest.

Many believe that Pope Francis brings to the papal leadership a new feature of humility and boldness in spirituality. While archbishop in Argentina, he did not live in the archbishop’s palace but chose to live in a small room in a downtown Buenos Aires home, it has been reported. He also cooked his own meals and visited the poor in Argentine slums. Read More»

Spring brings back wonderful memories from our time growing up at 110 Flamingo Street. Climbing high up into young trees, then jumping off and riding them back to the ground (only to watch as they fly back up and smack brothers) is just one of them.

Another is being stuck knee deep in the gray mud of Cripple Creek, then having my shoes sucked from my feet. Doing flips off a rope swing and landing with a splash into cool waters of a lake at the edge of a haunted forest. Read More»