Reviewing the ‘year in review’ stories
’Tis the season for year for the media to look back and write about old news. The lists tell more about the compiler than the stories themselves.
Americana
Alabama Versus Indiana
The televised tumult of a 90,278-person crowd inside Los Angeles County’s Rose Bowl Stadium was blaring through the feeble Samsung speakers. God wanted Alabama to win. That much we knew.
Is the Age of the Printed Book on the Brink of Demise?
During a discussion in a journalism class I was teaching at the University of Illinois a few years ago, I posited the following question: What do you think has been the greatest, most impactful invention in the world during the past 1,000 years?
Happy 2026!
A lot has changed in a year. The entire world has changed. Many will tell you that 2025 has been full of bad stuff—the media, for example.
The Great Generation
Carole’s mother was young. Twenty-two years old. She was married and pregnant with her second child. The year was 1945.
The War was freshly over. The Depression was still a recent memory. Carole’s mother wanted to buy her husband a gift for his birthday. He was turning 25.
An Appalachian Winter
Visiting an Appalachian Walmart at 8 o’clock in the evening is unlike any other experience. Rural Appalachian dwellers are unique unto themselves. Cautious of outsiders. Not always friendly. They have trust issues.
After 15 Years
I’m saddened that there is a video of me circulating the internet, playing a banjo, with 7 million views, where the majority of commenters are labeling me a racist.
Amazing Grace
This church is 115 years old. It’s small. Impossibly small, only able to fit 25 people—30 people if they are scrawny. The church is nestled in Appalachia, and looks like a postcard.
The Young Shepherd
The day is Christmas. The era is ancient. The tiny farming village is located 50 miles from the big city, deep within the Apennine foothills. A young shepherd is guiding a flock of sheep down mainstreet. He’s talking to the sheep like they are people.
Hazardous Holiday Traditions
The Associated Press published an article warning against the health hazards of using fireplaces. Yes, holiday fireplaces are cozy. Yes, they’re festive. Yes, fireplaces have existed within our hominid culture ever since Adam discovered he had no belly button. But…
Heritage American vs Creedal America
An American believes in the American Creed, assimilates, and accepts America as a common heritage and a personal trust.
Dishonoring Christ In The Christmas Season
A Dallas area church is lying to its parishioners, and destroying the trust the Christian church needs to tend a flock.
George Washington: A Victor in Battle, a Freeman at Heart
t is said that, when George III learned that General Washington planned to return to farming rather than take a crown, as any European general would presumably do, the defeated king said “If he does that, then he will be the greatest man in the world.”
God Rest Ye Merry Columnist
A supermarket checkout line. Cheesy holiday music is playing overhead. Not the fun kind of cheesy music, but the kind once heard in Kmart á la 1973.
You Are Special
You are special. You are infinitely, unbelievably, once-in-a-septillion-years special. That’s right, I’m talking to you, one of the nine-point-two people reading this.
A Letter to My Wife
I’m going to be honest. In our two decades of marriage, I have never known exactly what our roles are. It’s never been clear to me. I’ve always been confused about hierarchy in our household.
The Best Christmas Movies
It’s hard to choose my favorite Christmas movie. Each time I try to pick one, I’m afraid I’ll shoot my eye out.
Christmas With The Guys
Tonight, I am playing with Three On a String for our annual Christmas tour. We will perform four times throughout the state of Alabama, singing Christmas songs, telling stories, and presenting our show to admiring crowds of dozens. Next week is Albertville. The week after that is—I don’t remember.
We Have Heard On High
It all started when Sandra was walking home from work. It was 1969. “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” was still in theaters. We landed on the moon. The top-40 hits du jour belonged to the Stones and Neil Diamond.
Almost Heaven, Charlie Brown
The snow in West Virginia clings to the world like shaving cream, covering every surface, every automotive hood, every interstate sign. In the distance, the blue Appalachians stand watch over the Mountain State, like mother hens, guarding their young.