For the record, this is true. Rotting fruit produces ethylene which can speed the ripening process in other fruits. English preacher and writer, John Northebrooke put these words to paper in 1577 but credits Chrysostom, a 4th century theologian. Rarely are people talking about apples. It is bad people, so the quote…

Secret Story of Love So many beautiful people have walked through my life, and vanished... Only to reappeared in my stories, my memories, my day dreams. I am old with a weight of remembering. I will go alone when I die, happily into a new unknown, but alone,…

In this essay I present some ideas that are basic to understanding Quaker faith by discussing passages taken from John’s Gospel. First, I examine the natural condition in which we are obstructed, a state from which we can be fully released only by Christ’s inwardly experienced return. Second, I focus…

This obscure phrase plays itself out in The Trial of Impeachment of Levi Hubbell, Judge of the Second Judicial Circuit. The trial was held in the Wisconsin Senate in June of 1853. The proceedings allow you to read the debate about the meaning of it being time to fish or cut bait which was, at that time, an…

Although attributed to Mohammed, the Prophet of Islam, by Francis Bacon in a brief essay entitled On Boldness in 1625; the actual phrase can’t be traced directly to Mohammed. Bacon suggests that Mohammed said these words after being unsuccessful in performing the miracle of beckoning a hill to…

My father used to use a slightly enlarged version of this phrase. It is commonly attributed to General Patton and when done so. it often begins, “We herd sheep, we drive cattle, [and] we lead people.” Patton’s words also come with more personal wording, “Lead me, follow me, or get out of my…

I wrote an article for Western Friend:  https://westernfriend.org/article/prophets-field-play It's about my experiences as a sporting official and what I've learned from them.  Before you figure that sport and competition aren't part of your life, check out these passages:  ....printed rules are just a starting point. Each sport has its own web of tradition and culture that…

This is another slogan that has some traction in the Twelve Step community. On the surface, it appears to encourage people to be open to changing their minds. As information and circumstances change, so ought decisions. Put in a positive light, this quote says, “keep an open mind.” It also echoes the…

President Harry Truman, who attributed it to his friend General Harry Vaughn, popularized this phrase. It is not limited to cooking, but rather a metaphor for any situation that creates challenge or “heat.” If you are not ready to take on a challenge, there is no sense pretending. Truman intended these words…

In May of 2016, Quaker Universalist Conversations published Winston Davis’ essay “Religion, In a Nutshell.” The following essay was just published on February 5th. The World After Truth “You shall know the truth, and the truth will…