The Biblical Case for Work

In observance of

Labor Day...

* We are workers because we’re created in the image of God.

* We are called to perform our work for the Lord. It is a part of our worship. And we must depend on Him for strength and success in our work.

* We work now under difficult circumstances but that’s not God’s fault. No, it’s our fault because of our introduction (and continuance) of sin in the world. One day, when the curse is lifted and all creation is reconciled to God, our work for Him will be fully adventurous and fulfilling and delightful as it was originally designed to be.

* All work, if done for God, pleases Him and moves forward His kingdom.  There are no divisions between types of work just as there is no true division between the secular and sacred.  He is Lord of all.

* The Bible teaches in both example and precept a strong work ethic.  It condemns laziness and lack of planning.  It also condemns the exploitation of labor.

* Work, properly performed, is an ennobling thing -- a virtue that God applauds and will reward in the life to come.

* One motive of work is to be able to help others in need.

* We are taught the seriousness of being a skilled worker.  This includes care, learning, wisdom, planning, and preparation.

* We are to continually invite the Lord to be in our work.

* The frequent emphasis on the performance of good works in the Lord’s Name isn’t just about “religious” activity. It includes our occupations, our ministries, our housework, our lawn work…all of our work.

A Major Summer Buzz? The Odyssey.

There’s an awful lot of buzz this summer over The Odyssey. But alas, the attention is not on Homer’s epic poem, one of the genuine wonders of ancient literature. Oh no, moderns never bother with originals. Their egos insist on the new, the novel, and selected revisions of important works that cover their own ignorance and flatter their own ideological and fashion preferences. That's why the buzz going round is not about Homer’s flawed yet noble hero, but rather on Christopher Nolan’s big-budget and extremely splashy (pun intended) movie.

Of course, reading Homer’s classic is itself far too difficult for most people nowadays. Good grief, don’t imagine I’m going to really read a book! Give me instead an awesome flick with blaring sound, cinematic wizardry, and 2026 progressivism. And then, after comfortably being ensconced in a theater for a mere 90 minutes, I can pride myself on not only knowing full well The Odyssey; I can even applaud my own experience of the work as being more authentic, more profound, and more impressive to my peers than all those squares before me that only read a boring book.

An exaggeration? Hardly. But the most relevant thing to note is that whatever the understanding of The Odyssey is for this summer’s moviegoers, it will be a far, far cry from the real thing, the classic poetic work of Homer.

Now you’re right in guessing that I have not seen the film. I was never tempted to. I rarely go to the movies and I almost never watch a movie version of a book. But in the case of Christopher Nolan’s movie, I had more reasons than usual to miss the thing. Among those reasons were Nolan’s oh-so-hip bow to the woke fads so worshiped by the left today: casting a skinny transgender actor as a fierce Greek warrior; casting a Kenya-born actress as Helen of Troy; and, most damning of all, portraying Odysseus as a weak, feminine, vacillating, drug-addled, dishonorable man -- all of which Homer’s Odysseus was not.

Therefore...because I believe Homer’s original poem to be a far more worthy artistic work than the movie which is getting all the attention, I wanted to pass along 2 suggestions of how to respond to this summer's fuss. 

Number One -- dare to read the original. Claire and I are doing so right now. We are, in fact, adding to our understanding, pleasure, and inspiration by also reading The Iliad, Homer’s first work. We are reading them in Robert Fagles’ translations, but any you find available can open the doors to rich adventures. And Number Two -- we are adding to our reading of these exciting texts the free online lectures offered by Hillsdale College regarding The Odyssey. As some of you know, Claire and I have enjoyed many of Hillsdale’s online courses in recent years, but these lectures from literature professor Dr. Benedict Whalen have quickly become among our most delightful. 

Indeed, I’ll go so far as suggesting to those of you who feel a moderate interest in The Odyssey but do not figure that you’d not go so far as to tackle the book, to go ahead and at least enjoy these lectures. You'll find them very interesting...and they just might lead you to the book itself. 

Gratitude Down the Manhole

Returning home after walking my regular course one afternoon, I came across an unusual scene.  In front of the Christian school that I pass by were two men I know who worked there. One was kneeling beside the sewer opening at the curb while the other was actually lying on the pavement and trying to reach down inside.  A nicely-dressed woman was standing nearby.

I stopped to help and discovered they were trying to retrieve a schoolbook that had a girl had dropped down into the sewer and which was lying, safe and dry for the moment, on a bit of concrete shelf.  Being dressed down in shorts and T-shirt and already dirty, I offered my help and got down beside my friend.  Though taller and having a longer reach, I couldn’t get to the book either even though I got down as far as I could into the sewer opening.  Even using a pole with a gripping device wouldn’t work.

Well, we worked at it quite awhile before my friend thought about possibly prying the manhole cover from its rust-encrusted position so that he could drop inside.  It wasn’t easy and the iron cover proved heavy and cumbersome -- but finally we got it off.  Once we had, it took just seconds for him to drop down, retrieve the book, and but another minute to maneuver the manhole cover back into place.  

Hooray! Our efforts had produced a successful conclusion and we all felt a wonderful sense of achievement. But the most notable detail of this story was one that wasn’t wonderful at all for that was the inaction of the young girl whose book had been saved.  

During the whole time of the adventure -- 15 minutes since I had showed up and who knows how long before that -- she had merely sat in a nearby car, messing with her phone.  It was the girl’s mother who had stood alongside watching our efforts in her daughter’s behalf. The mom was encouraging and very grateful.  But, even when the book was retrieved, the girl herself displayed absolutely no gratitude, not even any interest. 

The mother was terribly embarrassed by her daughter's attitude and she finally had to order her daughter to roll down the window and thank us for getting her book. (Remember, it was her book and she was the person who dropped it.) The girl, visibly perturbed, let the car window come down, snatched the book from her mom’s hand, gave us what was more of a quick smirk than a sincere smile, and…zip…up went the window and she returned her attention to her phone. The mom repeated her own thanks and assured us that her daughter was grateful too.  The evidence of that, however, could hardly been weaker.

I shook hands with the other guys and thanked them for their efforts in behalf of the student.  I thanked them too for letting me be a part of the project for, when all was said and done, it had been kinda’ fun. 

But, as I walked the rest of the way home, I thought about how sad an example this presented of modern youth, even in Christian circles.  Self-centered. Ungrateful.  A haughty indifference to elders -- even when beholden to them. Indifference to parental expectations or feelings. And being so tied to “social media” that true social responsibilities are ignored.

I wonder -- will those of us who are older finally recognize the trouble our youth are in (and, through them, the whole culture) because of the counter-productive polices we’ve practiced in the schools, the church youth programs, parenting priorities, and the tragic extent that we have allowed kids to be engulfed in technology, fad and fashion, and Hollywood media? 

And, even if we recognize the situation, will we begin to take steps to instruct (and require) our youth in respect, responsibility, a work ethic, humility, real life skills, rites of passage to adulthood, and a personal devotion to both the precepts and the power of biblical Christianity? 

Make no mistake, this is a critical matter, one that must be seriously and continually addressed. If not, the future of Christian culture (short of heaven) is bleak indeed. Lord, please help us to help them.

If a Good Book Is a Good Friend..."

If a good book is a good friend -- and it is -- then why on God’s green earth would you not want to enrich your life by hanging out with good friends? I’m delighted to say this has been a priority in my life since I was little kid. Well, yes; there was a tragic period in my terribly misspent teen years where I departed from that lifestyle. But first with Thornton Wilder’s Our Town and then with Fyodor Dosteovsky’s The Brothers Karamazov, I see now how the Lord was using good books to draw me away from my intellectual and moral slide -- and towards the supernatural light and liberty He offered me through Calvary’s atoning sacrifice.  I began to read again. I began to think again. And I began to dream, aspire, and appreciate again. 

I thank the Lord for His rescue of my soul and my mind...and for continuing to bring the good gifts of good books my way. I thought of this the other morning when I mentioned to someone having had such delightful times the past couple of months in hanging out with old friends. “Really,” he asked. “What friends are you talking about?” I smiled and told him: C.S. Lewis, Francis Schaeffer, J.R.R. Tolkien, Charles Dickens, Rafael Sabatini, and the writers of the Old Testament books of Joshua, Judges, Ruth, I and 2 Samuel. Very good friends, indeed.

Charles William Eliot once observed, “Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.” He was spot on. And I pray I will effectively live out that conviction until I’m allowed entry into the libraries of the New Jerusalem!

“The Earth Is the Lord’s” -- Arbor Day vs Earth Day

In 1872, right here in the state of Nebraska, a journalist turned politician began a campaign that he hoped would help stabilize and beautify the rather sparse landscape of his state.  The man was a Nebraska City resident who believed that such a campaign would be a good idea in other places too.  And it was.

J. Sterling Morton’s call for tree husbandry was answered by the National Agricultural Convention meeting in St. Louis that year and by numerous municipalities, newspaper editors, and thousands of citizens.  The result was that the very first Arbor Day, April 22, saw almost a million trees planted.

But though J. Sterling Morton was a tree planter extraordinaire, he was not a tree hugger.  His attitude towards the natural world was the traditional one; namely, that the earth was the Lord’s and man, acting as God’s servant, was to effectively oversee nature, to subdue it in a rational way, to beautify it, and properly benefit from it.

Morton was thus acting in accordance with the biblical mandate -- the program originally given to Adam in the garden of Eden -- a call to responsibly appreciate, nurture, and enjoy the created things with which God had adorned the earth.

And most of the people who answered the challenge of Arbor Day were operating in the same spirit.  They were planting trees because trees were good things.  They bore fruit that man could eat.  They helped with soil conservation and provided protection from wind.  And they were pretty.

These people understood that trees were pleasant and productive plants, but they were for man’s use.  They were good things, not fellow souls.

Indeed, J. Sterling Morton (a conservative Democrat who served as Secretary of Agriculture under Grover Cleveland and whose son became a prominent Republican who was Secretary of the Navy under Theodore Roosevelt) was a faithful Episcopalian.  His understanding of the monumental difference between man (created in the express image of God) and nature (created for the enjoyment and benefit of man) was part of the basic Christian worldview.

The kind of conservation ethic he represented was rational, healthy, far-seeing, and well-rooted in sound environmental ideas.  It was the same enlightened conservation ethic of farmers like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, of visionaries like Johnny Appleseed, and conservation champions like Teddy Roosevelt and George Bird Grinnell, and other sportsmen who led the way in establishing our national parks and wildlife refuges. It was part of the longstanding tradition of taking care of the environment for man’s use -- not for nature’s sake.  It was the perspective of the farmer, the rancher, the hunter, and fisherman that we all be responsible and take care of the environment in order that man -- both in the now and in the future -- may be best served.   

Thus, Arbor Day was (and, by the way, still is) a responsible event, one that calls for individual volunteer efforts rather than government coercion.  In fact, the people associated with Arbor Day are decidedly apolitical.  “The only stand we take,” says an official with the Arbor Day Foundation, “is that it’s a great thing to plant trees.”  No demands for government intrusion.  No insistence on group think.  No call for Nanny State regulations and taxes. No worshipping Gaia or Mother Earth.

What a dramatic difference this is from the “holiday” that has tried to bully its way over and past Arbor Day, the extremely political, propagandist, and manipulative event that pirated the same day, April 22, and now tries to crowd out the very memory of Arbor Day. That event of course, is Earth Day. Or as the United Nations calls it -- International Mother Earth Day. To be sure, this newly-invented, politically-charged “holiday” is often dominated by socialist (even pantheistic) tenets and, therefore, absolutely ignores who the true heroes of American environmentalism are; namely, those hunters, fishermen, and other genuine conservationists mentioned earlier. 

And, of course, International Mother Earth Day also ignores the innumerable passages in Holy Scripture which deal with God as the Creator and Sovereign King of the earth...and those which testify to the glory of Almighty God that is revealed in His creation...and those which exhort men to carefully serve as responsible stewards of the natural order...and the eventual destruction of the earth which occurs not through man’s ecological failure, but rather by the holy judgment of God. 

The last item, by the way, occurs just before God creates a new heaven and, yes, a brand new earth. 

International Mother Earth Day vs Arbor Day? For the Bible-based Christian, the choice is an obvious and easy one.

Is Reading Among Your Resolutions?

Is an increase in reading among your resolutions for 2026? If not, consider making that the plan.

And to help stimulate that resolve, check out this 90-second "public service" announcement, True, I recorded it several years ago but the 10 Reasons to Read More are as sound and relevant as ever.

The Reading Year in Review

Okay, I am a reader. I have been since I was a little kid -- blessed by a mom who taught me (by precept and example), by an early acquaintance with libraries, and, in the 6th grade, my enthusiastic involvement with SRA Reading programs which in 1962 were still free from the leftist schlock that now dominates almost every public school exercise.

But my early love of and devotion to reading has, of course, been profoundly encouraged by the writers I’ve discovered along the way: Dickens, Doyle, Chesterton, Dumas, Lewis, Schaeffer, Stevenson, Scott, Tolkien, Solzhenitsyn, Alcorn, Buchan, Shakespeare, Beach, Sabatini, Thurber, O. Henry, Forester, Melville, Ironside, Heyerdahl, Wilder, Barrie, Sayers, Verne, Morison, Tournier, Churchill, Aldrich, Karon, Barnhouse and several other favorites.

However, even with this legacy, I must confess that a life of “purposeful reading” is not easy to maintain. The temptations to opt for more immediate gratification (television, internet surfing, social media trolling, getting lost in the political news, you name your poison) are always looming on the horizon. So too is the easier path of reading “fluffier” stuff, consuming the literary equivalent of potato chips instead of a nutritious, well-prepared, thoroughly-enjoyed meal. No, a life of “purposeful reading” takes work -- commitment, planning, motivation, accountability, creating a conducive atmosphere, and sharing the fruits of your laborers with others. 

For 30 years, these things were provided in great abundance to me by the Notting Hill Napoleons, a book club of dear friends and pro-life colleagues who tackled quality novels every month. But with the passing of that noble company 3 years ago -- and with the normal waning of energy that comes with advancing years, I have had to really redouble my efforts to keep a healthy pace. I still set reading goals; I still keep track of my reading; I still cherish those friends who help inspire me to read; and, from time to time, I still share my own book adventures to motivate others.

All of this today serves as a preface to my expression of thanks to a few of my reading friends (Greg, Ian, Jack, Jessica, Nancy, and, of course, Claire) whose devotion to good books (and reflections thereon) serve well as an ongoing motivation for me. Thank you; I do indeed appreciate your lives of purposeful reading and below I’ll share a quick report of my own reading this past year. Here you go...

2025 began with reading the Richard Hannay series by John Buchan and ended with E.T.A. Hoffmann’s The Nutcracker. The total for 2025 was 59 books, most of which were re-reads. The most noteworthy authors this year were old friends: Buchan, Dickens, Forester, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Randy Alcorn, Francis Schaeffer, George Patton, Edward de Vere (aka William Shakespeare), Dumas, Tournier, C.S. Lewis, J.M. Barrie, Zane Grey, Chesterton, Louisa May Alcott, and Rafael Sabatini.

Tournier on God’s Presence in All Vocations

“The valuable thing is to see our job as the task which God has entrusted to us, and to accomplish it in that spirit, allowing ourselves to be guided by Him. The valuable thing is to see our jobs, as well as all our other activities, as an adventure directed by God. In religious circles people have gotten into the habit of restricting the idea of vocation to the call of the ministry in the church or perhaps to a medical or teaching career. This tendency clearly indicates the distinction we make in our minds between the things of the Spirit and secular things.

For the fulfillment of His purpose God needs more than priests, bishops, pastors, and missionaries. He needs mechanics and chemists, gardeners and street sweepers, dressmakers and cooks, tradesmen, physicians, philosophers, judges, and shorthand typists. “My brethren,” writes St. James, “show no partiality as you hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory.” (James 2:1) Having a vocation means approaching everything one does in a spirit of vocation, looking upon it as an adventure shared with God. “In all toil there is profit” (Proverbs 14:23) or, as Calvin put it, in his pungent style, “there can be no work, however vile or sorted, that does not glisten before God, and is not right precious, provided that in it we serve our vocation...Every man in his place ought to deem that his estate is, as it were, a station assigned him by God.

I do not serve God only in the brief moments during which I am taking part in a religious service, or reading the Bible, or saying my prayers, or talking about Him in some book I am writing, or discussing the meaning of life with a patient or a friend. I serve him quite as much when I am giving a patient an injection, or lancing an abscess, or writing a prescription, or giving a piece of good advice. Or again, I serve Him quite as much when I am reading the newspaper, traveling, laughing at a joke, or soldering a joint in an electric wire. I serve him by taking an interest in everything, because He is interested in everything, because He has created everything and has put me in His creation so that I may participate in it fully.” (Paul Tournier, The Adventure of Living, page 209-10)

See also -- Tournier on Work as a Divine Gift (& Calling)

And Another Month of "When Swing Was King" Closes

There's always a hint of sadness when we present the last of each month's showings
of "When Swing Was King." We do, after all, really cherish the songs and the photographs and even the stories and trivia items I recount for our audiences...and so we know we will miss them. And today we closed September's schedule with shows #10 and #11 -- first at Newport this morning and then at Brookstone Village late this afternoon.

However, ending this month's show means we will soon get started on the next gathering of 12 terrific songs, the next collection of 220-250 photos, and the next batch of interesting and fun information to please our friends in the senior living facilities. What a rich blessing God gave us (and so many others) when he gave us "When Swing Was King.

Tournier on Work as a Divine Gift (& Calling)

Many people imagine that the biblical view of work is that it is a curse, a punishment imposed by God upon man after his proud disobedience. This idea is in accord with the pejorative interpretation of work and helps to maintain its currency; but it is quite false. As I have pointed out, work was instituted by God before the fall and is presented to man as an adventure, a sharing in the divine activity....

So work, which before the fall was a pure and lovely adventure, is turned into wearisome toil --  not as a result of the spirit of adventure itself but because of its wrong use: man wished to conduct his adventure on his own, in his own way, instead of entering into God’s adventure. From then on the burden of toil weighs upon him, and takes on the form of slavery, and often is a crushing and fruitless effort. Man comes to curse his labour, forgetting its true meeting -- that it is an adventure to which God and His goodness has called him....

The fact is that despite the fall, despite all men’s disobedience, work still preserves, in part at least, and by God’s grace, the significance He gave it. It is a gift from God, like life itself. (Paul Tournier, The Adventure of Living, pages 74,75)

Everything I Needed to Know I Learned from Sherlock Holmes!

Well, it was just about this time in 1902 that Sir James Damery came to 221B Baker Street in London to consult the great detective Sherlock Holmes about what Dr. Watson eventually described as “The Adventure of the Illustrious Client.” Ah yes, it’s one of the most provocative cases in Holmes' long and illustrious career. And with the September chill in the air this morning, I recalled that exciting case and remembered an item I decided upon a couple of weeks ago; namely, to provide in a Vital Signs Blog post the links to all four compilations I made many years ago featuring quotations from the marvelous Sherlock Holmes series. Any fan of the great sleuth will find them of interest...and value. So here they are, all four lists of “Everything I Needed to Know I Learned from Sherlock Holmes!”

“Everything I Needed to Know I Learned from Sherlock Holmes!” (Volume One.

“Everything I Needed to Know I Learned from Sherlock Holmes!” (Volume Two.

“Everything I Needed to Know I Learned from Sherlock Holmes!” (Volume Three.

“Everything I Needed to Know I Learned from Sherlock Holmes!” (Volume Four.)

Our 10 Favorite Literary Characters

It's our last night in the Colorado mountains (this time around) and after an eventful day that included an early morning work session at the coffee shop in Dillon, a vigorous and gorgeous hike near Keystone, a scare regarding our car's engine light on the way to Copper Mountain, a late lunch at the Empire Grill in Breckenridge, and more, we played a literature game on the balcony of our condo rental as we watched the sunset over the mountains.

It's a very simple game -- name your Ten Favorite Characters from Literature. And yes, we allowed a little liberty, as in accepting a "company" of characters from a particular work. Here are the lists we came up with. How about you?

Claire's Ten -- in no particular order:

* Aslan, Peter, Lucy, Edmund from The Chronicles of Narnia.

* Samwise Gangee, Frodo Baggins, and Aragon (Strider) from The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

* Fr. Timothy Kavanaugh from the Jan Karon series of novels.

* Miss Ella Bishop from Miss Bishop by Bess Streeter Aldrich.

* John Sidney Howard from The Pied Piper by Nevil Shute.

* Sir Percy Blakeney from The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy.

* Ebenezer Scrooge from A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.

* Winnie the Pooh and his many friends from the books by A.A. Milne.

* Bishop Myriel from Les Misérables by Victor Hugo.

* Sherlock Holmes from the stories and novels by Arthur Conan Doyle.

And my list? Well, I agreed with Claire's selections of Sherlock Holmes, Fr. Tim Kavanaugh, Ebenezer Scrooge, Winnie the Pooh and friends, and the characters from The Lord of the Rings. The only point of clarification I would add is that my list read "Ebenezer Scrooge...or whoever is the protagonist from the Charles Dickens novel I'm reading at the time!"

But the differences? My list included...

* Ratty, Badger, Mole, and Mr. Toad from The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame.

* D'Artagnan, Athos, Porthos, and Aramis from several novels by Alexandre Dumas.

* Horatio Hornblower from the series of novels by C.S. Forester.

* Atreyu from The Neverending Story by Michael Ende.

* Travis McGee from the series of novels by John D. MacDonald.

August's "When Swing Was King" Show Is (Once Again!) A Winner!

It is a busy and blessing-filled week for the “When Swing Was King” part of our ministry with 7 of this month’s 12 shows being presented this week. But we don’t want to be stingy on those blessings. Therefore, we post the August “When Swing Was King” songlist below as a teaser that might encourage you to drop into one of our shows this week or next. We would love to have you...as would the residents of the senior facilities where our shows have won so many hearts over the years. 

Here's what’s playing -- accompanied, of course, by about 240 remarkable photographs from the same years. It makes for a profoundly enjoyable and moving “sentimental journey.”

1) Glenn Miller Orchestra: “String of Pearls” (1942) 

2) The Andrews Sisters: “Begin the Beguine” (1945)

3) Glen Gray and the Casa Loma Orchestra: “Can’t We Be Friends?” (1935)

4) Andy Williams: “The Days of Wine and Roses” (1963)

 5) Eydie Gorme: “Hello Young Lovers” (1959)

6) Nat King Cole (Backed by the Billy May Orchestra): “Let’s Face the Music and Dance” (1964) 

7) Connie Francis: “Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool” (1960)

8) Perry Como (With the Mitchell Ayres Orchestra and Chorus): “Patricia” (1950)

9) Benny Goodman Orchestra: “Here’s Love In Your Eyes” (1936)

10) Robert Goulet: “Gigi” (1962) 

11) Guy Lombardo Orchestra (Kenny Gardner, vocals): “Getting to Know You” (1951)

12) Fred Astaire (With the Johnny Green Orchestra): “The Way You Look Tonight” (1936)

The Stories You Tell, the Story You Live

“You know, Denny, my friends and I don’t do this at all. I mean, we never tell stories like you and Dad do. The closest we come to anything like it is to recall some scene in a movie or describe something that happened in a NFL game. We don’t tell stories about stuff that happens to us, you know, that have us actually doing anything. And tonight, listening to you and Dad again, it made me realize that I don’t really have many stories to tell.”

Denny talks about storytelling -- and story living -- in the August letter from Vital Signs Ministries right here.

The Only Thing of Importance Now

John Bacon (1740-1799) is widely accepted as one of the greatest sculptors in English history. Winner of numerous awards and given high acclaim by his peers, the public, and the royal court, Bacon’s work impressively adorns such treasured landmarks as St. Paul’s Cathedral, Bristol Cathedral, and Westminster Abbey.

Bacon was a committed Christian who wrote his own epitaph which was etched on his gravestone when his body was buried at Whitefield’s Tabernacle in Tottenham Court. That gravesite (as well as the church itself) was destroyed by Nazi bombs in WW II but the epitaph nevertheless echoes through history: “What I was as an artist seemed of some importance while I lived; what I really was as a believer in Jesus Christ is the only thing of importance to me now.”

Vladimir Nabokov: An Embarrassing Problem for Darwinians

“When a butterfly has to look like a leaf, not only are all the details of a leaf beautifully rendered but markings mimicking grub-bored holes are generously thrown in. ‘Natural Selection,’ in the Darwinian sense, could not explain the miraculous coincidence of imitative aspect and imitative behavior, nor could one appeal to the theory of ‘the struggle for life’ when a protective device was carried to a point of mimetic subtlety, exuberance, and luxury far in excess of a predator's power of appreciation. I discovered in nature the non-utilitarian delights that I sought in art. Both were a form of magic, both were a game of intricate enchantment and deception.”

The above paragraph was written, not by William Jennings Bryan or Billy Sunday, but by the decidedly irreligious author of Lolita and Pale Fire (and, more importantly for my money, the translator of Pushkin), Vladimir Nabokov.

It turns out that Nabokov served as the curator of lepidoptera (butterflies) at Harvard University’s Museum of Comparative Zoology in the 1940s. In fact, according to his biographer, Nabokov “became the authority on the little-studied blue butterflies (polyommatini) of North and South America” and was “a pioneer in the study of butterflies’ microscopic anatomy, distinguishing otherwise almost identical blues by differences in their genital parts.” And besides his novels and short stories, he published articles in such scientific journals as The Entomologist, The Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, The Lepidopterist News, and Psyche: A Journal of Entomology.

Of course, this creates a problem of embarrassment in the secular academic circles where Nabokov’s literary work has been so highly regarded. I mean, what’s with a renowned liberal humanist vigorously disputing evolution -- and doing so from the most intricate and informed scientific reasoning?

Richard Dawkins, call your office.

Heads Up!

We cordially invite you to a couple of important Vital Signs Ministries events that are coming up soon. The first is the next Vital Signs letter-writing party. Well, actually there are two of them, each taking about 90 minutes. One is a morning brunch party on Tuesday, August 5th beginning at 10 o'clock with the evening event beginning at 7 on that same date. The location is at Denny & Claire’s home.

 As usual, we will provide recipient options, address sheets, stationery, and stamps as we write letters and cards to government officials, businesses, and Christian ministry leaders about such topics as the sanctity of life, religious freedom, family and moral values, and other biblically-centered concerns. And, of course, along with the opportunity to shine your light through letters, there will be stimulating fellowship with like-minded Christians and plenty of delicious treats to keep up your energy levels!

By the way, your RSVPs are very helpful.

And then the second event is something we did very successfully back in 2017 and that is a home showing on Saturday, August 23 of the outstanding, award-winning, one-man play, An Evening with C.S. Lewis starring David Payne. That DVD showing (informative, entertaining, inspirational) will take the place of Vital Signs Ministries’ quarterly Book Brunch and, though it too will take place at the Hartford home, will be at 7 in the evening with coffee, soft drinks, and desserts served during the intermission of the play. Again, RSVPs are quite important.

So, are you interested? We hope so. Give us a call, text, or email soon.

Change for the Better: A “When Swing Was King” Update

Adlai Stevenson once observed that “change is inevitable and yet change for the better is a full-time job.” That’s certainly a sage observation, one that emphasizes the need for wise and intentional planning to make the very best of our time, talents, and opportunities. And though change isn’t exactly a full-time job for our “When Swing Was King” ministry, it is always a very important part.

How so? Well, each of our “When Swing Was King” programs consist of 12 original songs and 220-240 photographs. But oh, no; they are not the same songs or photographs at all. They are ever changing in order to keep our audiences of seniors as esteemed, engaged, and entertained as possible. (By the way, our current schedule takes us to 11 facilities every month.) 

Here’s how it works. In creating these shows over the last 15 years, we have developed 24 “base” programs which revolve on a 2-year calendar. And when each “base” program comes round, I go in and change anywhere from 2 to 5 of the songs and up to a third of all of the photos. No kidding. We are thus able to honestly explain to our audiences (and the staff at the senior facilities) that we offer a new “When Swing Was King” show every time. And they all appreciate the efforts we invest to do so as “When Swing Was King” is as beloved a program as ever before.

There is one more aspect regarding change that I might mention regarding “When Swing Was King.” Remember, we have been doing this for 15 years now and, since we remain committed to providing our current audiences with the music of their youth, that means changes need to be applied in our song selections. For today’s residents of the senior facilities (now in their late 80s and 90s) remember and cherish the music that was popular, not just in the 1930s and 1940s which were our focus in the first years of “When Swing Was King,” but also in the 1950s and even 1960s. You can see then an extra motivation for Claire and I to take seriously Stevenson’s exhortation as we conscientiously, creatively pursue “change for the better” in our “When Swing Was King” outreach.

Want an example an example of just what I’m talking about? Below I give you a briefly annotated songlist of the July “When Swing Was King” show. You’ll see how we’re striving to keep the best mix of musical genres possible for our friends. Also, please keep in mind that each month’s “When Swing Was King” is on the Vital Signs Ministries website in case you would ever like to join us! 

“When Swing Was King (Volume 15: Series 7, July 2025) 

1) Glenn Miller Orchestra -- “American Patrol” (1942)

(With military-themed photos accompanying this classic hit, we use this song as a tribute and thank-you to veterans of the U.S. military.)

2) Tommy Dorsey Orchestra (with Frank Sinatra and the Pied Pipers) -- “Dolores” (1941) (One of the several number 1 hits coming from that great combination of Tommy Dorsey -- “The Sentimental Gentleman of Swing” -- and the youthful voice of Frank Sinatra.)

3) Artie Shaw Orchestra – “Frenesi” (1940)

(Also, a number one hit, this was one of Shaw’s “signature” songs.)

4) The Platters – “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes” (1959)

(Yes, here’s one of the songs illustrating our entry into early pop music. This #1 song, featuring lead tenor, Tony Williams, was one of their most popular.)

5) Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass – “A Taste of Honey” (1965)

(After an injury, Herb Alpert, an outstanding high school gymnast had to fall back on his musical interests and business savvy. He ended up becoming one of the most popular and successful musicians, promoters, and music executives of his time.) 

6) Pat Boone – “Love Letters in the Sand” (1957)

(The only serious rival to the popularity of Elvis Presley back in the 1950s, Pat Boone scored a #1 hit with this song. The photo theme accompanying it is the year 1957.)

7) Doris Day -- “You Oughta’ Be in Pictures” (1951)

(Photo theme -- Several of the leading men from Hollywood’s Golden Age.)

8) Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians – “Embraceable You” (1950)

(Always a favorite with our “When Swing Was King” audiences, the Lombardo band was promoted as playing “the sweetest music this side of heaven.”)

9) McGuire Sisters -- “Something’s Gotta’ Give” (1955)

(This Johhny Mercer song reached #5 on the pop charts that year and is an excellent example of why Christine, Dorothy, and Phyllis were such a terrific act.)

10) Julie London -- “Misty” (1960)

(One of the all-time best torch singers, the lovely Julie London performs one of the classiest versions ever of this Erroll Garner standard.)

11) Mills Brothers -- “Standing on the Corner” (1956)

(Selling over 50 million records in their long career, this fun song is one of their most popular of all. And our audiences absolutely love singing along.)

12) Lawrence Welk Orchestra -- “Adios, Au Revoir, Auf Weidersehn” (1971)

(This George Cates, Jack Elliott song was the one that the Welk cast always sang at the closing of the television show. And members of that beloved cast are featured in the photos used here.)

On Fortune Tellers

I once had an interesting discussion after being asked by a non-Christian friend about fortune telling. I told him that I could get a higher percentage of predictions picking weekly winners in the NFL than any psychic he could name. He agreed that would probably be true if I were matched against people who only claim to be psychic. But then he asked, “Denny; what about the real deal? What do you think about someone who really can read the future, someone like Jeane Dixon?”

I was glad he asked because I had done a bit of research into the matter, including details on the lady who has (to date) been America’s most famous seer. “Well,” I began, “the late Jeane Dixon was certainly the most celebrated fortune teller of my time, mainly because of her syndicated newspaper column. But there were her books too, astrological guides that included charts for dogs, cats, your daily meals and so on. But I’m afraid I’ve got to disappoint you. Mrs. Dixon couldn't tell the future better than anyone else. Just check her record. In reality, she wasn’t a fortune-teller; she was only a fortune-guesser. And not a particularly good one at that.”

My friend seemed skeptical. “How then did she become so famous?”

I replied, “How did Tiny Tim become famous? Because he was talented? Of course not. Johnny Carson, the National Enquirer, and the rest of the media make people celebrities for all kinds of goofy reasons. But in Jeane Dixon’s case, I can assure you, her star status wasn’t something she earned. She simply gave away a huge amount of predictions and then conveniently remembered only the 10 or 15% that could be liberally interpreted as coming true."

“No kidding?”

I gave him a few examples. “When Mrs. Dixon just started to cash in on the popularity of horoscopes and fortune-telling in the early 50’s, she made a pretty famous prediction. She said that World War III was going to begin in 1958. That error cooled her jets until the tabloids of the 60’s were looking for wild attractions. They hauled Mrs. Dixon out again. She promptly assured Americans that the Vietnam conflict would be over by 1966. She was only nine years off, poor thing. Must have been a short in her crystal ball.”

“She also predicted there would be a cure for cancer in 1967. She predicted Fidel Castro would be overthrown and tossed out of Cuba in disgrace before the year 1970 was out. Of course, Cubans were waiting for that fulfillment 50 years later. She predicted there would be universal peace by the year 2000. And how about her confident assertion that Russia would be the first nation to put men on the moon?”

“But hey; I can't forget my favorite,” I finally added. “On October 19th, 1968, Mrs. Dixon predicted that the last thing on Jackie Kennedy’s mind was any possibility of remarriage. And then, bingo, the very next day, headlines announced to the world the wedding of Jackie and Aristotle Onassis.”

No, I assured my friend, I would feel no pressure from a prediction contest with even a “pro psychic” like Jeane Dixon. “We would all be in the guessing game together. The fact is that there is only one source of accurate, dependable information about the future.”

“I know, I know,” my friend said laughingly. “Forget the psychic hotlines and read the Bible instead.”

I couldn’t have put it better myself.

Reflections on Radical Discipleship (Re-Visited)

Yesterday I was honored to present the sermon at a memorial service for a fellow alumnus of the Christian Brotherhood, Jim Fisher. It was a duty greatly ennobled by Claire and I spending time  a couple of days earlier with his remarkable family. They all represented very persuasive evidence of the sincerity and depth of Jim’s life in Christ. And thinking about Jim and the other Brotherhood friends we saw at the event got me to thinking about a piece I originally posted here on Vital Signs Blog (with photos, no less!) back in 2016. That article examined the 5 basic strengths the Lord used in making the Christian Brotherhood such a powerful discipleship ministry. Knowing some of you might find the post of interest, I re-print it below.

Reflections on Radical Discipleship

Last month Claire and I were blessed to participate in a reunion party involving people from the Christian Brotherhood’s early years. It was a momentous event as more than 50 of us celebrated the grace of God poured out upon America during the days of the Jesus Movement in the early 1970s.  We celebrated too the Lord’s ongoing grace as He has continued to lead, protect, correct, and use the lives of many believers who came through the unique ministry that was the Christian Brotherhood.

In reading through the printed testimonies, talking to people at the reunion party, and then reflecting on our common experiences over the last few weeks, I couldn’t help but compare what happened to us in those exciting days with what’s happening or, more to the point, what’s not happening with Christian youth today.  As a result of those reflections, I decided to address the topic of radical discipleship in this month’s letter. For I continue to hope that the days of “great awakenings” are not all behind us. We are, after all, promised that the mercies of God are new every morning. Therefore, revolutionary change can yet occur in individual lives and even in culture, if we simply unplug ourselves from the world and connect our minds instead to the glorious Creator God Who gave His Son for our salvation.  So, please come with me for a look at 5 themes marking the radical discipleship of the early years of the Christian Brotherhood.

1) A dramatic change of identity.  The converts to Christianity in those heady days of the Jesus Revolution wholeheartedly embraced the chance to be forgiven, to be made completely different from what they had been, and to live completely different from the culture in which they had previously walked.  Nowadays, I’m afraid, too many Christians boast in being just like everybody else. They downplay, even mock, the idea of a radical lifestyle change.  In fashion, in entertainment choices, in accepting the aggressive liberalism of the government schools, in chasing the constant lure of advertisers, in language and demeanor, young people in the church tend to copy their non-Christian peers. But the young people involved with the Christian Brotherhood were delighted to be different. We willingly accepted the responsibilities of living counter-culture lifestyles because, after all, we knew all too well that the world had nothing to offer us.  We had been there and done that. Thus, we jumped at the chance to exchange darkness for light, lies for truth, slavery for freedom.

We stopped boozing and doing drugs. We ended our promiscuity and criminal behavior.  We moved away from bad influences. We stopped watching TV, not because it was necessarily evil, but simply because we now had a host of other things to do…things that were interesting and active, things that were pure and beneficial. I believe we need a new sense today of how peculiar (the Bible’s word) a people we are; how set apart and set against the cosmos we are; how revolutionary should be our outlook on life, truth, God, the future, and the world around us.

2) A solid theological foundation. The Christian Brotherhood gave us a strong, unshakeable theological foundation.  This was somewhat unique among other Jesus People ministries as it featured Bible classes that were taught by skilled and experienced Bible scholars, including instructors at Grace Bible Institute who came into the inner city to deliver expositional, exegetical Bible classes to us several nights a week.

And we couldn’t get enough of it!  We not only listened intently, we filled our spiral notebooks with the notes we took from those lectures. And it wasn’t easy stuff either.  No cream puff Christianity here. Indeed, we learned later that the Grace instructors were giving us the very lectures they gave in their upper level theology courses at the college.  But, unlike many of the Grace students, we new converts would eagerly listen, carefully study our notes, and then compare them with what we were learning in our personal Bible study. We would also discuss them in depth with one another.  We knew we had an awful lot to learn…and a lot to unlearn too. Indeed, we sometimes fell back into patterns from our past and so our sanctification required us to regularly repent and even make restitution when possible. But God’s grace kept moving us forward and we took our duties as disciples very seriously.

Do you see much of that in today’s churches?  Young people so eager to learn that they forsake entertainment and sports and social media in order to attend hard-edged Bible studies?  Young people crowding into the front rows at church (as the Brotherhood kids did when we went together to hear Darrell Scott at Pleasantview Berean Church), kids holding well-marked Bibles along with pens and notebooks to learn more?  Young people who added to lectures and sermons their own studies in apologetics, church history, evangelism, and comparative religion?  Young people being stretched intellectually, held accountable for their beliefs and lifestyles, and challenged to learn to pray and serve and be ever conformed to the image of Christ?

Or do you see instead church youth of today isolated in their own age groups,
being coddled and pampered, given heavy doses of comfort and fun, protected from sacrifice and hard work, promised popularity and prosperity?  Such a state is a far cry from the discipleship required of young Christians throughout history. And it’s a far cry too from the discipleship undergone by most young believers in Third World churches today. Isn’t it time the Western Church embrace again the biblical ideals of radical discipleship? For our sake as well as God’s?

3) Godly fellowship. The discipleship process at the Christian Brotherhood was very strong on fellowship.  But our fellowship was not about fun and games, even though there was often a fun element to it.  Rather, it concentrated on our common participation in the new adventure we were enjoying in the Lord.  Bible study.  Giving witness to the gospel in the parks and on front porches.  Praying.  Commiserating with one another over our past hurts and failures while taking bold actions to change.  Talking about what we were reading.  Involvement in various ministries. Worshipping together with guitars and choruses and old hymns.

We quickly realized we needed frequent stimulation to love and good deeds, the spur to keep learning and maturing. We also knew we needed an accountability factor to help protect us from the easily-besetting sins of our past.  And, as a bonus, this kind of intimate, energizing fellowship taught us what our spiritual gifts were and how to best use them in ministry.

4) Practice in Christian service.  As was the case with the apostles who walked with Jesus in the 1st Century, the new converts at the Christian Brotherhood learned from precept, from example, and from direct participation.  We were young (most of us) and very inexperienced, yet we welcomed the activity the Lord brought our way in evangelism, prayer, counseling, physical labor, developing study habits, getting involved in church, repairing the damage we had caused in our families. The writer of Hebrews describes mature believers as “those who by practice have had their senses trained to discern good and evil.” We also were being trained as we practiced our faith in the real world.  Oh, yes; there was a lot of uncertain and amateurish action on our part and plenty of learning through our failures.  But learn we did.

5) Reading and reflecting. There’s one more item that was crucial to my early
discipleship, one so influential that it deserves special note.  And that is that the Christian Brotherhood “baptized” me into books! I had been an avid reader in my youth and, even in my otherwise wasted years of high school, I found pleasure and value in literature. But in my sad spiral downward after high school, I had stopped reading altogether.  And even when I was converted to Christianity in the early spring of 1970, I was very slow to get serious about books.  That all changed dramatically when I hitchhiked into the strange town of Omaha that summer of 1970.  For within 24 hours of hitting town, I was living at the Christian Brotherhood and directed to start reading Harry Ironside’s commentary on The Book of Acts. That was followed by a dozen more Ironside commentaries and then books by C.S. Lewis, Dwight Pentecost, Howard Hendricks, Donald Grey Barnhouse, and Anthony Hoekma.  I also began to buy my own Bible study books: concordances, commentaries, a Greek/English interlinear New Testament, the 5-volume ISBE, and more.  And towards the end of my time at the Brotherhood, I discovered Francis Schaeffer and others that were part of L’Abri. Those books opened up an adventurous new chapter in my learning…and my life.

Those books provided a strong foundation for me, one that only grew stronger in the decades since as I was introduced to other writers who rocked my world (notably G.K. Chesterton), as I read more widely (including a return to classic literature), and as I learned the value of re-reading.  Books have contributed greatly to my life and ministry.  They have enriched my relationships. They have given me great personal pleasure.  They have been a key defense against the moral pollution and intellectual debilitation brought on by watching too much television and modern film.  And, again, that all started at the Christian Brotherhood where I was blessed beyond measure to receive a radical discipleship.

A healthy Christianity that yields peace, happiness, and confidence? A holy lifestyle that lights up the darkness instead of being compromised and covered up by the surrounding cosmos? I’m convinced that these things begin with a regimen of radical discipleship highlighted by the five themes I’ve described: 1) A dramatic change of identity.  2) A solid theological foundation.  3) Godly fellowship.  4) Practice in Christian service.  5) Reading and reflecting.    If the Church has any hope of reclaiming its power to influence the world, it must bring these things back into play for our congregations.  And especially for our youth. We must pray to that end. But, in addition to our fervent intercession, you and I must act in whatever ways we can to advocate, and model, and encourage radical discipleship in the cause of Christ.