howell88310

[howell88310]

New Orleans, Radical Islam, & the Evil Within

On a night of celebration and revelry in the French Quarter of New Orleans on New Year’s Eve, terror struck again. Not with a plane or a pressure cooker, but with an American-made Ford F-150 pick-up truck, driven by a United States Army veteran, a United States citizen, and a resident of the great state of Texas. These facts, without more, may lead you to conclude that the alleged terrorist was a…

[howell88310]

A Little Bit of Dixie on New Year's Day

New Year’s Day Black-eyed peas You can take Dixie out of the South, but you can’t take the South out of Dixie, at least when it comes to food, particularly on New Year’s Day. And, when I say Dixie, I don’t just mean the song, the cups, or the Chicks. I mean me. Yep. My first name is Dixie, and I’m named after my dad, known as Dixie for his entire life. Perhaps to avoid confusion, I have used my…

[howell88310]

2024 in Review: The Goodness of God

“For the LORD is good, and his faithful love endures forever; his faithfulness, through all generations.” Psalm 100:5 (CSB) My View from the helicopter heading to Lubbock after my stroke. God is Good! On the last day of 2024, as I look back on the year that was, one thought keeps coming to the top of my mind: God is Good, all the time. All the time, God is good. In a year that will be one for the…

[howell88310]

The Diary of Anne Frank, Sex, & Parental Rights in Texas

Reading the Diary of Anne Frank I honestly can’t remember what grade I was in when I first read “The Diary of Anne Frank.” Perhaps around the same age as Anne, the young Jewish girl who was given a diary on her 13th birthday, just before she and her family went into hiding from the Nazis in the Netherlands. During the two years in which she, her sister Margot, and her mother and father, Otto &…

[howell88310]

Donald Trump's Amorality & Evangelicals' Day of Reckoning

Evangelicals’ Fascination with Donald Trump As far back as 2011, Evangelical Christians’ fascination with Donald Trump, culminating in his 2016 victory over Hillary Clinton, has been on a collision course with the Biblical faith that we say we hold dear. A time of reckoning with putting our faith in (at times bordering on idolatry) political parties, politicians, and politics, is upon us. And,…

[howell88310]

Court Rebukes NM Governor for Unconstitutional Power Grab

“Whenever fundamental rights are restricted, the Supreme Court and other courts cannot close their eyes,” Justice Alito said this month, rejecting the view that “whenever there is an emergency, executive officials have unlimited, unreviewable discretion.” (“Splitting 5 to 4, Supreme Court Backs Religious Challenge to Cuomo’s Virus Shutdown Order”)   NM Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s Emergency…

[howell88310]

Lifeway Strikes Again: Have You No Decency?

Holcomb Auditorium at Glorieta “You’ve done enough. Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last? Have you left no sense of decency?” Joseph Welch, Chief Counsel to the U.S. Army (directed to Senator Joseph McCarthy during the “Army-McCarthy Hearings, June 9, 1954) Lifeway Strikes Again! When news broke this week that Lifeway Christian Resources was shuttering its music and worship website,…

[howell88310]

Angry Voices & the Destruction of Civility in America

Is Civility Dead in America? The angry voices that you hear on the far left and the far right in America are destroying what little civility remains in our culture. Ten years ago, I wrote a post that posed the question, “Is Civility Dead in America?” While my answer is a solid “YES,” I do not believe that it has to be an unequivocal or irreversible yes. Can we agree to disagree, even on the most…

[howell88310]

Papa John's & the Incredible Shrinking Pizza!

Howell’s Homemade Pepperoni & Sausage Pizza (Originally published on October 9, 2013, and Updated on May 11, 2023) My Most Viewed Blog Post When I wrote my first post for this blog back in 2010, I had no idea how many people would be interested in reading what a relatively obscure (as far as the Internet was concerned) attorney-turned-pastor had to say. Almost 13 years and 453 posts later,  I…

[howell88310]

Darkness Descends Upon New Mexico

New Mexico Referendum Campaign Meeting The Darkness in the Sky On a clear, moonless night in New Mexico, one can see thousands of stars, shining brightly against a dark canopy. If conditions are just right, the Milky Way, in all its wonder, can be seen from the backyard.  I’ve always loved astronomy and star-gazing, even though I can only pick out a few constellations without the aid of a star…

[howell88310]

Fighting the Culture War with the Right Weapons

The Culture War’s Division After relaunching From Law to Grace last week, I want to dive headfirst into the deep end of the pool on the first day of a new month and write about the Culture War. As a pastor, I often share hard truths — hopefully with grace — with my church family through my preaching and teaching ministry. This blog offers me an opportunity to graciously communicate that truth…

[howell88310]

Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio? Our nation turns its lonely eyes to you.

I’m no Joe DiMaggio and, our nation, as lonely as she may seem at the moment, is not turning her eyes in my direction. But, perhaps some — family, friends, church members, and even internet strangers — might, from time to time, turn their eyes to my little corner of the blogosphere. That’s why I’m back. But, where had I gone, you might be wondering. After all, it’s been a little over four years —…

[howell88310]

It’s a beautiful day in Carlsbad, New Mexico. If you have found this post, then you know that “From Law to Grace” is now back online. I am excited to graciously communicate Biblical truth at the intersection of culture, law, politics, and religion in America today. Much has changed over the last four years and, I look forward to jumping back into the arena of ideas. I will have a brand new post…

[howell88310]

Democrats Embrace Infanticide & the Abortion god

Democrats Embrace Infanticide & the Abortion god

When my wife was very pregnant with our three sons — all born before their expected due date at two, two, and four weeks early respectively — I can’t remember the number of people who  asked us, “When is your fetus due?”Well, on second thought, I can remember the number — zero. zip. nada. zilch. To ask such a question would indicate either a serious mental or spiritual illness or both on the part…

[howell88310]

The Jussie Smollett Story: Racism, Greed & the Love of Money

The Jussie Smollett Story: Racism, Greed & the Love of Money

Well, now we apparently know that Empire actor Jussie Smollett’s fanciful — and now discredited — allegations of a racist, homophobic attack last month were all about one thing — MONEY. Not content with making upwards of $65,000 per episode for 18 episodes(which translates into over $1 million per season), Chicago Police have concluded that Smollett not only sent a threatening letter to the…

[howell88310]

Snow Days, Family Time & Enjoying the Little Things in Life

Snow Days, Family Time & Enjoying the Little Things in Life

Growing up in Flordia, I was unfamiliar with the term “Snow Day.” The closest we ever got to one was on January 19, 1977, when I was in the 5th grade. That day, the snow — from the sky, not the other stuff which was already there — made it all the way to Miami.  Looking back, we only got a dusting in Lake Placid, the small-town located in the middle of caladiums, lakes, orange groves, rolling…

[howell88310]

Gracious Communication & Civility in A Divided Nation

Gracious Communication & Civility in A Divided Nation

With such a dearth of leadership, it’s no wonder that political discourse is at one of the lowest levels in our nation’s history. With Democrats accusing Republicans of taking America hostage and waging “Jihad”against the United States and with Republicans attacking President Obama as one who would rather negotiate with America’s enemies than with his political opponents, we are witnessing the…