By Norris Burkes Sept 29 2024 For the past 23 years, I’ve written this syndicated column about my adventures, misadventures and philanthropic ventures. During that time, you’ve responded to my commentary with hundreds of emails. Since I’ve not always answered those emails, I’m taking a moment today to give a summarized response to several concerns.
By Norris Burkes Sept 22, 2024 During the two years I was stationed in Izmir, Turkey, I made several visits to the nearby ancient ruins in the seaport of Ephesus. In the Christian world, this city is famous for the letter the Apostle Paul wrote to the fledgling church. However, in all the years I’ve
By Norris Burkes Sept 15 2024 “Why did God have to make his Ten Commandments so negative?” I asked my wife as I drove her to the airport for her flight to St. Louis. “Pardon me?” she replied. My non sequiturs confuse most people, but Becky plays along. “When we were raising kids, you taught
By Norris Burkes Sept 8 2024 Last year I wrote a book called, “Tell It to the Chaplain.” If you’ve seen it, then you’re likely wondering why this headline makes the opposite request. My title refers to certain phrases people use that cause me to jokingly reply, “Don’t ever say that to a chaplain.” When
By Norris Burkes, Sept 1, 2024 Labor Day weekend is the time I share my annual book recommendations as well as shamelessly plug my own four books. So if you read only one book this year, read all four of mine. But after that, please read "The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: American Evangelicals
By Davalynn Spencer Aug 25 2024 Davalynn Spencer has edited my columns for 15 years. She is the author of the award-winning, inspirational Western series, “The Cañon City Chronicles,” 14 additional novels and one devotional book for women. Connect with her via her website at www.davalynnspencer.com. Characters Real and Imaginary Back when flip phones were on
Byr Norris Burkes Aug 18 2024 I was 28 years old when the U.S. Air Force sent me to Air University at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Ala., to complete Chaplain Basic Training. For three weeks, I sat elbow-to-elbow with other young chaplain wannabes. On my left side sat the first of many chaplain
By Norris Burkes Aug 11, 2024 If you’ve already read most of the Bible, you might want to mix things up a bit by reading A.C. Grayling’s version called “The Good Book: A Humanist Bible.” Grayling, a British academic, edited an anthology of hundreds of philosophers and writers organized into chapters and verses. Now, let
By Norris Burkes Aug 4, 2023 “A man's got to know his limitations,” is the famous advice given by Clint Eastwood in his role as Dirty Harry, in the 1973 movie, “Magnum Force.” As a spiritual columnist, I see some spiritual awareness in those words. While my limitations are unlimited, I can briefly share three
By Norris Burkes July 28 2024 According to the animatronic skull at Disneyland’s "Pirates of the Caribbean" ride, “Dead men tell no tales.” The saying didn’t prove so true some years ago when I received a phone call from the director of a funeral home in Stockton, Calif. The director asked if I was available
By Norris Burkes Jul 21 2024 With the Olympics set to begin next Friday, it may be a good time for a Bible study. No, I’m not going full Jerry Falwell on you. I just thought you might be interested in the biblical etymology of expressions used in the heat of sports competition. According to
By Chaplain Norris Burkes July 12 2024 Not too far away or long ago, I was working as a hospital chaplain at Sutter Medical Center in Sacramento when a nurse suggested I visit one of her patients. The only reason she offered for her referral was that our patient might need “some counseling or something.”
