Other Writing

My paternal grandfather, Iris Harmon, was a man of great humor and an equally great storyteller. He’s been gone for more than 35 years now, but thankfully, he recorded a story that he titled "Hooked on Baseball," which I have transcribed here in his own words. I hope you enjoy reading it!

"I growed up a-way back in the mountains and hills and hollers; not a whole lot to do - run through the woods, act sort of like a wild man. Sometimes I wonder if I wasn't about like Tarzan. Wasn't a whole lot...

The perceptions among "locals" regarding what has grown over time into Appalachian State University always intrigue me. I am thankful for the educational, cultural, and employment opportunities that the university has provided us with, each of which I have personally benefitted from. At the same time, I acknowledge the frustrations brought on by excessive growth without a corresponding infrastructure to support that growth. Certainly, life in any college town has its pros and cons. This is...

When embarking on genealogical research, people often joke or express hesitation about discovering horse thieves in their family trees. Tonight, I found mine. Although certainly not the first or only law-breaking relative that I have been aware of, this is my first horse thief.

David Laurence “Dave” Sutherland was born in 1876 in North Carolina, most likely in the Sutherland community of Ashe County, a son of Dan and Lucinda “Lou” Horton Sutherland. His maternal grandfather was Jack Horton,...

- God’s people are often unduly involved in peripheral issues. We get busy here and there about this and that and gradually drift away from the things that are really important in life.

- One powerful God-given antidote for depression and despair is to pray for others. When we can look beyond our own needs and think about the needs of others, we will find a wonderful relief from our own burdens.

- In death the world loses everything, but God’s children gain everything.

- There are millions who...

It was a privilege to pay my respects today to Rev. Billy Graham at his childhood home on the grounds of the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte. The simplicity of his casket and the floral cross of lilies spoke not only of his own personal humility but also the simplicity of the Gospel and the clarity with which he preached it so that all who heard could understand.

As he aged and declined in health and was increasingly out of the public eye, it became possible (without perhaps watching...

Following are some thoughts of mine which I hope will be a help to my fellow Christians:

Yesterday's Sunday School lesson was titled "A Passion to Share the Gospel." As I mentioned to my fellow congregants, this causes me to ask myself if I really have a passion for sharing Christ. And if not, why? I think there are some easily identifiable reasons why my passion has historically been lacking, and maybe this is true for you.

First, it is easier and more comfortable not to engage others. I find...

I feel led to share some of my Christian testimony thus far in hopes that it may encourage someone.

I am thankful to have grown up in a Christian family, and I don't ever recall not being in church. That was due to my mother's influence. Although my father grew up in the church, as an adult (and for the majority of my life), he did not attend church and rarely spoke of spiritual things. Because of that, in terms of my own spirituality, I have often felt a kinship to Timothy, whose faith,...

In the winter of 1892, a letter written by a Blowing Rock, North Carolina school teacher to a friend in Hemingford, Nebraska ignited quite the firestorm.

The letter was a private correspondence but became public when the author’s friend permitted extracts to be published in the Hemingford Guide in a February 12, 1892 article titled “From the South: A Superior Being in North Carolina Writes to a Friend in Nebraska.” A gentleman living in Nebraska – a former North Carolina resident – sent a...

In A History of Watauga County, North Carolina, John Preston Arthur makes a few passing mentions of an early merchant of Boone: “Jacob Rintels, who had been in copartnership wth Samuel Witkowsky [sic] above Elkville on the Yadkin River, came to Boone and rented Sheriff Jack Horton’s store room, where he remained for about one year, removing his stock of goods to the store room and residence which had been built by Jordan Councill, Jr., for his son, James W. Councill, on the land now occupied...

Saturday was the culmination of a very emotional week for our family as we celebrated the life and legacy of my sister-in-law, Tracy Harmon. The stories that were shared about Tracy brought both tears and laughter, but beyond those memories, the most touching and powerful moment of the service, in my estimation, was when one or more individuals affirmed that they had accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior in response to the pastor's invitation to do so. This was Tracy's hope. It was...

In Luke 5:1-6, we read of Jesus' first encounter with Simon Peter, who had just experienced an unsuccessful fishing venture. After Jesus had spoken from Peter's boat to the crowd gathered at the Sea of Galilee, He instructed Peter to cast his nets once more. Peter told Jesus he and his companions had worked hard all night without catching anything, "but because you say so, I will let down the nets."

I like that - "BUT BECAUSE YOU SAY SO."

How I wish I more often lived my life that way in...

In 2012, I salvaged the following humorous letter from a local abandoned house - perhaps a 19th century version of on-line dating.

Nashville, Tenn.

Sept. 30th, 1888

Dear Unknown

Valle Crucis, NC

“I see in my late Cincinnati Enquirer that you wish to open correspondence with gentlemen. I select you from a number of others because you reside near my own state. Virginia is my home, or rather has been, but Tenn. is my adopted state. This being my first letter of the kind, I hope it may fall in good...

Hate is exhausting. Hate, negativity, unforgiveness, a critical spirit…they all require excessive amounts of energy and only serve to drain us.

In Mark 11 and 12, the chief priests, teachers of the law, and the elders, the Pharisees, the Herodians, and the Sadducees all bombarded Jesus with questions. Not questions being asked out of a sincere desire to know God’s truth, but questions meant to trick or entrap Jesus…as Mark 12:13 says, “to catch him in his words.” These questions were rooted in...

This morning, while reading the story of Bartimaeus in the 10th chapter of Mark, Jesus' healing of Bartimaeus' blindness revealed to me some parallels to the salvation process.

First, although Bartimaeus called out to Jesus for mercy, nothing life-changing transpired until Jesus called for him. His situation, his circumstances, his blindness could not be altered until Jesus did His part. As the people in the crowd said to Bartimaeus, "He's calling you."

And so it is with our salvation. It is...

I’ve always been fascinated by passages of scripture in which Satanic forces recognized Jesus, sometimes even before His own people knew his true identity.

In Matthew 8:28-29, Jesus was met by two violent, demon-possessed men who shouted at Him, “What do you want with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?”

In Mark 1:21-24, Jesus encountered a man possessed by an evil spirit. The spirit cried out, “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come...

Perhaps the single most outstanding characteristic of Jesus' earthly ministry was His never wavering commitment to obeying the will of His Father. In Matthew 26, as Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane prior to his arrest and crucifixion, He dreaded the upcoming wrath and separation from God that He knew would be necessary in order for Him to successfully pay the sin penalty for all of mankind once and forever, and, according to the Gospel of Luke, the unimaginable stress and mental...

In Matthew 26, Judas betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver (v. 15), Peter, James, and John failed to watch and pray with Him (vv. 36-45), the disciples deserted Him and fled (v. 56), and Peter disowned and denied Him three times (vv. 69-75). These unsettling events are reminders that even the most committed followers of Jesus have the capacity to fail Him. As Jesus said in verse 41, "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."...

As I continue re-reading the Book of Matthew, chapter 20 and verses 29-34 are impressed upon me. In this passage, Jesus is leaving Jericho, followed by a large crowd, when He encounters two blind men who are crying out to Him to have mercy on them. Although the crowd rebukes the men, trying to quiet them, they cry all the louder. Jesus then stops and asks them, "What do you want me to do for you?" The men ask for their sight to be restored, and Jesus, having compassion on them, grants their...

Matthew 18 is one scripture among many that commands us to forgive others. Forgiveness is a requirement...a non-negotiable for Christians, but what about forgetting? We often hear the phrase "forgive and forget," but there is no verse in the Bible that uses this exact pairing of the two words. If we are to forgive like our Heavenly Father, then it would stand to reason that we should forget like Him as well. But does God forget or doesn't He? In Hebrews 8:12, God says, "I will forgive their...

Jesus asked, "Who do you say I am?" Simon Peter answered, "YOU ARE THE CHRIST, THE SON OF THE LIVING GOD." (Matthew 16:15&16)

This question and answer exchange between Jesus and Peter, although brief and almost easy to gloss over, is one of the most profound passages in all of Scripture. Pause for a moment and consider what God has revealed to Peter at this moment. It is the truth that Jesus is not merely a good man or a teacher or a prophet, but that he is the Christ...the Son of God....