Author Archives: rex blankenship

WINSDAY WISDOM 232 Have you ever been tear-gassed? My college experience was terrifying. I heard there was something big happening at Harvard Square, the main intersection next to our college campus. I raced five blocks from my dorm to where the action was taking place. Pandemonium–a situation where a crowd of people act in aContinue reading “PANDEMONIUM RULED THE NIGHT (College Protests Part 1)”

WINSDAY WISDOM REWIND 10 I’m gonna tell you a story about my town…Yeah, down by the riverDown by the banks of the river CharlesThat’s where you’ll find meAlong with lovers, muggers, and thievesAw, but they’re cool people Well, I love that dirty waterOh, Boston, you’re my home—Dirty Water by the Standells, also covered by BruceContinue reading “REWIND: ARRESTED ALONG THE BANKS OF THE RIVER CHARLES”

WINSDAY WISDOM 231 Do you love me? What a question! The answer to that question carries a lot of commitment and responsibility in a relationship. In some cases, the question can also generate a lot of anxiety. In my younger, single days, that question rattled my nerves. It always marked the moment I began toContinue reading “DO YOU LOVE ME?”

Winsday Wisdom 229 I was recently reminded of the wonderful benefits of calling God. It began with one of several calls to AT&T customer service. Regrettably and ashamedly, I have been a long, long-time customer of AT&T. I might have been born that way. I have remained a miniscule part of their empire’s vast bankrollContinue reading “CALLING AT&T and GOD”

WINSDAY WISDOM 227 I want to introduce this session with a few examples about being convinced or not convinced. In college, I was convinced I could squeeze my way through a Humanities test by describing the portrait of the artistic sculpture as archaic because of its poorly developed eyes. The professor reminded me that itContinue reading “CONVINCED! ONE THING I’VE LEARNED IN MY LIFE”

Winsday Wisdom 228 Smells can remind us of particular people and places. It happened again last Sunday in church. As we sang an old hymn (which has become far too rare), I could smell my grandmother. She was not there, only a pleasant memory of the times I stood beside her in church as aContinue reading “STINKY SMELL OR SWEET AROMA?”

WINSDAY WISDOM 226 My twelve-year-old grandson, Cooper, recently went on a three-day middle school “bonding trip.” The hiking and camping also included all kinds of fun things to do for the students to get to know one another better. The group participated in games, rock climbing, zip lines, and a ropes course. Cooper was veryContinue reading “TALK TO THE COUNSELOR”

Another football season has begun. That means thrills for many and groans from others. This is the account of my first college football experience which includes a WInsday WIsdom spiritual application for all of us. A capacity crowd filled the football stadium as my university team battled a Top Twenty opponent. The game was notContinue reading “REWIND 9: SIDE BY SIDE”

WINSDAY WISDOM 225 Seventeen. Do you remember? For some of us, it was a very long time ago. Life was simple yet becoming more complex. We were a blend of naivety and guilt. We were no longer kids and not yet as grown up as we might hope to become. Frank Sinatra sang reflectively, “WhenContinue reading “SEVENTEEN and SAD”

WINSDAY WISDOM 225 Legendary college basketball coach Jim Valvano spoke to the ESPY audience about courage as he was dying with cancer. “To me there are three things everyone should do every day. Number one is laugh. Number two is think — spend some time in thought. Number three, you should have your emotions moveContinue reading “HEART and SOUL (Uncle Rex Talks Football and Life)”