Cloning -- a person or thing that duplicates, imitates, or closely resembles another in appearance, function, performance, or style.

I love to look at old pictures. There is something about rummaging through old files that warms my heart. The simplicity of a life-that-was jumps off of the pages and prompts me to wonder how we got in the mess we are in.

Luke 12:54-56  And he said also to the people, When ye see a cloud rise out of the west, straightway ye say, There cometh a shower; and so it is. And when ye see the south wind blow, ye say, There will be heat; and it cometh to pass. Ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky and of the earth; but how is it that ye do not discern this time?

I am an optimist by nature, a cockeyed-optimist, my mom always called me.  In all of the games I ever played or coached in, we never lost.  At least that was the way I viewed it!  We didn't lose, we just ran out of time.  If only we had a few more minutes on the clock...

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character." Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The American media could learn a thing or two from Tony Dungy.

For those of you who may not follow sports Tony Dungy (Dun jee) is the head football coach of the Super Bowl Champion Indianapolis Colts. On Sunday evening, as the entire world watched, he led his team to a 29-17 victory over the Chicago Bears.

I don't know about you, but I think that most of the problems in America are caused by lawyers. I'm not sure that they do it on purpose; in fact I have several friends who are lawyers. They want to help people. But the truth remains. Lawyers are a parasitic drain on this nation. 

As I look around America I see all kinds of problems, and, unfortunately, most of them are linked to money. Our schools are constantly begging for more money, our health-care system is on the verge of collapse, most public entities are so afraid of lawyers that they fall all over themselves to create policies designed to protect them from lawsuits. The ACLU and their ilk have changed the face of America by their continuous threat of litigation.   

I figured that title would get your attention.

We hear a lot about the problems facing the black community. Drugs, crime, poverty, and out-of-wedlock births are just a few of the issues inner city black Americans are dealing with. Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton and the other race-hustlers are quick to point out the lack of opportunities for young inner city people who are trapped by government-induced poverty. There is big money in poverty. Not money for the poor, but money for those who claim to represent the poor. We would be astounded if a full accounting were ever given of the billions of dollars wasted on helping the poor.

Do you think Jesse Jackson is poor? Is Al Sharpton begging for food? No, somewhere along the line, poverty has been "berry berry good" for them.

I have a regular Bible study in my home with a group of men. That's right, men. No women allowed....nor men who act like women.

I'm not talking about homosexuals. Most of them have more courage than most straight men I know. It takes courage to be an open homosexual.

Know how I know? Most Christian men won't come out of the closet and show their Faith. They will talk about God, because everyone loves God and God loves everybody

I am honored to have my commentaries carried by several different websites. I'll be surprised if this one makes it on most. Unfortunately, many people today love homosexuality more than they do children.

Fighting the wrong battle seems to be a way of life with "conservatives." As the old saying goes, "He who frames the argument wins the debate."

Nowhere is that more apparent than with the issue of homosexuality. As is so common with most of the cultural issues, we continually find ourselves on the defensive when standing for Christian moral values. Our opponents have been fabulous at boxing us in.

Well, it looks like we all made it through the Christmas season. I enjoy the time with family and the great memories we share, but I hate what Christmas has become. Like so many things in Christendom we have turned this holiday over to the Humanists. Please don't write to me about the pagan origins of Christmas. I am aware of all that. But in my family, at least, it has been a special time when we shared with our children the significance of the birth of Jesus and what it truly meant to the world. We have tried hard to not make it about Santa, his reindeer, Frosty, or ourselves, but the commercialization has bombarded us so hard that it really is easy to lose the true meaning of the season.

I love the play-action pass. It is one of most effective ways to score during a football game. The premise is simple, fake like you are going to run the ball up the middle, suck all of the defensive players in, and then throw the ball over the heads of the unsuspecting opponent. 

It is sort of like a magic trick. It really isn't magic, it is more appropriately called sleight-of-hand, but it has the same premise as the play-action pass. The magician entices you to focus on one hand, while he is pulling the strings with the other.

You hear that phrase thrown around a lot these days. Seems like everywhere I go, I run into folks who claim to be "born again." As I wrote in last week's column, who am I to judge the salvation of another.

But the kicker is, the strange places that I run into these "born again" Christians. As I have stated before we do some ministry on the streets and it always sets me back a notch or two when I hear "born again" come out of some folk's mouths. I find them heading into abortion clinics, outside strip clubs, drinking and swearing at Ohio State Football game parties, sleeping on the streets, and yelling at the referee at high school basketball games. Yep, those "born again" Christians are everywhere. Nearly 85% of Americans, or so George Barna tells us. Maybe we should look at that term.