I am hearing 50 everywhere I go (Read Blog)

Last week I ran into a friend at Wal-Mart, and she said, “I saw the ad in the paper about your anniversary celebration, but I didn’t understand it.” While standing in the store aisle in the midst of the pre-Christmas rush, I really couldn’t explain the Saturday Night Group; in fact with lots of time to remember, I’m not sure that I can. How can one explain a golden anniversary celebration taking place in the midst of a reunion of former teen-agers who came together every Saturday night to stay 3 or 4 hours in a simple, dimly-lit church basement whose entertainment consisted of one pool table, one ping-pong table, one table foosball game, and an air hockey game? You’d have to have been there to understand it; even if you were there, you probably don’t understand it. I was there almost every time it met for almost 20 years, and I still stand amazed at its simplicity, its longevity and, most of all, its impact. (Read Blog)

Taking the Christmas decorations down is never as enjoyable or exciting as putting them up, and I usually dread that job. For one thing, the items usually expand (like I do) and don’t quite fit back into the places from which they came! (Read Blog)

Several years ago, Debbie Venable gave me a devotional book, Streams in the Desert, which has been a real inspiration to me many times. I recently read in that book of a prayer heard in a southern church. The old man in the church thanked God and asked for help and then closed his prayer with this unusual petition, “And, Oh Lord, prop us up! Yes, prop us up on our leaning side.” (Read Blog)

I was thrilled to receive the gift of one goat and two chickens for Christmas; it gave me great joy because those animals will be sent to a third world country to help a poor family have milk and eggs for nourishment as well as the possibility of having extra butter, milk and eggs to sell at market. (Read Blog)

The following story, told by Dr. Chuck Swindoll, shows a graphic picture of today’s society as we almost kill ourselves trying to do all things well and attempt to do everything there is to do. (Read Blog)

I picked up the paper a couple of weeks ago, and I saw there on the sports page the pretty face of Sarah Scruggs. The writer indicated that she had saved the game; I have watched Sarah play basketball, and I love her energetic defense. I wasn’t at all surprised that her hard work had helped to pull off the win for Harlan. (Read Blog)

Let's try listening for a change (Read Blog)

Thanksgiving is my very, very favorite season; I use the word "season" on purpose, because I string it out as long as possible, and I love everything about it. There are so many things to love about Thanksgiving, and one of the favorite things to me is that you can really look forward to family visits without the pressure of, "Did I buy you the right gift?" (Read Blog)

When I was a child, I played outside from morning until night, running, making mud pies, creating plays, jumping rope, playing “school” on the steps of the church, skating, and riding a bike when I could find one. I would see groups of adults at church or in community meetings in the 1940’s, and all I saw were ladies in girdles and tight clothes and men dressed in suits and hats, talking, and I dreaded the day that I would enter that world. (Read Blog)

It had been a beautiful fall day. Emily Anne was all dressed up in a costume; she loved to dress up. She spent most of her days dressed as Cinderella. But this day was different; just about everyone was in costumes. (Read Blog)

I saw Shana yesterday, and even though we had not communicated since she was a young child and we would not have recognized each other on the street, there was an instant connection on my part. (I cannot presume that she would feel that way, for she was looking into the face of a stranger on the day that she was burying her father, the only parent she really knew.) (Read Blog)

When I came to Harlan there were a few things that surprised me. One of these things was seeing grandmothers (real grandmothers with gray or white hair) smoking cigarettes. I had never seen that before. (Read Blog)

The recent story by Diane Sawyer on the TV program “20/20” concerning the problem of drugs in Eastern Kentucky brought forth a strong reaction from all of us. We all had the feeling that once again our homeland here in the mountains would suffer the wounds of prejudice. Most people do not know that they are prejudiced; some of the most prejudiced remarks that I have ever heard were introduced by the words, “I’m not prejudiced, but….” (Read Blog)

There is an old story about a man who moved to a new town; soon after arriving, he walked into a small barber shop and sat down in the chair of an elderly barber. (Read Blog)

We spent our first Memorial Day week-end in Harlan 40 years ago, in 1969. We were surprised at the large number of cars that arrived that week-end bearing license plates from Michigan, Ohio and other states. (Read Blog)

I have been asked to share with you my views on life from my hill in Harlan County where I have resided for over 40 years. WYMT is a special blessing in eastern Kentucky because it gives the news to us with the flavor of our real life. (Read Blog)