For the four weeks leading up to and going beyond Easter, we’re looking at the life of Peter. Because he’s so often at the center of both the brightest and darkest moments in the Gospels, he has always been a source of hope and inspiration for those endeavoring to follow Jesus. People who live in a consumer culture tend to… Read more »
When Chuck Norris grows up, he wants to be a Gurkha. Gurkhas are natives of the multi-ethnic highlands of Nepal. Over several centuries they have earned global notoriety as fearless warriors. The Chief of Staff of India’s armed forces once suggested, “If a man says he is not afraid of dying, he is either lying or is a Gurkha.” Working… Read more »
On the day Thomas Carlyle’s wife was buried it poured down rain. In April 1866, the Scottish writer and a group of mourners tramped through the mud to the cemetery where Jane was laid to rest. They had been married for 40 years. Then he returned to his home, feeling desperately alone. The Carlyles’ relationship had been shaped by his… Read more »
Most gifted speakers make use of a handful of signature stories – anecdotes they can pull out at a moment’s notice to drive home special points. John F. Kennedy used one of his favorite stories at Brooks Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. He was present to dedicate the new School of Aerospace Medicine. It was the heyday of… Read more »
Several years ago I read about a megachurch that presented “Feed the 5,000 Day.” The first 5,000 people who showed up on a particular Sunday morning received a free fish sandwich – bread and fish, get it? – passed out by Ronald McDonald himself. Large American congregations are nothing if not inventive in their efforts to keep crowds of spiritual… Read more »
Sometimes the greatest public victories are followed by the most demoralizing personal collapses. It happened to Elijah – arguably a unanimous first ballot inductee if they ever open a Hebrew Prophet Hall of Fame. In I Kings 18, this scraggly-looking “mountain man” stands all by himself against the vilest monarchs in ancient Israel. King Ahab and his wife Jezebel have… Read more »
It’s the biggest moment of your life. It’s just you and the goalkeeper, who is standing 12 yards away. The soccer goal he or she is guarding is 24 feet across and 8 feet high. Will you hit the penalty shot that will win the World Cup for your country – eternally ensuring your place in the hearts of your… Read more »
“I shall return.” Those three words are almost certainly the most memorable utterance of any military leader in American history. That’s because an entire nation was inspired by them during some of the darkest hours of World War II. A day after bombing the U.S. fleet at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, Japanese forces invaded the Philippines, where General… Read more »
Throughout Lent, we’re exploring the parables of Jesus – the two dozen or so stories that were his chief means of describing the reality of God’s rule on earth. The Beale Cipher is at the center of one of America’s most famous treasure hunts. It’s estimated that one out of ten of the world’s best cryptanalysts – experts at solving… Read more »
Top-drawer actors are famous for commitment to their craft. In 1952, Debbie Reynolds was cast as the female lead in the musical Singin’ in the Rain, where she would star alongside Gene Kelly and Donald O’Connor, two of the greatest dancers in the world. For Reynolds, this was the opportunity of a lifetime. The problem is that she wasn’t a… Read more »