Book review: David French, Divided We Fall: America’s Secession Threat and How to Restore Our Nation (2020, St. Martin’s Press) Amid the increasingly vitriolic cacophony of our angry partisan bickering, David French stands out as a Tennessee-twanged voice in the wilderness. This book offers a less-than-rose-tinted take on America's political polarization. Without being overly alarmist, Divided We Fall offers a sobering analysis of our nation's looming future and a prescription for readers to help reverse the trend. French cut his teeth in the conservative movement and to this day remains a committed evangelical Christian who is devotedly pro-life and an expert defender of religious liberty. Even so, he treats the faults of America's … [Read more...]

With marijuana use becoming legal in several states, you may be tempted to think of it as harmless. However, it’s not a harmless drug and is indeed dangerous, particularly when combined with driving. Just as it’s illegal to drink alcohol and drive, so is it illegal to use marijuana and drive. The truth is that marijuana has negative effects on drivers. It has caused accidents and ruined many lives. This article will look at what those dangers are, including some statistics, and explore how we can educate children about the dangers of marijuana use. Dangers of Drugged Driving The dangers of drugged driving should be obvious. However, even though awareness of the problem is increasing, we should still brace ourselves for a drastic … [Read more...]

It's been a few years since I've posted the annual updated list of my favorite Christmas songs here on the blog. But given the bleakness of 2020, and the epic makeover to the list, the time has come once again. So without further ado, click on Bing's picture below to get access to all 180 songs: Agree or disagree (more likely) with my rankings, that's a lot of Christmas musical selections. Makes those Top 50 lists of yesteryear seem kind of quaint. … [Read more...]

In many towns in rural America, the Friday night lights of local football fields shine over empty fields, due to a significant and growing decline in sports participation. To put it into perspective, in the year 1983, 355 Nebraska high schools had football programs. Fast forward to 2013, and only 282 programs remained. The problem is exacerbated every year, as participation numbers continue to decline. Socioeconomic concerns, fear of injury, and a lack of available, qualified, and willing coaches seem to be sources of the problem. This is concerning for a number of reasons, as school athletics have a number of significant benefits to students. For one, regular physical activity has been scientifically proven to lower the likelihood of … [Read more...]

Now that we've moved into 2021, most of us aren't interested in looking back on the year that was. But having completed my Goodreads goal of 40 books read in 2020, as of about 10:00 PM on New Year's Eve, I wanted to take a moment and highlight the best and most influential selections. In alphabetical order, by author: 1. American Carnage: On the Front Lines of the Republican Civil War and the Rise of President Trump by Tim Alberta. Eye-opening and troubling, for those who want an insider's view of how the GOP went from Tea Party to Trump. 2. The Beginning of Wisdom: Reading Genesis by Leon Kass. I've read the first book of the Bible many times before, but left with new insights, especially on Adam and Eve, and brothers Judah and Joseph. 3. … [Read more...]

When you become a parent, your children become your world. You want to shield them from every danger, every hurt. You want them to have only the best things in life. You want to give them a world of joy. But what if the one thing you can’t give them is the one thing they may want most in this world — a happy home? Divorce is never to be entered into lightly. Marriage is a covenant, one not easily broken. Sometimes, however, no matter how hard you try, it just can’t work out. Some rifts simply cannot be mended. How do you help your children to understand that sometimes it is better to find peace apart than war together? How do you help them mend? How do you return them to the joy they deserve? When It’s Over, Let It Be … [Read more...]

by Jen Ongkit One of the most important aspects of any business strategy today is having a social media presence. What if you could show your brand in front of thousands or even millions of people every day? Yes, correct - through YouTube. Business owners have been struggling with the question of "should I have a Youtube channel?" for years. YouTube is a platform that can be used by any business, no matter the size. The only thing you need to get started is a secure Google login, then upload your video content. With YouTube, businesses can reach an audience they would never have been able to otherwise with little effort on their part. It's simple: if your business doesn't have a YouTube channel (yet), it needs one. Why? Keep … [Read more...]

Image Source: Pixabay When you first got your driver’s license, it probably felt like your car was the ultimate freedom, that amazing rite of passage that signaled you had grown up at last. Now your car is the thing that makes it possible for you to live your busy life, getting to and from work, chauffeuring your kids from place to place, running your never-ending list of errands. You hop in and out countless times a day without even thinking. By now, your car has just become an extension of yourself. That is, until it isn’t.  The reality is that every time you get into your car, you’re barreling down often crowded highways and interstates at 40, 50, or even 70 and 80 miles an hour in a multi-ton missile. According to current … [Read more...]

Although influencer marketing is not a new concept, it appears to be evolving faster than other kinds of marketing and promotion. As more artists join the market with the intention of becoming paid influencers, wise brands and the agencies with whom they collaborate understand that effectively collaborating with an influencer requires more than simply a huge number of followers. This year, the influencer market is projected to expand to a whopping $16.4 billion industry. The idea is to use the organic influence of the appropriate individuals to build deeper interaction between their followers and your company, and a plethora of variables will influence your strategy.  What Is Influencer Marketing? Influencer marketing is a … [Read more...]

Image Source: Unsplash With researchers continuing to gather more evidence on the links between sports and concussions, parents should be wary about signing their children up to participate in activities such as football and ice hockey. It’s no secret Americans love sports, but brain injuries have become a top concern for players, coaches, and parents. Tragic stories of dementia, neurological conditions, and even suicide mean the bright Friday night lights can no longer blind those charged with young athletes’ well-being to the very real consequences of the concussion crisis in sports. From Pee-Wee football to the NFL, players are sustaining head injuries that could lead to chronic traumatic encephalopathy … [Read more...]