THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury Mention the name Walter R. Chambers to families with long connection to the tiny Coleman County community of Burkett, TX, and a hush of funereal proportions is immediately evident.  Mr. Chambers’ views on all issues–school, sports, community and otherwise–carried the day. Respected as much as any educator of his era, he is most remembered

THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury Uncle Mort, my aged uncle down in The Thicket, has heard the expression since childhood. He’s used it repeatedly since about the time he thinks he became an adult. “We’re in pretty good shape for the shape we’re in.” The rancid saying–when fresh and generally applicable–may have warranted a grin or two back when. Nowadays,

THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury Randy Brooks, who portrayed Jesus in “The Promise” more than 6,000 times, is nearing the 60-year mark in Christian ministry. But, he still has “the look”–the kind that causes head-scratching when vaguely familiar faces are seen. Randy was cast in the role in 1989, when the award-winning musical began its 34-year run at Glen Rose’s Texas

THE IDLE AMERICAN THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury We’ve heard about how tiny errors can foster various responses, ranging from serious misunderstanding to thigh-slapping laughter. Hitting the keyboard’s “I” instead of the intended “o” caused chuckles recently. Reading an advertisement for funeral home employment, a radio announcer listed requisites for the job. “Must be able to ease the grieving

THE IDLE AMERICAN THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury Usual readers–both of you, and a few relatives who sometimes read to see if I “got it right–may remember that a month ago, I decided to put my “quill back in the goose” until September. A few cool days in New Mexico beckoned, and off we drove to the Land of

THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury My intrepid Uncle Mort does much “huffing and puffing” about state and national politics. At the end of the day, though–when everything is said and done–always more is said than done. Sometimes he claims to see two imaginary punching bags, one inscribed “Austin” and the other “Washington, D.C.” He flails away at them as

THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury When one enjoys a musical comedy as much as we did recently on a trip to our hometown of Brownwood, mass laughter was a tonic. There’d been an almost sold-out crowd of some 300 at the Lyric Theatre, and the experience made the 140-mile drive commencing at 11 p.m. seems less daunting. My wife

THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury As productivity lessens in later life, one is sometimes guilty of over-analysis, probing the depths of understanding too far. Been there lately? If not, maybe you’re not old enough, or perhaps you’ve learned to downplay interest in the “I-wonder-whys” of life. This week, my route to productive missions was sidetracked by a proverb

THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury The late Will Rogers claimed that all he knew, he read in the newspapers. My aged Uncle Mort–whose routine includes puttering down the lane to the general store most days–still is an avid reader. However, he is not one claiming to read from “kivver to kivver,” like his parents before him. Most of