An Arkies Musings

My An Arkie's Faith column from the August 29, 2018, issue of The Mena Star. On July 4th, 1776, King George III wrote the following in his diary: "Nothing important happened today." This ironic and little known historical “fact” is courtesy of a two-part episode of the TV show, The X-Files, titled “Nothing Important Happened Today.”  The title of the episode came from a dialogue between Alvin Kersh, Deputy Director of the FBI, and Special Agent John Doggett. Kersh: “You ever hear of King George the III?” Doggett: “You answer my question!” Kersh: “He was King of England when America declared independence in 1776. King George the III kept a diary. On July 4th, 1776, he made an entry in it: ‘Nothing important happened today.’” Doggett: “What does that got to do with me?” Kersh: “A revolution started, things that changed the world forever, and even kings can miss them if they are not paying attention.” I first came across the King George III diary story while I w...

My An Arkie's Faith column from the August 22, 2018, issue of The Mena Star. The extra loud telephone bell ringer announced an incoming phone call. I heard the ringing over the cacophony of the air compressor and the air cut-out tool I was using. When I answered the call, the lady on the other end of the line said, “during last night’s storm, a tree branch fell and broke the windshield on my car. I need to see about getting it replaced.” I assured her that we could do the job and asked her about her vehicle. She said that she had a Hyundai Ioniq. It was the first time I had priced a windshield for an Ioniq. I had never seen one up close. The Ioniq (pronounced "eye-on-ick") is Hyundai’s new hybrid car. It has a 104-hp gasoline engine, a 43-hp electric motor, and an EPA highway rating of 54 mpg. The Ioniq’s closest competitor is the Toyota Prius. Hyundai introduced the Ioniq in the 2017 model year. When I contacted my windshield supplier, I learned that there ...

In a television interview with NBC's Chuck Todd, President Donald Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani claimed that “truth isn't truth.” When Chuck Todd made the statement that "truth is truth," Rudy Giuliani countered, "No it isn't truth. Truth isn't truth." If truth isn't truth, then what is truth? The dictionary states that truth is “the quality or state of being true.” But as I looked at another definition that is listed in the dictionary I read, “A fact or belief that is accepted as true.” When you ask a Christian what is the truth you will get some different answers but most of the time there will be something like this; "My church teaches the truth." To answer the question, what is truth, I’m afraid that I have to tell you that no denominational doctrines individually, nor all of them collectively, constitute the truth. Did you hear me? None of them constitute the truth… unless they are centered in, informed by, and ...

My An Arkie's Faith column from the August 15, 2018, issue of The Mena Star. The sounds of youthful conversation and laughter echoed down the hall. I walked through the corridors of the church to investigate. As I approached the fellowship room, I could hear more clearly. The cheerful noised seemed to be coming from the kitchen. What was in the kitchen that could create such joy and happiness in a group of kids? When I poked my head into the room, I saw that the youngsters were busily working away as they talked and giggled. There were large mixing bowls on the counter, and the kids were kneading mounds of dough with their hands. Flour seemed to be everywhere; on the counter, on the floor, and on the kids. They were preparing for a homemade Chicago style deep dish pizza party that evening. The kids were part of the Jesus First youth group. They were hosting an End of Summer Student Dedication party. They had invited area school-aged kids to an evening of pizza, fun, gam...

I like listening to a podcast called Theology in the Raw. It is a daily radio show hosted by Preston Sprinkle. He is a professor at Eternity Bible College in Boise, Idaho. Each weekday he does his best to take a fresh look at what the Bible says. Putting down his own opinions and traditions, Preston tries to address each issue by looking at what scripture truly has to say about each topic. In talking about his teaching style Preston says, “rather than telling students what to believe, I point them to study scripture to form their beliefs. I mean, really comb through the text and soak themselves in the biblical narrative to gain the massive view of God that Scripture beautifully sets forth.” For several weeks the podcast has been doing an in-depth study on the doctrine of hell. The majority of the time has been spent looking into the question, is annihilation a biblical view of hell? To give you a bit of background, the college that Preston teaches at, Eternity Bible College,...

My An Arkie's Faith column from the August 8, 2018, issue of The Mena Star. The sun shone brightly on the winding road as it snaked along the mountain’s crest. Magnificent views with varying degrees of hazy blues and greys in the distance were around almost every corner. Tall grass and weeds concealed old rusty guardrails. Occasionally, patches of wildflowers lined the edges of the road. It was a beautiful summer day, and I was going on a picnic. I have always enjoyed picnics. When I was a boy living in Colorado, my family often went on picnics in the mountains. I loved being outdoors and was frequently too excited to eat much. My favorite food was watermelon that had been chilled by putting it in a cold mountain stream. As we were driving to our picnic spot on top of the mountain, I thought, “I’m not a kid anymore, but I’m still happy and excited to be going on a picnic with my family.” When we arrived at the picnic area, family members had already found a great spot...

My An Arkie's Faith column from the August 1, 2018, issue of The Mena Star. Every step that I took caused agonizing pain. The pain was deep within my left foot, stinging and burning, rushing like an igniting fire. Wincing, I tried to walk without stepping on the ball of my foot. But still, the pain seared through my foot, each step felt like a bomb exploding inside. The pain had started a little over a week earlier. My foot was a little sore, but I didn’t think too much about it. I could touch the bottom of my foot and find the sore spot. I felt a small bump and wondered what was causing it. I thought that maybe I had a splinter in my foot or had stepped on a piece of glass. We left town for a few days, visiting friends in North Carolina and attending my Aunt's ninetieth birthday party in Tennessee. The first two days were spent driving, and because I spent most of my time sitting in a car and not up on my feet, My foot felt better. I hoped the soreness would go aw...