Tag Archives: Virgil Hurley

Dare to Trust Scripture References: Micah 5:2; Acts 19:29, 34 In 1975 a young couple bought a small paper in California. Almost immediately the husband unearthed a scandal involving a foundation that had served in rehabilitating former alcoholics and dope … Continue reading →

Humility in Memory Scripture References: Psalm 78:39; 1 Peter 1:16-18 Someone wrote the editors of a leading magazine asking if Tom Selleck’s image was real or celluloid. He seemed so unaffected with stardom, but was he? He seemed so down-to-earth, … Continue reading →

A Personal Threshold Scripture References: Judges 6:36-40; Acts 20:28; 1 Peter 5:2-3 Two kinds of athletes confront pain, according to a study in Athletic Training Magazine. One focuses single-mindedly on the goal and is impervious to pain during competition; the … Continue reading →

As We Really Are Scripture References: 1 Samuel 23:22-23; Matthew 22:16 In talking to Brutus in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, Cassius says, “Therefore, good Brutus, be prepar’d to hear; and since you know you cannot see yourself so well as by … Continue reading →

Getting It Straight Scripture References: Psalm 33:6, 139:13; Acts 17:26 In his book The Genesis Mystery, anthropologist Jeffrey Goodman surmises that humanity emerged from apelike ancestors by intelligent intervention of an outside source. The gradual changes necessary in an evolutionary … Continue reading →

Eternally Optimistic Scripture References: Psalm 27:1; Acts 2:41 In 1914 the French never contemplated defeat at the hands of Germany. The essence of optimism over Germany’s eventual defeat is revealed in an apocryphal report to General Joseph Joffre from General … Continue reading →

A Fatal Flaw Scripture References: 1 Samuel 17:45-46; Matthew 26:51-54 Incredible warriors, the Aztecs intrepidly bludgeoned their enemies into subservience. They were also uncompromisingly bloodthirsty, worshipping stony-faced deities they believed demanded human sacrifices. At the dedication of one temple, a … Continue reading →

Do What You Are Given Scripture References: Jeremiah 36:16-17, 23-24; Acts 16:9-10 Actor Jamie Farr played the high-heeled, cigar-chomping Corporal Klinger in M.A.S.H. About two hundred fans attended the ceremony when he was added to Hollywood’s Walk of Fame. Few … Continue reading →

Missed Opportunities Scripture References: Deuteronomy 18:15, 18-19; John 8:24 Ben Franklin made a speech on the last day of the Constitutional Convention, urging harmony among the delegates. It astonished him, he said, that they had produced a constitution of such … Continue reading →

That One Person Scripture References: 1 Samuel 23:16-17; Ephesians 4:7; Hebrews 2:4 Jessie Owens and Luz Long competed against each other in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. What Owens later called “an act of special grace and special courtesy to a … Continue reading →

That One Person Scripture References: Exodus 19:5; Malachi 3:17; Mark 1:11 Somerset Maugham’s The Social Sense centers on a married couple. Mary Warton had been a concert singer in her day and remained an accomplished musician as a doyen. Her … Continue reading →

It Is Really For God Scripture References: Genesis 12:1-9; Acts 10:34 Like a harvester, God gathers his people on Sundays for worship, to celebrate their common faith. Afterwards, like a sower, God broadcasts those same believers like seeds into the … Continue reading →

To Choose a Horse Scripture References: Ezekiel 21:21; Philippians 4:19 As welders’ arcs showered sparks in the racetrack’s new $80 million grandstand, a middle-aged man walked down an aisle seeking a lucky seat. He had been hired by a public … Continue reading →

An Appropriate Symbol Scripture References: Exodus 22:18; Acts 8:9-13 Could any symbol be more appropriate for an occult practitioner than a Barbie doll? One woman considers herself the channel through whom Barbie speaks in response to inquiries. She appreciates and … Continue reading →

Always Ready, If Not Eager Scripture References: Exodus 3:18; Luke 12:50 Thinking war would be a great adventure, John Gibbon’s Black Hat Brigade went eagerly into battle at Second Bull Run. There they fought well while losing many of their … Continue reading →

Only the Best Scripture References: Psalm 19:11; Acts 20:20-21 The guest on Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show was chauffeured in a limousine from the airport to her suite in the Sheraton Premiere Hotel. Not bad accommodations when you consider the guest … Continue reading →

So Much Owed So Few Scripture References: 1 Samuel 14:1, 6; Mark 3:13-15 Stealth fighters comprised just 2.5 percent of the aircraft in the Persian Gulf War. Yet, on the first day of the air war, they flew 31 percent … Continue reading →

Can’t Hear Each Other Scripture References: Isaiah 7:4; Luke 6:12-13 Prolonged exposure to eighty-five decibels or more can cause damage to the inner ear and result in permanent hearing loss and extensive health problems in related areas including high blood … Continue reading →

In Act and Word Scripture References: Galatians 1:11; 2 Peter 3:15 Gouverneur Morris was one of our most important founding fathers. According to James Madison, the style and arrangement of the Constitution were his. Morris talked voluminously at the Constitutional … Continue reading →

The Need to Negotiate Scripture References: Exodus 18:13-17; 1 Corinthians 6:4 When American recalcitrance to pay taxes motivated the colonies to fight the English Crown, statesman Edmund Burke felt the time had come for accommodation. The American spirit couldn’t be … Continue reading →