THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury Many tourist destinations claim to be “all things to all people,” but compared to Branson, Missouri, the rest of them miss the mark by a country mile. Nestled in the Ozark Mountains, the laid-back community not only survived the pandemic, but has roared back with numerous new attractions to strengthen its vows to be “number

THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury The Good Book’s Chapter 6 of Matthew provides challenging specifics on living the good life, but  verse three seems most daunting. It concerns the importance of maintaining a chasm between the works of the left and right hands, perhaps as far as the east is from the west. In essence, God knows, and that’s what

THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury My ancient Uncle Mort is not one to speak negatively of neighbors, unless they live at least three cattleguards away. He recently “spilled the beans” on a neighbor who lives so deep in the thicket that no one passes his house going to town. The old guy admitted to Mort recently that he had made

THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury Enough already. The eclipse of April 8 has been smothered with coverage by both mass and social media. Americans–some who flail at things that go “bump” in the night–yearned  for even more darkness! They carved out time from busy schedules and squeezed funds from their budgets to make their way to a slice of the

THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury The name “Blackwood” has been as closely linked to Southern Gospel Music as ham and eggs to diners, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz to TV, and Tarzan and Jane to jungle movies. The family has endeared itself to a grateful nation for their renditions of gospel music for some 125 years. It began when

THE IDLE AMERICAN THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury Texas A&M University–a major educational institution respected throughout the world–emerged unscathed from a litany of “Aggie jokes” that were shared for decades, though not so much now. They were, of course–exactly that–jokes. Actually, they likely enhanced a storied heritage, but they made some Aggies M-A-D. My Uncle Mort’s keen eye on

THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury Hills are greening up, fiddlers are tuning up, and visitors from around the globe are showing up as the entertainment mecca of Branson, Misssouri, gears up for a record-breaking season in the beloved Ozarks. It’s a magical place known for musical excellence where God is honored–and where there are so many fiddlers–it’s difficult to predict

THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury To most mortals–mere or otherwise–the thought of jumping rope 30,660,000 times causes hair to stand on end, eyes to crossand regimens to crumble. Not so to a preacher man named Van Minter, whose morning routine is vital to each day. He has kept this commitment for almost 12,800 days, having begun his 36th year on “leap