The number one post this month accounting for over 30 percent of all the traffic at jameswatkins.com, looks at the apostle Paul’s letter forbidding women from speaking in church.

I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet.

So, here’s the link to: What was Paul thinking when he wrote 1 Timothy 2:12?

And here’s a second post that drills deeper on the subject: A case for women in ministry.

If you found these posts helpful, please share on your social networks. Thanks!

Hi, I’m author and speaker James Watkins, and I’m throwing my pen into presidential race!

I’m too conservative to be a Democrat, too liberal to be a Republican and too OCD to be a Libertarian, so I am running with the Tupperware Party: “Putting a lid on government.” You can read my entire colorful, durable, and dishwasher-safe platform right here.

This is a very non-partisan campaign (I intend to offend all voters!), so I would appreciate your support by posting my videos and campaign cartoons on you social networks. Thanks.

Best-selling author and professing Christian Jen Hatmaker is stirring controversy with her recent podcast in which she celebrates her 20-year-old daughter’s identity as gay.

In the podcast, Hatmaker says, “I’m so glad you’re gay. I’m so glad you’re free. I’m so glad this is how you were made. I’m thrilled about your future. I already told you about the kind of wife you need to marry.” Continue reading

My memories of riding to Florida in the back of my grandfather’s Buick included the shock of seeing unpainted houses overflowing with poorly-dressed children, their bare feet painted red with Georgia clay. Growing up white in a segregated neighborhood and church, I stared at the foreign landscape and people outside the car window that seemed more National Geographic than LIFE Magazine. Black men, women, and children picked cotton under the unforgiving sun while white men sat in the shade of their pickup trucks.

But most troubling were the signs. When we stopped at one of the many Stuckey’s gas stations and souvenir shops, I was shocked by the “Whites Only” drinking fountains. Around back was a rusty spigot labeled “Colored Only” next to restrooms designate with the same labels. Even as a second-grader, something deep inside me revolted at the idea of “us” and “them.” Me with my Keds sneakers heading to a Florida beach; them barefoot, slaving in a cotton field. Me, drinking from a sparkling fountain; them, their mouths under a dirty faucet. I feared what lurked behind the “Colored Only” restroom sign. [Continue reading]

True or False: The Founding Fathers of the United States were Christians who formed a government based on godly principles.

Well, the answer is a bit more complex than simply true or false. The “revisionist left” would like to make them secular and the “religious right” would like to make them saintly. Let’s take a look at some of the more prominent Founding Fathers’ beliefs . . . in their own words. [Continue reading]

And have a great and safe Independence Day!

Prejudice is not simply a “black and white” issue. There are many kinds of isolation between groups based on age or tastes, physical and mental challenges, levels of education, denominational doctrine, gender, politics and ideology, economics, as well as race and nationality.

While I wrote this post for my newspaper column twenty years ago, the divisions within society and even the church have grown only wider, deeper and more intense. And we are all guilty of some form of prejudice—whether blatant or subtle. I have to admit I am extremely prejudiced against those who are prejudiced.

The essence of prejudice boils down to . . . [continue reading].

Here are some of my favorite columns and cartoons for dads and granddads:

Becoming like little children
I may be an “adult,” but I’m still just a big kid!

Cartoons on parenthood

I’m going to be a G-Daddy!
Of course we were thrilled when we learned we were going to be grandparents, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to be called “grandpa.”

My real job
Nope, it’s not writer and speaker!

The papoose-driven life
Lessons learned from a four-month-old grandaughter

The Proverbs 32 Man
This just in! Archaeologist discovers long-lost biblical passage

Son of a saint!
When godly parents have not-so-godly children

“Spray paint” parenting
The secret is thins coats of moral and ethical lessons

Talking to your kids about S-E-X
Children will learn about sex—from us or the bus!

Talking to children about war, terrorism, school violence . . .
It’s a frightening time to be a child—and a parent

Top ten things my dad taught me

You may be a parent if . . .
. . . you’ve ever uttered one or more of these classic lines

Praying that you have a great Father’s Day weekend, whether a dad or child!

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I am so missing seeing my fellow writers at conferences this summer, but I am looking forward to two virtual conferences coming to your laptop or mobile device! (You’ll get great instruction and inspiration without travel hassles, sleeping in a strange bed, or having to wear pants!)

Cedar Falls Christian Writers’ Workshop June 10-12, 2020
I’ll be sharing two keynotes and two seminars: “Writing So Editors Love You” and “Are Authors in Their ‘Write’ Minds?” (This is brand new seminar on writers and depression)
You can still sign up! (Another advantage of virtual conferences!)

Taylor University’s Professional Writers’ Conference July 24-25, 2020
Lissa Halls Johnson and I will be presenting keynotes with the theme of “The Future of Publishing.” Sponsored by Taylor University’s nationally recognized Professional Writing major, this conference stresses tools and tips for getting your writing into print. You’ll learn from professional writers and network with agents and editors ​ who can take you to the next level in your writing.

I hope to “see” you at one of these virtual conferences!

Presenting—without camera tricks or video effects—the amazing magic of The Great Watkinso!

We all need a break from heavy hope, to some light humor! Enjoy!

And if you found it humorous, please share it on your social networks. Thanks!

It’s a beautiful day in Corn Borer, Indiana, so a great time to just laze in the hammock and recycle some old columns on:

• Vacations are not a vacation if . . .
• Traveling the world on one tank of gas
• Top ten clues a man should wear a shirt in summer

And, of course . . .
• Laziness is a virtue.

If you enjoyed this post, please share it on your social networks. Thanks! And be sure to use sunscreen!