Category: America Written by James Peel

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It was hard to miss the mysterious writing in the sky above Las Vegas, Nevada this past weekend. No one claimed credit for the message, "FORGIVE YOUR ENEMIES TODAY" that hung in puffs of white cloud in the early afternoon on Saturday, but many are talking about it.

Apparently skywriting is not an uncommon sight in Las Vegas, however, I have never seen it.  In January, actor Shia LeBouf took his apology for allegedly plagiarizing a graphic artist's work to the sky saying, "I am sorry Daniel Clowes." The Skytypers fly 5 small airplanes in a tight formation while a computer releases environmentally friendly puffs that spell out the message that has been ordered. Their website explains that "skytyping is literally 1,000 times larger than any road side or aerial billboard... and delivers a lower cost per thousand [viewers] than any other medium."

Category: America Written by Jim Denison

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George Clooney's newest movie, The Monuments Men, advances the thesis that preserving timeless art is worth a person's life.  His personal worldview explains his sentiment: "I don't believe in Heaven and Hell.  I don't know if I believe in God.  All I know is that as an individual, I won't allow this life—the only thing I know to exist—to be wasted."

Learning of Clooney's faith perspective, I wondered what other members of his cast thought about God.  It turns out that Hugh Bonneville studied theology at Cambridge before becoming an actor.  Bob Balaban is Jewish.  Bill Murray, by contrast, claims that "religion is the worst enemy of mankind.  No single war in the history of humanity has killed as many people as religion has."  The other major cast members—Matt Damon, Cate Blanchett, Jean Dujardin, and John Goodman—have been so silent about any faith commitment that there is nothing online I could find on the subject.

Category: America Written by Jim Denison

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The recent death of Philip Seymour Hoffman brought to light a problem that has been too long in the shadows.  According to the Drug Enforcement Agency, heroin use has "reached epidemic proportions here in the United States."

The drug is cheap and easily available: a bag of heroin sells for about $10 on Long Island, while the equivalent amount of Vicodin costs $30.  The problem is not confined to the inner city, but is spreading across America among all populations and all ages.

Category: America Written by James Peel

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In the town of Guthrie, Oklahoma, a woman grocery shopping for her family realized her wallet was missing.  The woman, Jessica Eaves recalled, “I saw this gentleman down the aisle from me... He walked behind me, and when I got a couple of aisles over, I realized my wallet was gone."

She knew she had not dropped it.  It had been stolen—only one person had passed by her since she last remembered having it.  She headed for the front of the store where she spotted the man.  

What would I do in this situation?  What would you do? Her response has drawn national attention.

Category: America Written by Jim Denison

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A 72-year-old truck driver from Green Bay, Wisconsin has spent $600,000 to post evangelistic signs all over the country.  Harold Scott has been driving for 43 years.  He has never married and has no family to support, so he is spending his life savings to share the gospel.  His signs proclaim messages such as "Life is nothing without God" and "Jesus Christ died for the sins of the world."

He explains: "I'm trying to reach the masses of people who are lost in this world and try to get them back to God before it's too late, because this world is not going to be here forever."  When people question his financial sacrifice, he responds: "As scripture says in the Bible, everything we have is from the Lord.  And if the Lord needs it back to propagate the kingdom, we should give it back to Him."