To listen to today’s reflection as a podcast, click here Great musicians write killer songs. One of history’s greatest musicians wrote a composition that almost “kills” those who are courageous enough to try to play it. We’re talking about Ludvig van Beethoven’s Hammerklavier Sonata, arguably the ultimate piano masterpiece from the man who almost singlehandedly defined the technical possibilities of the keyboard. Beethoven wrote 32… Read more »
To listen to today’s reflection as a podcast, click here It can be hard these days to get straight answers to simple questions. Ask a political candidate about any number of issues and you’re likely to get the runaround. That’s why it’s so refreshing that Duke philosophy professor Alex Rosenberg, in his book The Atheist’s Guide to Reality: Enjoying Life Without Illusions, gives simple,… Read more »
To listen to today’s reflection as a podcast, click here Franciscan priest and author Brennan Manning was fond of recounting a story about American G.I.s in France during World War 2. One of their number had been killed in action. They approached the priest in a local village and asked if they could bury their friend in the church cemetery…. Read more »
To listen to today’s reflection as a podcast, click here Dr. Paul Offit loves children. As a pediatrician specializing in infectious diseases and immunology, he’s long been at the center of the debates swirling around the efficacy of vaccines. When he thinks that parents or politicians have made choices that put kids at risk, he doesn’t hesitate to speak up. That includes writing an… Read more »
To listen to today’s reflection as a podcast, click here Golf has been played in Scotland for more than 500 years. The earliest courses were built on “links land” – soil-covered sand dunes lying directly inland from beaches. Links golf is not easy. The ground is often dry and brown and hard. Bunkers can be cavernous. Balls that appear to be perfectly stroked can bounce… Read more »
To listen to today’s reflection as a podcast, click here Sports Illustrated is a magazine that is famous for breaking big stories. One of the biggest was a feature that rocked SI’s pages early in April 1985. George Plimpton introduced the world to the most exciting baseball prospect in a generation. He was Hayden Siddhartha “Sidd” Finch, a young man who could throw a… Read more »
To listen to today’s reflection as a podcast, click here “An eye for and eye, and a tooth for a tooth.” Gandhi famously said that if we take that Old Testament dictum to its logical conclusion, the whole world will end up blind and toothless. The only hope for healing in our broken world is if two wounded parties decide not to hate each… Read more »
To listen to today’s reflection as a podcast, click here The number 40 turns up in some of the most interesting and unexpected places. Forty is the number of hours in the traditional American workweek – although the pandemic might have changed that expectation forever. Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves is one of the most famous Arabic folk tales. Kyrgyzstan means “land of… Read more »
To listen to today’s reflection as a podcast, click here In the year 2000, a controversy of biblical proportions suddenly became a lead news item across America. Roy Moore, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the state of Alabama, authorized the installation of a sculpted facsimile of the Ten Commandments outside his courthouse. Moore was warned that his actions violated the Constitutional separation… Read more »
To listen to today’s reflection as a podcast, click here When Dr. Francis Collins was nominated in 2009 to head the National Institutes of Health, the USA’s largest scientific organization, not everyone was happy. One scientist asserted that Collins suffers from dementia. Another announced, “I don’t want American science to be represented by a clown.” Cambridge professor Richard Dawkins scoffed to Bill Maher… Read more »
