tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61840187769423178632024-02-21T11:56:52.017-05:00Thoughts and Ponderings of Pastor Donald WolanUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger130125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6184018776942317863.post-15962951449904507272020-06-18T23:18:00.001-04:002020-06-18T23:18:18.162-04:00

To Make 'The Godfather' His Way, Francis Ford Coppola Waged A ... During the current upheavals in our country, people have had to reexamine their underlying worldview assumptions on many fronts. When faced with this inspection process, long-held beliefs may not stand the scrutiny of current popular opinion or expected public displays. Faced with being demonized or ostracized by family, friends,

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6184018776942317863.post-3557816992864160402015-10-19T20:24:00.000-04:002015-10-19T20:28:37.025-04:00

A few days ago, I saw a story about the Bishop of Stockholm from The Church of Sweden wanting to ban all crosses from churches there because it may offend Muslims in Sweden. Not only did the Bishop want the crosses removed, but the Bishop also wanted to install Muslim prayer space in each church. Upon further review, I found out that this Bishop is none other than Eve Brunne, the world’s first

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6184018776942317863.post-57176120296311591502015-08-28T20:04:00.002-04:002015-08-28T20:04:26.419-04:00

Recently a professional football player by the name of James Harrison, who currently plays for the Pittsburgh Steelers, made national news by tweeting that he was sending back a "participation" trophy to an organization for which his sons played. Mr. Harrison tweeted that he did not want his sons being rewarded for something they did not earn. His rational was based on the fact that his sons

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6184018776942317863.post-17829161174200275122015-08-01T16:59:00.004-04:002015-08-09T23:40:19.382-04:00

With the release of undercover videos showing Planned Parenthood doctors, employees, and administrators at their compassionate finest, speaking about butchering unborn babies, harvesting organs and body parts, and selling the baby's parts for a profit, one would think that the national consciousness would be shocked at the atrocities being committed by this tax-payer funded organization. One

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6184018776942317863.post-70466652887059696652015-07-03T16:54:00.001-04:002015-07-03T16:54:21.618-04:00

“When I use a word, it means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less.”                                                                                         &nbsp

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6184018776942317863.post-17936014432736053272015-06-06T22:12:00.001-04:002015-06-06T22:12:35.376-04:00

Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you yourself will be just like him. Answer a fool according to his folly, or he will be wise in his own eyes. Proverbs 26:4-5 Last Sunday brought me a temporary reprieve from yard work, high school softball games, and any form of physical exertion that went beyond lifting a coffee cup to my mouth. The torrential downpour all day Saturday

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6184018776942317863.post-37872514354236336062015-03-10T12:22:00.000-04:002015-03-10T12:22:08.073-04:00

Every now and then, I come across a video that I must watch over and over because it is so enjoyable and reassuring to me that people sow what they reap. There is something exciting about seeing an "underdog" turn the tables on a formidable foe and take the fight to them. Think of all the modern movies like Rambo or Rocky and how the "underdog" theme continues to make the writer and

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6184018776942317863.post-88415824636103561222015-02-05T11:46:00.001-05:002015-02-05T11:46:25.050-05:00

Superbowl 49 will forever be remembered as THE most perplexing Super Bowl game of all time. With just under 30 seconds to play in the game and trailing 28-24, the Seattle Seahawks had just marched down the field to New England's one-half yard line aided by the best catch possibly ever made in professional football! After a run from New England's five to the one half yard line by Marshawn

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6184018776942317863.post-52651038085113749892015-01-22T00:20:00.000-05:002015-01-22T00:20:02.759-05:00

As the new year kicks off, we have already been confronted with the shocking images of acts of terrorism taking place around the world. It's not as though we haven't seen these acts perpetrated numerous times before on the world stage or the constant recital of the grievances that supposedly lead to these crimes being committed in the first place. The continuous onslaught of these images from

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6184018776942317863.post-37066991997887273822014-12-24T22:57:00.002-05:002014-12-24T22:57:57.155-05:00

While on my way to church at noon on Christmas Eve, I could not help but notice the heavy traffic on almost every road and the hurrying spirit that seemed to accompany almost every driver. Everyone was rushing to get somewhere as quickly as possible. Everyone seemed to be on edge as they rushed to wherever they were going and any real sense of what this time of the year is all about was

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6184018776942317863.post-864620453318318912014-12-13T14:18:00.002-05:002014-12-13T14:21:39.228-05:00

Saturday morning cartoons were a treat many of us looked forward to back in the 60's and 70's. After a long week in school, Saturdays provided all of us kids an opportunity to sit in front of the television and veg out. We didn't have tablets, iPhones, Kindles, PCs or other sources of Internet entertainment to divert our attention from the real world during the week. Cartoons during the school

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6184018776942317863.post-43233249633804857912014-12-04T23:11:00.001-05:002014-12-04T23:11:15.722-05:00

With everything that has been happening in our country lately, I thought it might be a good time to bring a little holiday levity to the blogsphere table. If you are like me, then you're probably tired of watching people burn down their neighborhoods, exalt and canonize people who are law breakers, or pontificate to all of us about the real meaning of social justice and racism all the while

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6184018776942317863.post-79629771740497647342014-10-10T17:54:00.002-04:002014-10-10T17:58:43.321-04:00

may·hem ˈmāˌhem noun violent or damaging disorder; chaos "complete mayhem broke out" synonyms:chaos, disorder, havoc, bedlam, pandemonium,  tumult, uproar, turmoil, commotion, all hell broken loose, maelstrom, trouble, disturbance, confusion, riot, anarchy, violence, insanity, madness. informalmadhouse

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6184018776942317863.post-66174525173374305322014-09-11T10:54:00.000-04:002014-09-11T10:57:57.928-04:00

I'm always amazed and perplexed at what comes out of the mouth of some professing Christians when the spotlight is on them and they are given the opportunity to express an opinion on some particular topic. Pat Robertson and other "Christian leaders" have provided numerous memorable, perplexing, and brain-rattling quotes that have gone viral on the different social media outlets. Most of these

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6184018776942317863.post-24223421275676210972014-08-21T23:09:00.002-04:002014-08-22T19:14:59.714-04:00

Flooding newspapers and news sites recently has been an avalanche of crazy events occurring daily in our world. What once would have been labeled as unbelievable and off-the-hook shocking has become ordinary and accepted. From beheadings and unspeakable cruelties being perpetrated upon ordinary citizens in far away countries to rioting and looting in the name of "justice" and "fair play" in

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6184018776942317863.post-45500172680335578402014-08-14T16:28:00.000-04:002014-08-14T16:31:24.308-04:00

With the surprising reported suicide of  Robin Williams, I could not help but wonder what could possibly drive a "successful" person to take such a drastic action. To all outward appearances, he supposedly had it all. Fame, fortune, friends, family, health, and a legacy built on a once-in-a-generation talent and a kindness and gentleness that impressed even his harshest critics. According

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6184018776942317863.post-34931472589019804572014-07-26T15:58:00.000-04:002014-07-26T16:03:46.142-04:00

While meditating about our recent mission trip to Mexico and all the people we met or places we visited, a voice that troubled and haunted me kept going through my mind. This voice kept asking me - "Do you love me?" Like Peter's quick, brash, and foolish reply or Curly Howard's well- known whimsical remark, I thought to myself - Soitenly!!!  However, as I thought about that question, I

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6184018776942317863.post-38038644027953076602014-04-23T23:43:00.001-04:002014-04-23T23:45:21.840-04:00

Most Bible readers are familiar with the incredible story of Paul and Barnabas in the Roman jail, singing praises to God after they had been beaten and humiliated for preaching the word of God. It is an incredible and inspirational story about praising God no matter the circumstances. Read the following excerpt from Acts chapter 16 for a quick refresher of the story.  As we were

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6184018776942317863.post-73553231805086414612014-03-05T23:18:00.002-05:002014-03-05T23:18:39.030-05:00

In our post-modern world with the redefinition of all cultural and social institutions, there always seems to be a person or group that just won't go along with the current trends. Whether it's the acceptance of homosexual marriage and accompanying rights, unlimited abortion, creation of new constitutional and human rights, secular education, pragmatic politics, or whatever, there always

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6184018776942317863.post-31740060495090459152014-02-10T12:55:00.000-05:002014-02-10T14:26:18.514-05:00

The creation debate last week between Bill Nye and Ken Ham sparked enormous controversy not only in the religion/science communities, but also in every cultural sphere one could imagine. It is never surprising after such debates that each side rallies around its spokesman and offers reasons why its candidate won or lost the debate. These defenses are mostly based on emotional religious

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6184018776942317863.post-35941761314787350522014-02-01T18:00:00.000-05:002014-02-01T18:00:55.584-05:00

Many of you may remember the famous movie from the 70's entitled Apocalypse Now! This movie won all sorts of academia and social acclaim for its brutal and supposedly honest portrayal of the Vietnam War. With an all-star cast comprised of such actors as Marlon Brando, Harrison Ford, Martin Sheen, Laurence Fishburne, and Robert Duval, and produced by Francis Ford Coppola, this movie took us on

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6184018776942317863.post-56664511902787171052014-01-23T09:33:00.002-05:002014-01-25T13:16:08.092-05:00

Recently, I read a fascinating article that reported the death of a Japanese soldier from World War II. This was no ordinary soldier. This soldier was noted for something that he did over the course of decades for a cause he truly believed in. His life of notoriety consisted in the fact that he continued to fight World War II even though it was over!  There had been reports a few years

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6184018776942317863.post-32677489087090482302014-01-09T21:00:00.000-05:002014-01-09T21:27:03.674-05:00

(Sarcasm alert...) Anyone who knows me well knows that I am the old sentimental type. Old romantic movies, romance books, black and white photos from the 50's and 60's, and cuddling next to a warm fire with a cozy blanket wrapped gently around me while dressed in my flannel pajamas are just some of the little pleasures of life that I constantly look forward to as the new year begins. Also on

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6184018776942317863.post-43178021708876692942013-12-18T11:24:00.002-05:002013-12-18T13:05:37.987-05:00

One of the most fascinating things I enjoy doing is watching someone else decorate a Christmas tree. There is an art form attached to it and it rivals, in my mind anyway, a master sculpture, musician, or artist at work. The coordination of all the colors, decorations, room placement, and presents can be a site that is awe inspiring, skillful, and magnificent. The decorating of the tree can

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6184018776942317863.post-30703712772496110882013-12-04T12:17:00.000-05:002013-12-04T12:17:07.429-05:00

When I was in high school, I went to the horse race track with a couple of close friends. I had never been to a horse race and had no idea what to expect. The only thing I knew was that I was going to win a lot of money there by betting on the winning horses in each race. What made my plan fool proof was the fact that one of my friends who was going with me to the track had a father who knew

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1