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Simple Christmas
There was once a simpler way to celebrate Jesus’ birth. Back before everyone got so caught up in buying electronic doo-hickeys and other distractions, Christmas was time to spend with your loved ones. It’s become increasingly a time where grand events and star-studded activities steal the attention from the simple stable, the humble family and…
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Changing Culture in the Mountains
I don’t really know what compelled my ancestors to seek out a place as far back up the holler as they could get to scrape out an existence. Were they running from something or someone? Were they just plumb tuckered out at dealing with people? Were they living out a calling of some kind to…
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The Resilience of Mountain People
I was listening today to Darrell Scott’s version of his own song “You’ll Never Leave Harlan Alive.” It’s a haunting story of a man and woman bent on leaving Harlan, Kentucky, and who keep having to live there due to economic security during the days of coal mining and one of them returns to mine…
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What is it About Mountains?
There’s something deeply moving about mountains. Now I’m not going to be selective or discriminating in this, I think all mountains have beauty, regardless whether they are rugged, rocky, treeless peaks or these lovely forested ridges we see everywhere in the Central Appalachian section of the United States. Mountains give us the feeling of security,…
Back Up the Holler
The Ruminations of a Mountain Preacher
Back Up the Holler 