"I never talk back. I listen and always remember your every word, so come pen or mouse, never forget that I will treasure your thoughts forever. Yours truly, Paper."
LM Fields

One of the ways we keep our brains alert and our minds active is to keep...

"Never be afraid to ask questions, especially of yourself. Discovery is the mission of life." -- Brian Kates

Educators have long known the value of the Socratic method of teaching, which is named after the classical Greek philosopher Socrates. This approach is based on the belief that students...

"Mirror, mirror, here I stand. Who is the fairest in the land?" -- Wilhelm Grimm in Grimm's Fairy Tales


I actually enjoy going shopping with my wife, Evie. Whether it is making our way through our grocery list at Wegman's, or the birthday and anniversary...

"Great men stand like solitary towers in the city of God."
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Richard A. Kunsch has been called "Mr. Phoenixville" by many of those who know him best. And though I have only known him for about 16 years, I would agree that "Mr. Phoenixville"...

"There is a thin line that separates laughter and pain, comedy and tragedy, humor and hurt." -- Erma Bombeck

Years ago I heard someone describe comedy as "tragedy plus time." Perhaps we didn't have our driver's license to check in at the airport, or we dropped the bowl...

"Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life's coming attractions."
Albert Einstein

I don't know of any student at Valley Forge Christian College who wants to be mediocre or even just a little above average. Within each heart is a quest to excel... to make a...

"Heroes are made by the paths they choose, not the powers they are graced with."
-- Brodi Ashton

For almost 75 minutes, nearly 1,600 of us sat spellbound hearing him tell his story. It was like we were frozen in place as he walked us through his...

"I have met with but one or two persons in the course of my life who understood the art of Walking, that is, of taking walks..." -- Henry David Thoreau

Henry David Thoreau has been described as one of the seminal figures in American literature. His books, articles,...

"A man ought to carry himself in the world as an orange tree would if it could walk up and down in the garden, swinging perfume from every little censer it holds up to the air." --
Henry Ward Beecher

During the past Christmas season, Evie and I...

"Moral progress is impossible apart from an habitual vision of greatness."
- Alfred North Whitehead

Years ago I came across a book by the title Addicted to Mediocrity (Schaeffer). I love that title because it warns the reader of the hazard of tolerating mediocrity in one's life. And we...

"We overestimate what we can do in two years; we underestimate what we can do in ten years." -- Mark Batterson


Mark Batterson is a New York Times bestselling author. Although he has written about ten books, it was his 2011 The Circle Maker...

"Don't drink coffee until you are 20-years-old or you won't grow up to be tall and strong." -- Barbara Meyer (my mother)

Perhaps Ken Jennings is best known for being the record holder for winnings on Jeopardy ($2.52 million). But now he has written his third book titled...

"I have no excuses for not being good. If I'm not good, it's my own fault."
Tim Elmore

Have you ever pondered how many people there are in your life that have had some level of influence upon you to help you become who you are today?...

"Every day is a gift from God." -- Gayle Brostowski

Every time someone we love hears the words, "You have cancer," we know their world and ours will never be the same. Gayle Brostowski, VFCC alum from the class of 1985, had no idea that 26...

"You can't always control circumstances. However, you can always control your attitude, approach, and response." -- Tony Dungy

There is nothing quite as inspiring as attending an NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) Honors Celebration. Our college, Valley Forge Christian College, is in the first of a...

A Psalm of Life: My Reflections

"Let us then be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labor and to wait."

~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

In Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's A Psalm of Life, this great American...

"Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime.
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time."
--Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Beth Pears, my niece, has been teaching high school English for over 20 years. During a...

"My heroes are those who risk their lives every day to protect our world and make it a better place -- police, firefighters and members of our armed forces." -- Sidney Shelton

One of the highlights of my childhood was to attend the Pennsylvania Farm Show in Harrisburg. I can...

"Painting is a complete distraction."-- Winston Churchill

I had only planned on writing two essays on Winston Churchill's book Painting as Pastime, which was first written as two essays in 1932 and later published in 1948. But I couldn't resist capturing a few more of his thoughts on why painting...

"Happy are the painters, for they shall not be lonely. Light and colour, peace and hope, will keep them company to the end, or almost to the end, of the day." -- Winston Churchill

Last week I began a three part series on the subject of Winston Churchill's book Painting...