To listen to today’s reflection as a podcast, click here Countless residents of planet Earth can’t imagine starting the day without a cup of coffee. What most people have never suspected is that coffee was once a serious spiritual issue within the Catholic Church. Around 600 years ago, a coffee craze swept the Middle East. Muslim mystics discovered that caffeine was an… Read more »
To listen to today’s reflection as a podcast, click here It’s no surprise that Bible translators sometimes struggle. Their task is to take the words of ancient languages – Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic – and transform them into the everyday parlance of contemporary people living in entirely different cultures. For example, there’s the Karre language of equatorial Africa. How could the… Read more »
To listen to today’s reflection as a podcast, click here Fears are not created equal. A handful of phobias are so well known that their Greek designations effortlessly roll off our lips. There’s claustrophobia (the fear of closed-in spaces), xenophobia (anxiety around strangers), and arachnophobia (the conviction that spiders and people should not be required to share the same space). Other… Read more »
To listen to today’s reflection as a podcast, click here Tim Hansel loved to push his body to the limits. He went to Stanford University on a football scholarship in the 1960’s. After earning two degrees, he turned down an opportunity to join the coaching staff. His heart was set on more extreme challenges. Hansel felt most alive in the wilderness – especially… Read more »
To listen to today’s reflection as a podcast, click here It’s not an exaggeration to say that Raymond Loewy invented American style. Most Americans have never even heard of the most influential industrial designer of the past 100 years. But all of us recognize his touch. He designed the iconic Coca-Cola fountain, the Lucky Strike package, the logos of Exxon, Shell,… Read more »
To listen to today’s reflection as a podcast, click here Along the timberline of Mt. Shasta in northern California, there lives an unusual tree called the Shasta Fir. In its early life it appears twisted and almost brush-like. Winter storms may deposit more than 20 feet of snow atop tiny fir seedlings. The young plants are so battered and pressed that… Read more »
To listen to today’s reflection as a podcast, click here Years ago, while driving to work on a warm summer day, I saw a large turtle slowly making its way across a busy street. It was rush hour. This was not going to end well for the turtle. I pulled my car off to the side, turned on my flashers, and… Read more »
To listen to today’s reflection as a podcast, click here At the beginning of the 20th century, radium – element No. 88 on the periodic table – was one of the happiest stories in America. The husband-wife scientific team of Pierre and Marie Curie had identified the mysterious radioactive substance in 1898 in their Paris laboratory. It didn’t take long to… Read more »
To listen to today’s reflection as a podcast, click here The old-fashioned keyhole in a Victorian door has proven to be a wonderful plot device for novels. Behind a closed door – whether that door leads to a drawing room, den, or bedroom – some kind of conversation is in progress. On this side of the door there’s a secret agent…. Read more »
To listen to today’s reflection as a podcast, click here Every year, millions of people experience rejection. Every incident feels painful. Middle schoolers will receive just a handful of Likes for their social media postings. High school seniors will receive letters from colleges that begin, “At this time, unfortunately, we are unable…” Online daters will receive no inquiries concerning their profiles. More than… Read more »
