He Is Risen! There Is Hope For The Hopeless

by Kevin Burton    Your tombstone and mine will land with the thud of finality. Jesus’ tombstone was pushed aside in very short order.    This was God’s plan, and we rejoice in it today on Easter, as we serve a risen Savior, who conquered death to make a way for us to be saved. …

Seals and Crofts Music Sticks To Your Ribs

by Kevin Burton    I like barbecue sauce. I love cayenne pepper and other hot spices. But I don’t have to have it on everything, all the time.    And so it is with screaming guitars and scene-stealing guitar solos. They are cool sometimes, but I can live without them.    So it was that …

Good Advice: Hold Lightly To Earthly Things

by Kevin Burton    James called your life and mine “a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away” (James 4:14b NKJV).     Even those with a complete lack of discernment and self-awareness, if they would pause long enough to just do the math of life, I think would still come to …

Neil Sedaka And How I Loved His Second Act

by Kevin Burton    I love laughter, I love rain, and I love me some Neil Sedaka.    So the news that Sedaka died Feb. 27 at age 86, stung.    I never knew the man of course. Never got within 100 miles of him as far as I know. Yet he was a friend …

No Tears In Heaven, No End To Tears On Earth

by Kevin Burton    The former things. The former things. May they soon become former.    There is a song, “The Tabernacle of God,” released in 1979 by Cynthia Clawson. It has always been a favorite of mine, but these days it leaps up and grabs me.    My mother is in hospice care now. …

Pilot On Holly’s Plane Crash Was Not Qualified

by Kevin Burton    The 21-year-old pilot of the plane that crashed on this day in 1959, taking the lives of three famous young musicians was not qualified for the flight, according to published accounts.    The crash, which took the lives of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. Richardson (The Big Bopper) has been …

God’s Gift, Your Choice, Both Are For Keeps

by Kevin Burton    In six plus years of writing Page 7, I don’t believe I have ever quoted perhaps the most quoted Bible verse, John 3:16:    “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16 …

Farewell To The Meathead, Closing Credits

by Kevin Burton    I’m supposed to be good with words, but sometimes there just aren’t any.    I’m having trouble expressing my distress at the violent death of Actor/Director Rob Reiner. Reiner and his wife Michele were found dead Sunday and their son Nick is now facing two counts of murder. Sadness, disbelief, anger, …

“Bad Hair Day” And Words About Hair

by Kevin Burton    Today’s list from Merriam-Webster, words about hair, got me thinking about the term, “bad hair day.”    Is bad hair day an idiom?    The dictionary says an idiom is, “an expression in the usage of a language that has a meaning that cannot be understood from the combined meanings of its …

Do You Know These 12 Types Of Poetry?

by Dictionary Scoop    Poetry is as diverse as the individuals who write it—from short, playful rhymes to long, heartfelt verses, with some forms following strict rules and others allowing complete freedom.    This wide variety enables poets from all walks of life to express themselves in unique ways. Take a look at the following …