To listen to today’s reflection as a podcast, click here In 1934, an African American pastor from Georgia embarked on a dream trip to the Old World. He sailed across the Atlantic. He toured the Holy Lands. Then he crossed the Mediterranean and journeyed to Berlin, where he attended an international conference of Baptist pastors. During his time in Germany, Michael King had a… Read more »
To listen to today’s reflection as a podcast, click here There’s nothing quite as exhilarating as squeezing your body through a narrow sieve of limestone knowing there’s a hundred feet of solid rock just above your head. Spelunkers, at least, love that challenge. People with claustrophobia generally don’t have such a positive experience in “wild” caves. Nor do those who cut corners on their preparation. On a… Read more »
To listen to today’s reflection as a podcast, click here In 1903, a photographer from Seattle named Edward S. Curtis had a big idea. He dreamed of capturing the faces and the lives of North American Indians, something no one else had ever attempted. Curtis knew that the clock was ticking. The “old ways” of the First Peoples (and the people themselves)… Read more »
To listen to today’s reflection as a podcast, click here Jim Elliot, seen above, died at age 28 on the banks of the Curaray River in Ecuador, on January 8, 1956. He left behind his wife Elisabeth and their daughter Valerie, who had not yet reached her first birthday. Elliot, his friend Nate Saint, and three other missionary companions had spent months trying to… Read more »
To listen to today’s reflection as a podcast, click here Delaware has perhaps the most boring license plate in the United States. It’s navy blue with gold numerals. It boasts no images, skylines, natural wonders, silhouettes of famous people, or artistic flourishes. It hasn’t changed since 1942. It also happens to be the only plate in the country that is entirely flat to the… Read more »
To listen to today’s reflection as a podcast, click here Rick Snyder of Bradenton, Florida, loves to feed stray cats. Every day he takes a four-hour walk around town, providing meals for feral felines. He also has a thing for loose change. Snyder stops at various car washes and checks out the change slots in the self-service vacuum machines. He collects the quarters that… Read more »
To listen to today’s reflection as a podcast, click here In 1914, when the Bayer company began to package its aspirin tablets in bottles, they faced a challenge. The tablets were fragile. They crumbled easily, especially when they rattled against each other during transit. What Bayer needed was a decent shock absorber and volume filler. What they came up with was a big wad of… Read more »
To listen to today’s reflection as a podcast, click here Americans live in a celebrity-crazed culture. Gazing at the lives of the rich, the famous, the beautiful, and the talented is a national spectator sport. When celebrities stumble – when they burn through another marriage, or get caught by airport security with illegal drugs, or post something outrageous on social media – we hardly notice…. Read more »
To listen to today’s reflection as a podcast, click here Life isn’t over when it’s over. That’s one of the New Testament’s bedrock assertions. More than a few people, of course, wish they had more than just a few Bible verses to cling to. Is there any tangible evidence, in the here and now, that the world we access with our senses is not… Read more »
To listen to today’s reflection as a podcast, click here “Will you go to prom with me?” For a young man, pausing awkwardly by his potential date’s locker between classes, that has always been one of life’s most anxiety-inducing questions. These days, prom requests have become increasingly playful, creative, and even desperate, as documented by scores of postings on social media. Audacity and live… Read more »
