A large, high-tech icebreaker departed Cape Town, South Africa three days ago. It then headed south, battling rough seas on its way to the only land mass south of South Africa: Antarctica. The mission of the Endurance22 Expedition is to locate the wreckage of a wooden frigate that has been lying at the bottom of the Weddell Sea, under a… Read more »
It’s known as the “greatest 45 minutes in sports history.” In May 1935, at the annual Big Ten track meet at Ann Arbor, Michigan, an extraordinary athlete named Jesse Owens set three world records and tied a fourth in less than one hour. Owens, who represented Ohio State University, tied the world record for the 100-yard dash, then established new… Read more »
It’s possible that more doctoral theses, exegetical studies, and heartfelt sermons have been centered on Philippians 2:5-11 than any other text in Scripture. That’s because the apostle Paul’s inspiring summary of the life of Jesus alludes, in the span of just seven verses, to the four most important days in human history: Christmas, Good Friday, Easter, and the Ascension. No… Read more »
Word origins are often fascinating. And revealing. In 1247 a hospital was founded at Bishopsgate, just outside the walls of London. It was known as the Priory of St. Mary of Bethlehem. Bethlehem is a word that carries powerful, positive associations. It is the name of the small Palestinian village where Ruth and David lived during Old Testament times, and… Read more »
Most high school kids fantasize about winning some version of the Big Game. With their peers cheering from the sidelines, they dream of making the decisive penalty kick, hitting the game-winning three-pointer, or kicking a field goal as time expires. My good friends Kevin Kelso, Mike Goler, John Shaw and I couldn’t do any of those things. But we knew… Read more »
There is general consensus that the finest ceramics Western artisans have ever produced came from the workshop of Josiah Wedgwood. Wedgwood (1730-1795) was either the 11th or 13th child born into his middle class British family – historians still debate the point. What no one debates is that his artistic gifts and entrepreneurial spirit became powerful drivers in the Industrial… Read more »
Two minutes into US Airways Flight 1549 on January 15, 2009, Captain Chesley Sullenberger III suddenly had quite a lot on his mind. His A320, having departed New York’s LaGuardia Airport on its way to Charlotte, NC, had just ploughed into a flock of Canada Geese. Almost instantaneously, both engines lost power. At that point the plane was above the Bronx, one of… Read more »
You have to feel for Carson Wentz. The Indianapolis Colts are paying him millions of dollars. He has sufficiently elite skills to be one of only 32 athletes who will regularly start at quarterback for an NFL team next fall. Just six years ago he was drafted second overall by the Philadelphia Eagles. Scouts and general managers couldn’t say enough… Read more »
A dozen years ago, the authors of a popular blog in the state of Oklahoma took a poll: “Who is the most powerful person in our state?” Jesus came in second – a rather surprising outcome, given that Oklahoma is widely regarded as the buckle on the Bible Belt. Chief meteorologist Gary England of KWTV, the CBS affiliate in Oklahoma… Read more »
I began to tie my own necktie when I was a teenager. From the start, it seemed maddeningly difficult. Unnatural. I felt clumsy. Do I really have to learn how to do this? Over time, however – and lots of practice – things changed. Tie-tying became something I could do without even thinking. In fact, if I had to explain… Read more »
