Randall Tallerico was terrified. A recent college graduate, he was now a brand-new hire at Robert Solomon and Associates, a top advertising agency in Detroit. During his first week Robert was summoned to see Kathleen Hay, the agency’s creative director. Kathleen was juggling a phone, a cigarette, and a cup of coffee, all the while issuing orders to a stream… Read more »
Many people feel a twinge of disappointment the first time they see The Wizard of Oz. The heroes have journeyed through one obstacle after another in search of some of life’s best gifts: If I only had a brain. If I only had a heart. If I only had courage. If I only could go home. But the Wizard has nothing to… Read more »
Several years ago, a high-rise construction worker experienced the ultimate nightmare. He lost his balance. He would have fallen except that he managed to wrap his fingers around an iron beam. Unfortunately, he didn’t have the strength or the leverage to pull himself back up. He screamed for help. But it was a noisy worksite and everyone on his team was attending… Read more »
Collective nouns are one of the most delightful components of the English language. A collective noun is a word that describes a group of something: a herd of elephants, a pack of wolves, a gaggle of geese, a choir of singers. We hear those examples rather often. Less common collectives can be a hoot: a clowder of cats, a bloat of hippos, a… Read more »
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) is deservedly regarded as one of the great musical composers of all time. During his own lifetime, however, Bach was largely ignored. He did not have a university degree. He had a reputation for being difficult to work with. He became the musical director of the four principal Lutheran churches in Leipzig, Germany, but only after the search… Read more »
On October 4, 1957, 10-year-old Stephen King, the future master of horror, was sitting in the movie theater in downtown Stratford, Connecticut. He and his friends were watching that fabulous 1950s sci-fi flick, Earth vs. the Flying Saucers. A few years later I enjoyed the same movie at the Uptown Theater on the north side of Indianapolis. Earth vs. the Flying Saucers is… Read more »
As the world continues to react with anguish concerning Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, how should we pray? Jack Knox, pastor of the Salem (Oregon) Mennonite Church, has offered the following: Gracious Lord, we dream of a world free of poverty and oppression, and we yearn for a world free of vengeance and violence. We pray for your peace. When our hearts… Read more »
Each year we pause to address some of the questions associated with this day, Ash Wednesday – the first day of Lent. What exactly is Lent? The word comes from the Old English term for “lengthen.” As Easter approaches, the amount of daylight grows longer. More than a thousand years ago, followers of Jesus began to set aside the 40 days… Read more »
Bobby Leach yearned to be the first man ever to survive a plunge over Niagara Falls. In 1911, the 53-year-old British stuntman, who had once made his living performing with the Barnum and Bailey Circus, created a special “barrel” – actually a metal tube with a removable hatch – that he believed would take him safely over the 167-foot precipice of… Read more »
It is finished. Those are words that a driven, task-obsessed person can never imagine saying. “It is finished” would mean there would be nothing left to check off the list of things to do. No more sweaters to arrange according to color and style. Every conceivable thank-you note written. Nothing left to haul off to Goodwill from the attic or the garage. But… Read more »
