Seated on the front row of the second level of the Texas Tech gym makes it hard to "feel" the pomp and circumstance of the commencement proceedings as the class of 2011 marches in. This is a seat intended to place one over the fast break and the last second...

"If you still say the bible is not true, I will say that no book is more honest."

My latest literary diet has consisted of an obscure historical novel entitled Honor's Kingdom. Written by Owen Parry, it is a nineteenth century tale surrounding espionage in...

"O Lord God of my salvation, by day have I cried and by night before Thee. Let my prayer come before Thee, bow down Thine ear unto my supplication, For filled with evils is my soul, and my life unto Hades hath drawn nigh. I am counted with them that...

The rain blew and pounded against the window as the September thunderstorm raced across my view. A thousand snare drums beat a rapid, intense rhythm on the metal roof, inducing a trance that was pure peace, contrasting the thunder that rumbled overhead.

The next morning is was cooler. Not...

Thirty years ago in East Texas, my father befriended a man from Mexico who was in the country illegally. Or maybe, given how much love and care the man extended to our family, it was the other way around.

At first it was awkward having them as...

I was beginning my junior year at Lamar University in 1976 when July 4th marked the bi-centennial of the United States of America. I remember all the celebrations and parades, the flotilla of ships in the inter-coastal canal three blocks from my apartment in Port Arthur, Texas, and the red,...

The Marsh Grass bows gracefully before an early morning breeze as our boat eases near the bank where the oyster reef is hiding under the gray-green water. It is shallow, and we can already see the tell-tale signs of feeding activity, big Redfish working along the reef in search of...

Regarding the murder trial that has dominated our local print and broadcast news, a reporter writes in the local newspaper, "[J]urors will be asked to answer two questions: Is [the defendant] a continuing threat to society? And are there any mitigating circumstances that warrant sparing his life?"

The headline over...

"And he said to them, 'Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions'" (Luke 12:15).

Father Andrew Greeley writes, "The most serious spiritual problem in the country today is reckless and untrammeled greed."

These words are...

My momma lied to me. I bet your momma lied to you, too.

I don't remember the first time she told the lie, but I can be sure of the situation. No doubt, someone had teased me about my name. That happened often when I first entered public school...