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This time of year always brings to light the inner-emotions of every human being. For better or worse, angry or happy, blessed or starving, employed or not, living among the devastation of war or sitting underneath the comfortable blanket of peace, we all have something to be thankful for and look forward to the upcoming days of the holiday season.

It’s been a crazy year for many. The aggressive political election and its results left millions wondering what’s next for our beloved country. The images from overseas, mainly the events happening within the Middle East,…  ( Click for more )

Luke, Chapter 11-17: "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to destruction, and a house divided against a house falleth"

After the recent election, it is very clear to me, we now live in two very different countries within our shores.

I was born in 1962. JFK was President, Johnny Carson had just begun The Tonight Show, The Supreme Court voted to ban school prayer, the median fixed income was $6,000, a house costs $15,000, and a gallon of gas was a meager $.25 cents. But, things were much different back then because people were much different. There…  ( Click for more )

We all have a history, no matter our age or position in life. No matter what your financial, marital, or spiritual position is, it will always be filled with extremes. How you handle these situations, and the choices you make because of them, will greatly affect yourself and the people around you. In my novel, Sons In The Clouds one of the main characters went through horrible cruelty at the hands of his father. He was beaten, emotionally traumatized, fearful, and sexually abused until he was finally able to escape toward a better future. He had a best friend (the other…  ( Click for more )

Rockefeller, Vanderbilt, Carnegie, Astor, Ford and Morgan; the dominant names of those who built this nation during its infancy. Men, who had vision, drive, guts, determination, goals, and minds which captured the very essence of Capitalism. Men, who constructed entire industries out of their genius, powered and built America’s infrastructure, and made it into the wealthiest country in history. Men, who started from nothing, and became the richest on the planet without government help, or intervention; the creators, the ones who started it all, the leader’s who made…  ( Click for more )

The Economy. Money. Jobs. Your Future, and the future of our youth. It’s filling the minds of everyone these days especially during this super-heated political election. People are more concerned than ever about what their future holds, and rightly so. Millions are looking for work, or have stopped searching at all with little hope. It isn’t the America I grew up in, and one in desperate need of a new direction.

America was founded on self-reliant, entrepreneurial principles. A nation where people are free to dictate their own future, create their own jobs, and look…  ( Click for more )

We all have a history, no matter our age or position in life. No matter what your financial, marital, or spiritual position is, it will always be filled with extremes. How you handle these situations, and the choices you make because of them, will greatly affect yourself and the people around you. In my novel, Sons In The Clouds one of the main characters went through horrible cruelty at the hands of his father. He was beaten, emotionally traumatized, fearful, and sexually abused until he was finally able to escape toward a better future. He had a best friend…  ( Click for more )

Do you show respect to others in your life? Do they show the same to you? What do you regard as respectful behavior? Is it merely doing as one says when they say they'll do it, or does it dive much deeper than that, demonstrating by not only backing up what one says, as much as one does? According to Wikipedia, the definition of respect is: "Respect gives a positive feeling of esteem or deference for a person or other entity (such as a nation or a religion), and also specific actions and conduct representative of that esteem. Respect can be a specific feeling of…  ( Click for more )

I was recently talking with one of our nation’s youth (19 years old) when the subject of politics came up, that dreaded word which has sparked many heated debates, especially lately. We were about ten seconds into the conversation when he quickly said, “I don’t like that Romney guy.”

I said, “Really, why not?”

“Because he’s rich.”

Taken back a little, I then asked, “What’s wrong with being rich? Wouldn’t you like to be rich someday?”

Thinking, “Well…ya’ll.”

“Then,…  ( Click for more )

When you were born, God equipped you with a conscious, a gut-wrencher, an energy feeling coming across when impending forces try causing you harm or propelling you toward greater good, a realistic sensation responding to all things emotional, a subtle voice. That voice is God trying to tell you something, for better or worse, even when you don't want to listen. God knows what's best for us. He oversees and plans everything we do way before any situation or person comes across our thoughts. He sees the forks-in-the-roads, the urges, the desires, the wants, and the mistakes…  ( Click for more )

On a summer evening in July of 1969, Neil Armstrong placed his left, then his right foot on the surface of the moon humbly saying, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,” Words which will forever be etched in history books and minds of all who heard them across the airwaves. Armstrong was our generations, Christopher Columbus, a true hero, and a man who surprisingly retired and walked into anonymity only two years after his historic flight. He often said in interviews that none of what he did “was about him, that he was only the tip of…  ( Click for more )

All of us experience challenges, along with moments of pain, stress, and tension. It's just part of what makes us human as we travel through our individual journeys. However, one thing I've noticed is that those who carry the ability to laugh and allow humor to always be at the forefront of their demeanor are some of the happiest people I know. When life gives them lemons they make lemonade, when problems or struggles try and come up against them, they shrug them off and quickly pull a joke from their basket of endless humor. As they face obstacles which would cause…  ( Click for more )

The recent death of actor, Michael Clarke Duncan at such an early age made me stop, and remember all the memorable roles he played during his short time on the silver screen. For instance, I loved him as accused murderer, John Coffey in The Green Mile. He was a huge, extremely powerful-looking man upon first glance. Then, as the storyline unfolded, you couldn’t help but see him in a completely different light—loving, caring, a gentle giant, a person I found wishing I had as a buddy, friend, or next door neighbor. He was actually an angel living inside an extremely intimidating…  ( Click for more )

Do you know the amount of our National Debt? If you’re like a surprising number of Americans, you don’t.

Our National Debt is quickly spinning toward the out-of-control figure of sixteen trillion dollars. That’s sixteen trillion dollars—in other words, sixteen thousand billion George Washington’s! An astonishing number and one that’s simply in-comprehendible by people like me. It represents the sins of both, Republican and Democratic managers who are responsible for putting our country in such a predicament, severely hurting our economic power…  ( Click for more )

Have you ever been to a party, or other form of social gathering, drinking, talking, laughing, even dancing when all of a sudden, in a blink of an eye, the mood suddenly pauses, even swings to a deafening silence? The cause? Someone, somewhere, decided to say something inappropriate causing everyone to take notice, clearing the room, looking for the nearest exit to run toward. And they didn’t need to be spoken words. It could be something written, an expression you gave at just the wrong time, or a thumbs up or down you clicked in social media land. No matter what, and no…  ( Click for more )

When you think about your personal heroes, what names come to mind: a parent, sibling, action figure, military veteran, or stranger you witness saving a life? Maybe it’s the elderly lady selflessly serving free Thanksgiving meals inside the homeless shelter, an ER Doctor working exhaustively for three days straight, or just someone that reaches out their car window at an intersection handing over a dollar bill to a stranger in need. No matter who they are, we all want, and wish for someone who’s larger than life.

Heroes come in many shapes, forms and patterns,…  ( Click for more )

Months ago, I was listening to an interview with then Presidential Candidate, Donald Trump who was discussing his business, lifestyle, and overall viewpoints on how he came to be who he was. His father had been a big time influence on him, and his mother, and those of past generations of his family. When asked about why some in his field of expertise do so poorly in comparison to his success, his answer was simple: “You can have the most creative, gifted mind in the world, but luck definitely plays a role in your overall success.” He admitted he’s one who’s…  ( Click for more )

I’m turning the big 50 this week, a milestone in a person’s existence, and more than likely the halfway point in a human beings life. Surprisingly to me, it seems pretty pleasant because I feel good, appear well, and am looking forward to the next 50 if I’m blessed to do so. I’ve become one who believes life can get better as we age because by this time we’ve all learned a few things, experienced much, hopefully loved and cared for others, and been a friend to many. Fifty years doesn’t seem possible because I remember certain events from my childhood…  ( Click for more )

I was sitting at home this past Saturday morning, thinking of several ways to spend the day. I needed to do some things: a grocery run, dry cleaners, write, lay by the pool and soak up some rays, catch up on correspondence. But, rather than making the day about me, I decided instead to drive across town and visit someone who I’ve known my entire life. A man whose approaching ninety five years old, one of my dad’s best friends, a gentleman who showed interest in me ever since I was able to walk, a guy whose given far more to the world than it’s given him, a person…  ( Click for more )

Most have experienced it: staying with the same person no matter how bad and unhealthy a relationship becomes, hoping against the odds that things will eventually get better allowing love to prevail. Some look to God, wish upon a star, or seek out and counsel with every psychologist around to heal the broken seams, replace bad with good, take another drink of love potion which brought bodies together in the first place, and inflame the sparks both felt while first meeting. But realistically, sometimes the right thing to do is walk away early on before you wake up one morning,…  ( Click for more )

The question above is one we’ve all asked ourselves while making that occasional, sizzling eye contact. And it’s also the oldest both men and women have contemplated every time their heart skips that irreversible beat. God made us equipped to love another, to share that certain bond we feel with no one else. But is it love we have while stroking the others hand, or simply an infatuation, a physical response that goes no further than living in the moment when it happens?

Let’s start with some definitions:

Love is a strong feeling for another which lasts…  ( Click for more )

I woke up feeling sick today; nauseated at the decision recently handed down by once conservative Supreme Court Justice, John Roberts. Last week, with a stroke of a pen, America’s financial landscape was drastically changed and placed on the spiraling pathway toward a socialistic republic. It was exactly what our idealistic, anti-business, pro-entitlement, ultra-liberal President wanted. He got his wish (for now). And currently, the fate and future of our beloved country is solely being placed in the hands of November’s elections.

Once again, I’m sick and can’t…  ( Click for more )

Are you successful in your career, home life, love life, and being in general? Were you always this way, or did you have circumstances and people which helped make you who you are?

No matter our positions in life, all of us have had others to help, nurture, support, and pay for our success along the road regardless of achievement. From giving birth to a child to our daily work as being loyal, caring, sympathetic, and encouraging to those we love, the devotion should never end on both sides of the equation. But, do we pull them along with us as we grow and surge forward, or conveniently…  ( Click for more )

I’m the proud uncle of two outstanding teenage boys. Both are heavily involved in sports, school activities, church groups, and scholastic organizations. They’ve been raised well, and are both on their way to positive futures with nothing but full lives ahead. One recently achieved the rank of Eagle Scout, an honor within the Boy Scouts of America organization carrying with it a super-high level of honor and achievement. It’s something that only a small percentage of young people ever reach within that establishment, and it required a huge dedication of time,…  ( Click for more )

In the spirit of Father’s Day, I’ve decided to begin by telling the tale of one of the best.

My father was born in the early 1930’s among the rolling hills of Arkansas, went to that state’s great university, served in the U.S. Air Force as a Sergeant during the Korean War, was employed for thirty plus years in the pharmaceutical industry after college, became married and stayed devoted to my mom for over forty years, was active in church, social organizations, and a dedicated father to my sister and I. He suddenly passed away in 2002, leaving behind his…  ( Click for more )