Jesus’ original disciples were not what an objective observer would call the brightest and the best. The top students – those who at the age of 13 had rung up the highest marks on their SATs (if there had been a Synagogue Aptitude Test) and who therefore seemed destined to become the future leaders of Israel – would typically present… Read more »
Charlotte Bronte, an unmarried, impoverished woman who lived in the desolate moors of northern England, longed to write a novel. In 1846, at the age of 30, she submitted her first manuscript – The Professor – to a publisher. It was rejected. Four more publishers returned her manuscript, each time with a rejection notice prominently affixed to the front page. … Read more »
In the year 2000, Pixar was riding a wave of success unrivalled in the history of movie studios. Their first three feature-length films – Toy Story, A Bug Life’s, and Toy Story 2 – had been smash hits. Two future blockbusters – Monsters Inc. and Finding Nemo – were in production. Buoyed by such achievement, what did Pixar do next? … Read more »
In 1995, the late Walt Wangerin Jr. was traveling in the west African nation of Cameroon. He came upon an appalling sight: Two black birds were perched atop a donkey, pecking at an open wound. The African driver of his car, sickened by the scene, said aloud that he wished he had a gun so he could put the poor… Read more »
In April 2019, Ksenia Ovchinnikova bought a McDonald’s cheeseburger in her hometown of Omsk, Russia. It turned out not to be a happy meal. Ovchinnikova, who is a member of the Russian Orthodox Church, was overwhelmed by guilt. She had made a heartfelt spiritual resolution not to eat meat during Lent, the stretch of 40 days that precedes Easter…. Read more »
The opening decades of the 21st century may well become known as the time astronomers bade farewell to one beloved planet and said hello to thousands of others. Pluto lost its place at the grownups table in our solar system back in 2006. Even though “the little planet that could” was cherished by myriads of amateur sky-watchers – especially… Read more »
It seemed that everyone who carried a Nerd Card in my high school – and I had a Nerd Gold Card – eventually joined the Chess Club. I was a capable chess player. Generally I could whip my friends during lunch before they had a chance to finish their Fritos. When I joined the Chess Club, however, I found myself… Read more »
For the past 20 years, since the 9/11 terror attacks, heroes have been front and center in the American imagination. It’s impossible to forget the images of the rescue teams emerging from the rubble of the World Trade Center towers, and the poignant still photos of the first responders who went into harm’s way and never returned. “Heroic” is a… Read more »
To the loyal readers of Glenn’s Morning Reflections: It is the pleasure of our Morning Reflections Board, as fellow fans of Glenn, to provide an update on exciting progress. In the past 10 months of this gestational endeavor, the readership of – and support for – Glenn’s virtual ministry has grown remarkably. We now foresee this as a timely opportunity… Read more »
Like a lot of children born during the depths of the Great Depression, Donnie Dunagan grew up in poverty. But not many kids could say that they became the family breadwinner even before they could read and write. After winning a talent contest at the age of three-and-a-half, Donnie and his family moved to Hollywood. He appeared in a… Read more »