No Natural Explanation

Posted on July 22, 2017 by

Things that appear to be supernatural are fascinating, aren’t they? When I was about 16, I paid fifty cents to see “Marvel the Magician” at our local county fair and was thoroughly intrigued and mystified by his power to magically produce some things out of nothing and to make other things disappear. It sure looked like magic and was definitely exciting but believing that such power actually existed was challenging and confusing. After all, if “Marvel” could really pull a rabbit out of a totally empty top hat, couldn’t he just as easily pull out a handful of Continue reading →

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Narratives–Irritating Distractions or Divine Directives?

Posted on July 15, 2017 by

My uncle once remarked about his wife, “She’ll talk with you about anything you want to talk about—as long as it’s horses.” It was his way of alerting folks to the fact that my aunt was a horse enthusiast—“enthusiast” meaning, of course, that if faced with a choice between losing my uncle or her favorite horse, she might have to pause and think for a minute or two. Enthusiasts tend to be a bit out of the normal range when it comes to some particular issue, subject, hobby, species, etc.

Pushing the Narrative

People locked in the jaws of a narrative can sometimes be challenging for those who do not share their perspective or reflect their level of obsessive enthusiasm. Mainstream media representatives these days are a prime example. The left-biased, narrative-driven antics passed off as news reports by mainstream media have drawn reactions from many that range from nausea to Continue reading →

Posted in Faith and Politics, Faith, Family, and Culture, In the News, Insights, Wake Up Calls | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Divisiveness in America–A Right Side Up Perspective

Posted on July 8, 2017 by

Posting a picture of a hangnail that you think makes your thumb look like John the Baptist would be more likely to go viral these days than another impassioned, whining reminder that we live in a divided nation. Google pops up over 422,000 hits in 0.78 seconds when queried about “divisiveness in America”, so no one is likely to be heralded as profoundly insightful because he or she noticed it. Evidence of the sharp contrasts that define our nation is virtually impossible to avoid on any given day.

Protest–Image by mo pie

Opinions, political viewpoints, and ideological preferences have morphed into statements of personal identity for multitudes of Americans. Because of that, confrontation with an opposing position is Continue reading →

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Freedom–What We’re Fighting Against, or Who We’re Living For?

Posted on July 1, 2017 by

Freedom’s Heart–Image by Art4theGloryofGod

Once again, we’re about to celebrate America’s declaration to the world that we would be a free and independent nation, that our people would be able to exercise their God-given rights, including the right of self-determination and the liberty to govern themselves. The King of England had a different view of our announcement and somehow missed the whole thing about it being a lofty and noble ideal worthy of banners and fireworks and stuff like that. He had some different fireworks in mind. He saw our Declaration of Independence as a declaration of war.

Freedom is a compelling concept, but it involves more than one perspective, doesn’t it? One man’s freedom may represent another’s Continue reading →

Posted in Faith, Family, and Culture, In the News, Insights, July 4 - Independence Day, Right Side Up, Wake Up Calls | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Whoa… Didn’t See That Coming!

Posted on June 24, 2017 by

We’re always intrigued by people who claim somehow to be able to see beyond the veil of the present and tell us what’s going to happen in the future—especially if it’s going to happen to us. “Fortune tellers”, “psychics”, “mediums”, “seers”, and other classifications of prognosticating practitioners make that claim every day. In many cultures, consulting fortune-tellers is a routine part of life, and multitudes believe their claims are valid and pay for their services in the hope of getting some insight into what awaits them.

Some Bizarre Methods ~
The methods of acquiring this mysterious glimpse into the future are as bizarre as some of the claims made by those who engage in it. Among other methods, a LiveScience article tells us that “Gelomancy, for example, involves carefully listening to hysterical laughter (and even Continue reading →

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Father’s Day – Firing Up More Than the Grill

Posted on June 17, 2017 by

For the average guy, a “Hallmark Holiday” like Father’s Day often means running the risk of getting sucked into an episode-blubbering sentimentality, a challenge made only slightly more endurable by the hope that there will be a slab of red meat on a grill somewhere with his name on it, and maybe a hardware store gift card. But whatever else we are here at Gallagher’s Pen, we’d rather not be “average”, so we’re going to leave nostalgic reflection on the shelf next to the greeting cards and do something different. Given the significance that God attached to fatherhood, celebrating that relationship deserves more from us than another sappy poem, even if it comes with a gift card and steak dinner.

Fatherhood—Not Just Biological ~
Forgive me for emphasizing the obvious, but fatherhood is a major issue with the God who created us, and it’s worth remembering that the concept was Continue reading →

Posted in Faith, Family, and Culture, Father's Day, In the News, Insights, Wake Up Calls | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments