It's August, so it's county fair season in the American Great Plains. My three-year-old grandson had never been to the fair, so on what must have been the hottest evening of the year, we shepherded our novice fair-goer through the animal barns at the Johnson County Fair in Gardner, Kansas. First, the chickens. The chickens…
Here’s my Christmas blog post from last year. We just watched this movie last night, and it reminded me why I love it so much. Merry Christmas! —————————————————— Name your favorite Christmas movie! Go! Mine: The Nativity Story. Why? Simple. The three wise men. In this Biblically-accurate retelling of the Gospel story of Jesus' birth,…
Here’s to the makers of American decorative signs, who express complete thoughts of wit, humor, and inspiration in the smallest possible spaces. Finally, someone really gets me. Don’t ask me how few. Here, have some more potato salad... ‘Nuff said there. Just ask my 14-week old puppy! And speaking of the pup, here she is!…
"Pa," young James asked, "how can I love my neighbor?" The candle flickered in the draft from the January wind invading the cabin, piercing the post-suppertime darkness like a beacon. His father took a long draw from his pipe and looked up from his month-old newspaper. In 1805, it took the papers from back east…
Name your favorite Christmas movie! Go! Mine: The Nativity Story. Why? Simple. The three wise men. In this Biblically-accurate retelling of the Gospel story of Jesus' birth, we’re introduced to Melchior, Balthasar and Gaspar as they are watching two planets and a single star align into what will become the Bethlehem Star. As they talk…
One of the most difficult commands of the Bible? "Give thanks in all circumstances." 1 Thess. 5:18 Against the daunting backdrop of 2020, this is a real stretch. The usual joys of life - concerts, live sports, plays - all gone. Personal liberties - church attendance, gathering as families, hugging and shaking hands - voluntarily…
A while back, as I was browsing through my LinkedIn timeline, I came cross this quote from leadership expert John Maxwell: “Needless to say, you can love people without leading them, but you cannot lead people without loving them.” - John Maxwell John was roundly criticized by a commenter for trying to bring religion into…
Hollywood just paid Fred Rogers a big compliment. But it's probably not the one they expected. The long-awaited trailer for the Mr. Rogers biopic, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, dropped this past week. Mr. Rogers is being played by none other than Tom Hanks. Let that sink in for a minute. The most iconic…
A spring break trip to Waco, Texas last month landed us at the Magnolia Market, the home of the design and decor empire founded by HGTV's Chip and Joanna Gaines. We were well aware of the Gaines' Christian faith before we arrived. And true to form, beautiful items of home decor incorporating Bible verses into…
Mike G. Smith 