Nick’s Walk

I love all kinds of music. I credit my god mother. When I was a kid I would spend nights at her house. She had a phonograph and  records of all kinds of music. I would listen to all of them and grew to love them all. For me, music is powerful. I listen to it day and night. It makes my exercise tolerable. It helps put me to sleep and deals with my stress. It helps me keep focused. I still listen to all kinds but mostly “Christian” music, new and old. That keeps me focused on Jesus. I think such music and radio like K-Love is the best hope for “Christianity.” Consider this from an article I recently read: 1. Church Attendance Is Now a Fringe Activity Except for a few U.S. communities (deep in the Bible Belt), nobody asks which church you attend anymore, because the assumption is you don’t go to church. Increasingly, church attendance is a fringe activity. 2. “All Welcome” Means Nothing Almost every dying church has an “All Welcome” sign nobody takes seriously. About the only way non-Christians will show up at Christian churches is via personal invitation. Regardless of what any sign might say, the real welcome […]

  Jonathan and Megan Reaux are members of my church. They have served as missionaries in Africa. I would like to recommend a ministry that needs help. I have borrowed extensively from one of their recent news letters. We have arranged for online donations to this ministry if you are interested. Follow this link and select “Africa Chicken Ranch.” Okay so it’s not a ranch, but read what follows and you will get the idea. What follows is from the Reaux’s newsletter. Pastor Petro is a good friend we’ve come to know during our time in Africa. We spent a lot of time with him and his ministry in Olkolili, Tanzania, and have come to respect his dedication to God and the souls that God has placed around him.    He has such a tender heart and a passion to improve lives. Not only is he a pastor of a great church, but he has a school which has over a hundred children, who are either orphans or children of very poor families. Before we returned to America, we helped as much as we could by donating books and our car. They were incredibly grateful, but their expenses go […]

It’s been six months since the great flood of 2016. I’m still struggling to restore my property but am so blessed compared to many who are still not in their homes and may be victims of scam artists. If you need prayer, a shoulder to cry on or legal help. Please let me know. You aren’t alone or forgotten. Even if you feel like it.  Nick. 

I saw a video recently in which college students, some of them political science majors, could not correctly identify photographs of Joe Biden or Ronald Reagan. I was initially amazed at such ignorance. After further thought I believe the ignorance was blissful. Are we really surprised that this generation has no interest in politics and are blissful in their ignorance? Political science education in high school and college is incredibly weak. Perhaps more importantly, statesmanship seems dead. Partisanship is everywhere with no one seemingly able to agree on anything.  The U. S. Senate is no longer a congenial club. Truth is rare and relative. News has to be filtered to separate the real from the “fake.” I have taken to unfollowing Facebook “friends” who insist on posting principally politically related “news” and opinions. The posts are often so slanted that they bear little resemblance to what really happened or to what is actually going on.  I recognize I have been guilty of the same in the past. I repent and watching others who haven’t just is not worth the aggravation. I am trying to wean myself from television news. I thought things would calm down after the election but […]

I don’t read the Bible every day. I haven’t been following a plan for regular Bible reading. That changes as of February 1. February isn’t too late for a resolution, is it? I have started a plan to read through the New Testament in a year. If you are interested in doing the same let me recommend YouVersion. It’s the best bible app and is available for most computers and smart phones for free. It offers many different plans and the ability to share with other users of the app. They are offering a 21 day challenge now to get folks, like you and me, started on regular bible reading.   My first two days of reading have been great. I’m in Matthew watching Jesus spar with the Pharasees. Yesterday he asked them if they had read the scriptures. What a burn for a group who prided themselves on their bible knowledge. Not a bad place to start for someone who needs to spend more time in scripture. Today I encountered the famous “Give unto Caesar” quote. I got a fresh perspective today. The quote has been used to encourage folks to pay their taxes, which, of course we should. […]

In May, Rosemary and I will have been married for forty-seven years. I love her as much as ever. I guess you can safely say that it’s a “Love That Lasts.” It hasn’t always been easy. We can relate to others who have lost a child, been falsely accused, had financial problems and have had a hand in raising grandchildren. I’m not sure I’ve learned any secrets in the process. The most recent issue of Covenant Spotlight is “Love That Lasts” and would help anyone struggling to achieve long-lasting love.  The greatest love of all is God’s love for you. Page 4. Most of us dream of “finding love.” It’s really right in front of us. “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” Jesus did that for us. You have  got to love that. Include Christ. Page 6. Marriage is a covenant between imperfects. Our spouse was never meant to fulfill all our needs. Don’t put that burden on anybody, except Jesus. A successful marriage is a three cord affair, with Jesus as the third and binding cord. The “D” word is not an option. Page 8. I know someone who on […]

As Christians we ought to pray for those in government. It’s tough sometimes to do it with enthusiasm, even for those we voted for. God has placed some folks in positions of great influence. Right now there are some who are in particular need of prayer. Several key members of the Trump Administration are Christians. It is likely they will be more as the administration is filled out.  Christians in government, especially in Washington, are already targets of attack from a generally non-Christian nation and from spiritual forces as well. Please pray for them. Here are just some examples: Vice – President Mike Pence has said, “My Christian faith is at the heart of who I am” and “I’m a Christian, a conservative and a Republican, in that order.” Chief of Staff Reince Preibus has tweeted “Christ’s sacrificial work provides an example for us all, and we join with the Psalmist in saying ‘You make known to me the path of life.’” Attorney General Jeff Sessions is Sunday school teacher at his family’s church. Housing and Urban Development’s Dr. Ben Carson believes that God spoke clearly to him that Trump would be president. Education’s Betsy DeVos is a Christian committed to […]

When speaking with an old friend and client yesterday I observed that there are “too many lawyers.” Sometimes I am so wise that I amaze myself. I was, of course, talking about the number of people practicing law. There are too many of us as evidenced by the number of frivolous lawsuits and the amount of lawyer advertising.  After giving it some thought, I realized that my statement was true in a broader sense. Lawyers specialize in advocacy and in making arguments. Witnesses, on the other hand, generally stick to the facts. We have way too much argument and not enough relating of facts. This has become clear in the first week of the Trump administration. Trump has been calling in CEOs and labor leaders and regular folks, for example, to learn some facts. This seems to me a good thing. Washington is long on experts and theory and often short on regular folks and facts.  When Congress holds hearings on the need for a piece of legislation, it’s great to hear from experts in the field. However, nothing is more powerful that the witness of some regular folks impacted by the problem being faced, whether it’s crime, a […]