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Reviews. Donchajustluvem? Basically, a review is nothing more than a fancy opinion offered as fact. Despite the alarming salaries that people are being paid to review things, they are also, just as alarmingly, often so wrong. Reviewers forget that they are not working with right and wrong, but more so with personal taste. They feel strongly that their personal taste is worth something so they foist it on us, the American public, and make a tidy living doing so.

New York magazine critic, David Danby, called Tom Cruise just another "standard issue baby-faced actor" in 1983,…  ( Click for more )

In two days we will remember the horror of that day four years ago when we found out just how vulnerable we really are. Since that time so many things have happened related to that day that have had far reaching effects on our entire society. We have lost a number of our people in military actions around the world as we have embraced the need for preemptive actions to prevent something like the World Trade Center attack from ever happening again. But are we truly safe?

We build houses that are sturdy and then surround them with glass. My father used to say that the only reason…  ( Click for more )

We have recently undertaken sprucing up the old church building in some places; most notably the children's worship area and the hallway leading down to it. That's not to say that the paint scheme in those areas was drab, but we thought, uh, well, you see… Okay. The paint scheme was drab. What we hope to do is add some interest in the youth area by adding some interest in the paint scheme. By the end of this week the walls will be multicolor with the information concerning the youth worship on the walls.

The colors that we are using are a medium gray for the…  ( Click for more )

Fashion. The Random House Dictionary defines it as, "a prevailing custom or style of dress, etiquette, etc.," or "conventional usage in dress, manners, etc." With that thought or definition in mind, I give you the late 60's through the 70's. Some of you can remember those years well as you spent them as a blooming adult. Others of you may have been well developed adults watching and wondering when it would all end. While others of you, well, you just read about those years and shake your head.

That time period was the time of bell bottom pants and mini skirts, butterfly…  ( Click for more )

Growing up in a home in a rural community had its benefits. We had our own Little League with plenty of local sponsors and boys to play in it. We had our own movie theatre that the Mitchell family owned and operated. Any enterprising boy could make a decent living mowing yards in the spring and summer, raking leaves in the fall and shoveling snow from sidewalks in the winter. The teenage boys could always find plenty of work on the many local farms in the area doing such things as milking cows, cutting ground and bailing hay.

Then there was Sugar Creek. It was our playground.…  ( Click for more )

My dad's brother, my uncle Orlyn Kelly, used to collect coins. He had a rather substantial collection of coins at the time of his death several years ago. He had worked hard to put that collection together, often spending hours searching through millions of coins just to find one or two that fit what he was looking for. Dad kind of collected coins, too. But his were more along the lines of the newly minted items like the Bicentennial and Man on the Moon items.

My wife thinks I have collected too many different things. I have a nice little private library, a collection…  ( Click for more )

Superstitions are superstitions. They are manufactured beliefs that people fervently hold to and by which they swear. They hold people's imaginations, and their lives, in their grip and often compel them to heights of accomplishment that they had thought impossible to reach. Some are far fetched, some are just simply nonsensical and some can knock your socks off. I choose to draw my favorites from the world of sports. Some are predictable. One will grab your fancy.

For all his incredible ability, "The Great One", hockey player Wayne Gretzky, had a few things he did religiously…  ( Click for more )

It was a beautiful day in the Bluegrass yesterday. It rained all day long. No, seriously, it rained all day long. It is raining now. And it is beautiful. I could almost hear my grass singing the "Hallelujah Chorus" from Handel's "Messiah." Especially that part, "for the Lord God omnipotent raineth." Or is that supposed to be "reigneth?" Anyway, the sight of rain in our area is a welcome one. We had been in severe drought conditions up until this current change of weather.

Sadly, it could get worse. Hurricane Katrina made landfall yesterday and devastated Louisiana,…  ( Click for more )

Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player have long been linked as two of the "Big Four" of the older set in golf. Between them they have almost thirty major championships. Both of them have had countrymen whose swings were buttery smooth and nearly picture perfect. And both of them have wondered what they could have done with the physical blessings of their countrymen had they been given them. Their comments have been grist for the golf tabloids and served as excellent fodder for replies from the targets of their comments.

Jack Nicklaus is undeniably the greatest golfer who ever lived…  ( Click for more )

A number of years ago (that's a euphemism for, "Hey, I'm old and this happened a really long time ago) I heard a Southern Gospel song with the nifty title, "I'd Rather be Late at the Pearly Gates than Arrive in Hell on time." I used to really be a stickler for promptness from people who attend church services but have softened my stance over the years. Still, I remember the discipline that my mother and father instilled within me concerning getting to church early as we always arrived fifteen minutes before everything started.

Recently, I have been re-examining…  ( Click for more )

I believe it was Andy Warhol who once said that everyone would have their fifteen minutes of fame. At least. There are those for whom fame just seems to follow them around and land on them from time to time. Then there are those who actively seek it. Those whose lives are spent in the vanity of finding the limelight, finding that one moment which can be milked for all its worth until they feel that the world finally understands just how great they truly are.

Sadly, those limelight seekers are the ones who subscribe to what the advertisers and programmers on television are selling…  ( Click for more )

Every now and then notices and advertisements are posted which could be worded a little bit better. If you're like me, when you read these kind of things you have to wonder if someone just wasn't quite on their game for the day. But that's what makes these kinds of statements and pronouncements such treasures. The effort behind them is absolutely sincere. The following samples of sincerity are proof that some of the funniest things come from the deepest effort.

Most of us have stopped to grab a meal at a McDonald's. The next time you go through the Drive-Thru…  ( Click for more )

Professional football is pretty much in full swing with preseason schedules being played right now to determine who will be on the opening day rosters and who will wind up on the practice squad. So many players have been displaying flashes of brilliance to demonstrate that they belong. But let's face it, at this level everyone has talent or they wouldn't have made it to the preseason roster. Speed, size, strength; these are givens. The ability to use those attributes; that's what needs to be seen.

Most players coming out of high school are amazed at the speed…  ( Click for more )

Our congregation held an ice cream social last evening. The fellowship hall was full. Right before divvying up the ice cream we played a Bible character game in which three of us were quizzed as to who we were and the only answers we could give were "yes" and "no." It was fun. And it reminded me of a much gentler time when the church was still fairly well ensconced in people's social calendar to the point that the church received the primary consideration when planning family matters. It wasn't that long ago.

I had the esteemed privilege of serving as the preacher…  ( Click for more )

Urban legends. Most areas have their own. However, some have spread over the years to receive a popular mention in a lot of different areas and media. They range from rumor to seemingly well supported fact. Some have even become so famous that, even though they have been debunked, they get dusted off and dressed up and paraded around anew. And people get sucked in again. I'll share one with you here as a sample of what can happen and how official it can look.

Bea Maggio is an actual person who got caught in one of the more believable urban legends of recent years. Bea…  ( Click for more )

Three other times this year Phil Mickelson performed a magic act; he disappeared from contention in the major championships of the Professional Golfers Association. Three times he not only failed to win but was not even a factor. Three times he merely showed up without really showing up. The Masters, the U. S. Open and the British Open all came and went without Mickelson even putting up a fight. Yesterday he walked off the eighteenth green at the Baltusrol Club near Springfield, New Jersey, as this year's winner of the PGA Championship.

He did it by leading all four rounds.…  ( Click for more )

Yesterday my son, Sean, and I did not make it all the way to Franklin, Kentucky, for a round of golf. But we did make it to Danville and played a round at the golf course in the Old Bridge subdivision. From a vantage point high on one of the tees on the course you can see the old steel bridge, one of the first of its kind, that lends its condition to the name of the subdivision and the golf course. The course itself is not spectacular but it is interesting and has places where errant shots can get you.

In several of these places that wannabe good shots go to die there was a…  ( Click for more )

Today is my fifty-fifth birthday. Double nickels. Finally hit the speed limit. I can now order from a lot of senior menus at restaurants. As a matter of fact, my favorite restaurant, O'Charlie's, has a senior menu which is for those fifty-five and over. There are also a number of golf courses which allow people my age to play for reduced rates. There are a few financial rewards for those of us who have gotten to this stage in life. However, there is also one other benefit which I will probably not be able to use; the gold tees.

I am still able to hit a golf ball…  ( Click for more )

My home congregation, the Jeffersonville (OH) Church of Christ, celebrated her fiftieth anniversary with a rather grand to do this past weekend. I was the first Timothy from my home church. I was the first person sent into the fields that are white unto the harvest by this group of people who were working their neighborhood field. I got to share my God given talent with them which I had already done while with them. I had sung a number of times for different services and had preached on several weekends and even held a revival once.

"A prophet is not without honor except in…  ( Click for more )

Ever since I was thirteen I have had the opportunity to work with children and youth. I have been told to make that distinction since the older children, ages 13 to 18, don't like being called children but are amicable to being called youth. I have enjoyed working with the younger ages a little more in recent years because of one simple fact. The younger the child, the less they have, or have not, been taught. The more open they are to receive the discipline of discipleship.

The Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke) record the presentation of children to Jesus for…  ( Click for more )

The story is told of a backwoods preacher who was preparing to preach a series of sermons on the Holy Spirit. He was a flamboyant sort and known in the area for some rather ostentatious displays in the pulpit. That's a fancy way of saying he had a lot of stomp and snort. If you don't know what stomp and snort is then I guess you'll just have to stay with flamboyant and ostentatious.

The first sermon he wanted to preach involved the story of the baptism of Jesus at the hands of John the Immerser. It was at Jesus' baptism that God, pleased with His Son's…  ( Click for more )

Watching children at Christmas time has always been one of my greatest pleasures. Seeing them tear into their gifts with a sort of maniacal glee is a joy for me. It means that they're excited. With our world of so many overblown concepts and approaches to things it's still good to see the genuine excitement of someone when they receive something that they were hoping for or wanting very badly. My children have grown up but still have a little bit of that excitement. Probably you do, too.

Take Mark Hamill for instance. In the closing sequences of the original Star…  ( Click for more )

Near London, Ohio, is a cemetery where my grandfather and grandmother Kelly, my uncle Mike Stevens and my mother and father are buried. Mom and Dad's burial place is the lot on the left. The center is where Granny and Pawpaw are buried. To the right of Granny and Pawpaw is my uncle Mike's grave and another grave. My Aunt Phyllis was to have been buried there. She was the sister of my Dad. Uncle Mike was her husband. However, after Mike died Aunt Phyllis had a couple of guys she married and the last one was the one whose family buried her with him. I think.

Have…  ( Click for more )

Ever have a bad day? Golfers occasionally have bad days. Let me describe a bad day for a golfer. Better yet, let me share some bad days with you for some pretty well known golfers and some you may never have heard about. Like Alvin Liau of Singapore. Liau was playing in the then prestigious World Cup tournament in 1971 at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. The 13th hole was very unlucky for Liau as he shanked six straight shots into a water hazard and finished the hole with an 18.

In the 1980 Masters Tom Weiskopf hit five straight shots into the pond at the 12th…  ( Click for more )