When I was a young man, I traveled in typical circles with other young men, of course. And, as is common among such youth, we touted a mutual response for when threatened with a beating by the local tyrant-tormenter. The reply to his taunt of “I’m going to whip your a**!” invariably promised to be… “Yeah, sure. You and whose army?!” Blustering bravado in a taunt-for-taunt reflex is a foundational stone on the path to becoming a real man on another day somewhere down the road of time. Eventually, though, you realize that fists lead to pain, and that pain…
In what years I have remaining, I have narrowed my road down to one of two fates. I am totally committed either to living out my remaining years on Mars (which is my second choice) – or – my primary desire is to live out my remaining years in an undersea colony on the ocean floor at 24 fathoms. I have turned it over to my Creator to choose which of those final destinations He has already decided for me. But I can say with all authentic honesty that it will be one or the other. How do I state…
The great Nobel Laureate, American Physicist Richard Feynman, said very bluntly, “It is not possible to understand the magnetic effects of materials in any honest way from the point of view of classical physics. Such magnetic effects are a completely quantum-mechanical phenomenon. All other explanations to try and explain them in terms of classical physics are phony.” (Lecture 34 – Magnetism of Matter, Caltech.) That is exactly why most people can look at a lowly magnet on my refrigerator door and not see the astonishing miracle taking place right before their eyes. A single one-inch magnet holding up a two-ounce…
One of the reasons Holy Scripture is so relevant is that its core subjects have not changed even one single whit. Prime Subject One: “For I the Lord do not change”( Malachi 3:6), and “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8) Prime Subject Two: While it is true that today we have electricity, computers, automobiles, and rocket ships, all those who use these have not changed since we were run out of the Garden because of our deepest nature, which always leads to error and death. None of that has changed since the forbidden fruit…
_______________________________________________ A wonderful time of fun, fellowship, and fabulous food was shared by all who attended the Priory Holiday Celebration at Dixie Crossroads on 28 December! And we’re starting the new year off with the Priory bi-annual Spiritual Retreat sponsored by the Commandery of The Holy Trinity and led by Rev. Glenn Galtere this Saturday, 11 January, at Saint Elizabeth Ann Seaton Catholic Church in Port St. Lucie. The Temple Church Spring 2025 Convent & Investiture You certainly don’t want to miss the upcoming Temple Church Spring 2025 Convent & Investiture (C&I) 28 February – 2 March 2025! It is…
2025 is our year, Brothers and Sisters of the Templi Hierosolymitan (which is, as you know well, Latin for “Temple of Jerusalem”). How do I know that 2025 is the Year of the Templar? It is an easy deduction which I will share herewith: 2025 is the Year of the Templar because we, the Brothers and Sisters of the Priory of The Temple Church, are united together for one reason and for a singular purpose. It is the same one reason and singular purpose for which our Templar forefathers pledged their being: To advance the Kingdom of God on this…
Outside the Temple Mount, the winds howled, carrying with the tempest rare flakes of stinging snow. But inside the mount, deep within one of its many labyrinthine appendices, was a wooden enclosure that held the spartan chamber of Templar Marshall Constant Hugh and his young Page, Thomas Bright. “Up with you now, lad. We go forth from here immediately!” Marshall Hugh commanded, wrapping his well-worn white mantle over his wool-lined leather greatcoat. The Page stalled, having already settled beneath the hay wrapped in his own wool blanket. The pause was long enough to be noticed by his Knight, who simply…
Each person’s marriage is very different than everybody else’s. After having been married for more than 32 years and observing many other married couples during my lifespan, that fact remains evident. So, trying to “judge” who is doing it “right” or “better” or “wrong” is a total waste of time. Every couple merges their lives in completely different ways with vastly dissimilar expectations as each union is balanced by God. Thus, as I relate the following marriage experience, let me be clear: while Claudia and I consider our relationship the “norm,” most other marriage couples probably would not agree that…
As a career NASA Space Life Sciences Engineer, I realized that there are many potential lessons to be learned directly and personally about human physiology when immersed in an alien environment. Sure, we can call it an “off-nominal” environment or an “other-than-one-Earth-normal” environment. But let’s just call it what it is – an environment where humans cannot survive unless they bring their own life support system. Like I said, an alien environment. And it was in one of these alien environments that I discovered that I was a nitrogen canary. Long before the days when there were such things as…
Life is truly fascinating. The infamous “they” are quite fond of assuring us that “things happen in threes.” Bad things. Good things. Strange things. Unexpected things. And so it happens that in the past three weeks, I have crossed paths with three CIA agents. For real. But, of course, I can neither confirm nor deny that this ever really happened…. One of my God given talents is to befriend strangers and listen to their life stories. Hollywood lore would have us believe that all three of these spies will now have to kill me simply because they shared their…