The more time you spend with God, the more likely you are at some point to wrestle with God. Spoiler alert: You will lose that wrestling match. But there’s a good chance you will end up with a souvenir from the encounter that will be well worth keeping. The prototypical divine-human wrestling match is reported in Genesis 32:22-32, which has… Read more »
The White House is arguably the world’s most famous private residence. Who knew that it could also qualify as the ultimate Fixer Upper? From its earliest days, America’s presidential mansion has seen its share of setbacks. In 1814, an invading British army set it ablaze. First Lady Dolly Madison, keeping her wits about her, saved a number of priceless… Read more »
A number of years ago I drove to south Florida with two of my teenage sons. We were hungry late one night, so we hopped into our car and went through the drive-through at the local Wendy’s. I made our request for burgers and fries, then pulled up to the window. I was surprised to learn that our food didn’t… Read more »
C.S. Lewis once imagined what it would be like to grow up in a prison. In a sermon that was ultimately published as The Weight of Glory the British author and theologian crafted a fable in which a woman is incarcerated. She’s expecting a child. Her son arrives and then grows up with her in that dark and limited space. … Read more »
In the mid-1950s, during the heyday of Major League Baseball, Birdie Tebbetts was the manager of the Cincinnati Reds. Birdie’s public demeanor was gruff and irascible – fairly typical for skippers of that era. But he also had a soft spot. After giving up three years of his playing career to serve in World War II, Tebbetts resumed his role… Read more »
In the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, marathon runner John Stephen Akhwari of Tanzania finished last. But there’s quite a bit more to his story. Akhwari was one of the world’s best long distance runners. He had never trained at high altitudes, however, such as those in central Mexico. Several miles into the marathon, Akhwari began to cramp. Then, approaching the… Read more »
How often does the average person touch his or her cell phone? The answer seems to be “more than you can possibly imagine.” According to the research firm dscout, typical owners of mobile devices touch their phones 2,617 times a day. And we’re not even talking about so-called extreme users. The most serious addicts, who represented the top 10% of… Read more »
“We are not ourselves by ourselves.” (Eugene Peterson) Most of us, at one time or another, cherish a dream of making a difference – of helping to transform this broken world. All too often such dreams die. We may run out of resources or resolve or sufficient discipline to stay on the path. But if we are blessed with the… Read more »
Great cities should have an iconic centerpiece. That, at least, was the thinking of the planning committee for the Paris Centennial in 1889 – a World’s Fair that would coincide with the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. The planners were biased. They wanted something really big. At that time the Washington Monument in D.C., standing at 500 feet or… Read more »
Don Quixote, the first part of which was published in 1605 by Miguel de Cervantes, is one of those wonderful books we all learned about in high school, but most of us have not yet read. It is widely considered one of the finest novels ever written. Only the Bible has been translated into more languages. In a nutshell, Don… Read more »
