By Neal Murphy

"Kids and Church" by Neal Murphy

May 3, 2024 - It seems that children see things regarding church through kid’s eyes, and they don’t always hear it right. One of my earliest memories is that of being in church with my father, Cecil. I recall that I kept trying to talk out loud during the service and Dad would tell me to be quiet. After church Dad was holding me in his arms when Bro. Russell Smith walked up and asked me how I liked the service. I replied, “Well, I didn’t like it.” Bro. Smith inquired as to why I didn’t. I told him, “Because nobody gets to say anything but you.”

“The Whole Nine Yards” by Neal Murphy

February 23, 2024 - I heard someone say that they had purchased a new Ford Galaxy with “all nine yards of goodies”. I once heard a woman say that she really gave that other woman a piece of her mind, giving her the “whole nine yards”. I am sure we have all used that phrase from time to time. But, what does it really mean? So we are giving some one or some thing nine yards of what? As with most of these sayings, its history is unknown.

“The Only Factor” by Neal Murphy

February 9, 2024 - I did not know it in the middle 1940s when I was in elementary school in San Augustine, Texas, but I was breaking the law.  In fact all we students were lawbreakers.  Some of you might recall this event that the courts now say was very detrimental to our very souls.  Yet, most of us grew up to be intelligent and useful citizens in spite of the learned judges’ opinions.

"The Ink Blotter" by Neal Murphy

January 22, 2024 - Thinking back on my “schooling” in San Augustine, Texas, I recall that I was not allowed to use anything except a #2 lead pencil in my studies. At least, not until I entered the fifth grade under Mrs. Margaret Wade. Of course, I was allowed also to use crayons to produce several colorful drawings during these early years. In Mrs. Margaret’s class, things changed.

"Stubborn as a Mule" By Neal Murphy

October 18, 2023 - Have you ever heard someone say about a person, “He’s as stubborn as a mule?” Or perhaps even you have been called “mule headed” by others. I think we all know what the meaning of the word is, but are mules really stubborn? If someone is stubborn, it means that they are contrary, unwilling to change, or unwilling to do things that are expected of them. Some people say that the stubborn person “walks to the beat of his own drum.”

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