THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury There will be those who insist that I have received my just desserts. However, I choose to believe that I have been favored by unbelievably good fortune despite a fall from my church platform. Thankfully, heartbeats and breathing were restored countless times. This occurred during the October 24 Sunday morning traditional service at Burleson First

THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury Alexander William Kinglake is a name snuggled deeply inside of all-knowing Google. He was a 19th century lawyer who gave up his legal practice to become an author, best known for a single proverb: “Sticks and stones may break your bones, but words will never hurt you.” It is believed that Kinglake’s intent was to help

THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury During almost two decades of writing weekly accounts of humorous and/or unlikely occurrences, I’ve never come across anything quite so bizarre as the subject of this week’s epistle. It is a legal case in progress, as the wheels of justice necessarily turn slowly. Otherwise, the folks at Alta Mesa Church of Christ in Fort Worth

The IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury Jokes and stories attributed to U.S. presidents–true or not–have to make some of them blush with embarrassment. File drawers of the late President Harry S. Truman must have bulged nigh unto disintegration. He was arguably the most plain-spoken president of the 20th century. (Admittedly, in the 21st century, he probably would have been a distant second to

The IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury Blackie Sherrod—arguably the best sportswriter this side of the ancient Olympic Games begun in Greece seven centuries before the birth of Christ–had a name for us. He classified us as drones and worker bees, mostly “9-to-5’ers” with little hope of ever getting ahead. He called us “The Great Unwashed.” He described the masses as

The IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury Preachers, bless ‘em, don’t have to look hard for reasons to laugh. Some are able to put laughter “on hold,” restraining guffaws until sermons end; others can only surrender to the humor of the moment. This day, I’ll address the “long and the short of it,” The former, Dr. Bruce McIver, was a student

IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury Seminary professors, bless ‘em, are saddled with expectations that run the gamut, and they forge on, day after day, knowing that the likelihood of having “another Billy Graham” in their classes is beyond remote. Though their patience be tested, they give their best shots, even for struggling students who feel called to the ministry from

View Post IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury Editor’s Note: Dr. Newbury is on vacation. The following is a reprint of an earlier column. Most hunters are so gung-ho, they’ll hunt anything that’ll run from ‘em. Similarly, TV news folks salivate at the prospect of all-out chases to pluck credible opinions on controversial topics. This was the case recently when a