To listen to this reflection as a podcast, click here. There’s often a big difference between what other people say and what we hear. Not to mention the difference between what we think we hear and what we actually understand. Author and pastor Brian J. Dodd remembers the time a British church leader was asked to preach in the United States. He had a… Read more »
To listen to this reflection as a podcast, click here. The memory of a visit to a rocky English shoreline inspired one of the 19th century’s most famous poems. In Dover Beach, published in 1867, the British poet Matthew Arnold declares that belief in God is slowly but surely fading away. The old assurances about divine care in this world and blissful life… Read more »
To listen to this reflection as a podcast, click here. Every year on Valentine’s Day, the age-old question seems to feel a bit more urgent: Does anybody out there really love me? According to Nancy Jo Sales’ harrowing book, American Girls: Social Media and the Secret Lives of Teenagers, an overwhelming majority of young females in our country are looking to… Read more »
To listen to this reflection as a podcast, click here. The Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky once wrote, “Beauty will save the world.” He seems to have meant that when people struggle to find common ground – when reason and logic fail to unite people who can’t stand the sight of each other – there’s always a chance that beautiful things will build bridges… Read more »
To listen to this reflection as a podcast, click here. Almost a century after George Washington became the first president of the United States, a monument in his memory rose in the nation’s capital. Now, more than a century later, the Washington Monument (at almost 555 feet) remains the tallest free-standing stone structure in the world. The Monument’s designers wanted to honor Washington in… Read more »
To listen to this reflection as a podcast, click here. Whenever we hear God’s Word, something is likely to get torn. Either our hearts will be torn – even to the point that our lives will be disrupted in some way – or we will figure out some way to tear up God’s Word. Those two alternatives are on display towards… Read more »
To listen to this reflection as a podcast, click here. The first live rock concert I attended was September 1, 1967, at the Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum. The British invasion (spearheaded by the Beatles and the Rolling Stones) was still at full tide, and the crowd that day was excited about the headliners. They were a group of five long-haired, nattily dressed, enthusiastic young… Read more »
To listen to this reflection as a podcast, click here. The pre-dawn earthquake that struck along the border of Turkey and Syria yesterday was one of the most powerful shakings those countries have ever experienced. There are fewer than 20 quakes a year anywhere on the planet that exceed a magnitude of 7.0. This one measured 7.8, meaning it was sufficiently fierce to… Read more »
To listen to this reflection as a podcast, click here. At the beginning of this first full week of Black History Month, it’s clear America’s civil rights movement still has a long way to go. The unique gift of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s leadership continues to bear fruit, even in his absence. But something else is missing from the landscape of contemporary civil… Read more »
To listen to this reflection as a podcast, click here. Rosie Ruiz was the first woman to cross the finish line of the 1980 Boston Marathon. Her time of 2 hours, 31 minutes, and 56 seconds was extraordinary. Out of the blue, she was the third fastest female in marathon history. Heaving with exhaustion, she was escorted by two Boston police officers to… Read more »
