To listen to today’s reflection as a podcast, click here Before Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band hit stores in 1967, rock music albums were typically collections of stand-alone songs. But the eighth studio album of the Beatles broke new ground. Music historians identity it as an early “concept album” – an attempt to establish a running theme linking both sides of an… Read more »
To listen to today’s reflection as a podcast, click here Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was sick with grief as Christmas approached in 1863. He was still mourning the death of his wife Frances, who had died in a house fire. His oldest son, Charles Appleton Longfellow, or Charlie, had enlisted to fight for the North in the Civil War – against his father’s wishes. On… Read more »
To listen to today’s reflection as a podcast, click here Once again this year, our Christmas tree is overloaded with ornaments that our kids made when they barely knew how to use scissors or color within the lines. I’m pretty sure that our grown-up children, who are now in their 30s and 40s, could do a whole lot better. Does that mean we should… Read more »
To listen to today’s reflection as a podcast, click here After the first screening of The Wizard of Oz in 1939, the producers decided to cut two songs. One was “The Jitterbug,” which was performed in the Haunted Forest by the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and Dorothy. And Toto, too, of course. Another was a song that MGM boss Louis G. Mayer… Read more »
To listen to today’s reflection as a podcast, click here In 1915, Dorothy Sayers became one of the first women ever to graduate from prestigious Oxford University in England. Actually, she wasn’t given a degree. That was a privilege granted only to men. Sayers finally received her sheepskin retroactively in 1920, when Oxford concluded that women might be worthy of academic accolades after all. … Read more »
To listen to today’s reflection as a podcast, click here The world of insurance can sure seem dreary. People rarely wake up thinking, “Today’s the day I get to sign my policy!” On a planet that is rife with risks and uncertainties, buying insurance isn’t a get-to. It’s a have-to – an obligation that reminds us that life doesn’t always unfold as we… Read more »
To listen to today’s reflection as a podcast, click here During the month of November, we’re taking a look at 21 essential activities of the Holy Spirit, who represents God’s presence in and through every follower of Jesus. There aren’t many movies in which the hero is a pig. Babe is that wonderful exception. In Chris Noonan’s 1995 feature film, a humble pig who… Read more »
To listen to today’s reflection as a podcast, click here During the month of November, we’re taking a look at 21 essential activities of the Holy Spirit, who represents God’s presence in and through every follower of Jesus. An older woman decided to do some Christmas shopping downtown. She was anxious about venturing into the city by herself, but felt hopeful that she… Read more »
To listen to today’s reflection as a podcast, click here During the month of November, we’re taking a look at 21 essential activities of the Holy Spirit, who represents God’s presence in and through every follower of Jesus. Let’s face it: The New York Jets of the National Football League are just awful. This was supposed to be a magic season. Maybe even… Read more »
To listen to today’s reflection as a podcast, click here During the month of November, we’re taking a look at 21 essential activities of the Holy Spirit, who represents God’s presence in and through every follower of Jesus. What’s wrong with this picture? A robin has returned to its nest, only to find an unexpected addition to its clutch of eggs. Robin eggs are… Read more »
