THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury For a few days, it seemed that I’d caught lightning in a bottle–the kind rarely seen on life’s highway–particularly in the slow lane. It was as if bolts from the heavens were barely moving, like senior adults who can’t–or won’t–speed up, even if cited by traffic officers who urge enrollment in offensive driving

THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury It was a rainy Saturday morning in the thicket where live my Uncle Mort and Aunt Maude.  They got up early to go outside, eager to “feel” the soaking of rain on their yard’s crusty soil, and to thank The Almighty for ending a dry spell when there’d been nary a drop of rain

THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury Members of  Dallas’ First Assembly of God Church could hardly have realized what a dynamic duo they called to lead them beginning in February 1998. Right alongside Rev. Thomas (Tom) Myers McMahan was the former Linda Diane Featherston. Actually, her credentials, zeal and commitment were equal to his, and their joint bond in

THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury It shouldn’t happen to a dog, nor to a rodeo clown. Such an unlikely opening sentence warrants further explanation, which I trust in the next 650 words or so will shed more light than bolts across the sky in an April thunderstorm. Content of this message has been approved by both my rescue dog,

THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury It wasn’t something he expected to find in his rural mail box. However, my Uncle Mort opened the envelope joyously; it was from his great nephew.  He thought immediately about his kin’s spread deep in Arkansas. In the envelope was a fancy invitation equal to any he’d ever seen for weddings or graduation

THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury Advertising signs  come and go, but few remain over the long haul. In the mid-20th century, for example, Burma-Shave limericks nailed to fence posts along highways, greatly outnumbered what we call billboards today.  Birthed in the minds of two brothers who finally convinced their dad–who introduced Burma-Shave as a product more convenient and effective

THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury Maybe folks started listening for “goofs” when radio became a luxury during the Great Depression. (Until then, I suppose they occurred most often in simple, face-to-face communication, or maybe with megaphones.)  For the longest time, Harry von Zell’s alleged foul-up–purportedly heard from sea to shining sea when radio was yet young–has to be among

THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury Allen Saunders , an obscure Canadian cartoonist, is cited for an inscription in his 1956 “Mary Worth” comic strip. No doubt it had local impact, but much more the next year when repeated in the Reader’s Digest .  “Life is what happen to us while we’re making other plans” has been quoted often.  Sometimes, though, it simply

THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury Until 1955, before Elvis Presley got a sniff of stardom, he was on the brink of greatness. Months later, his name was “marqueed” in capital letters nationwide. A 20 year-old credited with making rock-and-roll music a national phenomenon, he could not have known how short “brinks” sometimes can be. About six months after crowding