To listen to today’s reflection as a podcast, click here When PTL’s television ministry suddenly imploded early in 1987, everything was put on the auction block. Like beachcombers eager to pocket a relic from a shipwreck, thousands of people crowded into the corporation’s auditorium in North Carolina hoping to grab a memento from one of the greatest spiritual shipwrecks of recent… Read more »
To listen to today’s reflection as a podcast, click here Americans have long cherished what has been described as a “special relationship” with Great Britain. Our relationship with France? That’s a bit more complicated. It’s true that France was in our corner from the start, serving as our principal military ally during our Revolution. In 1876, to mark the 100th anniversary of… Read more »
To listen to today’s reflection as a podcast, click here Robin Willilams, as part of his standup routine, occasionally offered his own definition of politics. “Politics,” he explained, “comes from the Latin word ‘poly,’ which means ‘many,’ and ‘ticks,’ which means ‘blood-sucking creatures.’” In his new book Age of Revolutions, Fareed Zakaria notes that Williams’ quip always got a big laugh…. Read more »
To listen to today’s reflection as a podcast, click here Jay Leno rose from the obscurity of doing stand-up routines for miniscule audiences to hosting The Tonight Show. As he recounts in his autobiography, Leading with My Chin, he gradually learned the comic profession’s tricks of the trade. One of his early learning experiences happened when he was a guest on… Read more »
To listen to today’s reflection as a podcast, click here In his book Finding Our Way Again, pastor Brian McLaren recounts the story of a man who began attending his church. Outwardly, he seemed to be a respectable guy. He held a responsible position in his company. But he had a secret addiction. That had ultimately led to criminal behavior. Law… Read more »
To listen to today’s reflection as a podcast, click here Great cities should have an iconic centerpiece. That, at least, was the thinking of the planning committee for the Paris Centennial in 1889 – a World’s Fair that would coincide with the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. The planners were biased. They wanted something really big. At that time the Washington Monument… Read more »
To listen to today’s reflection as a podcast, click here His classmates would never have voted him Most Likely to Succeed. He pressed the scales at something like 300 pounds. He was shy and spoke slowly, if he happened to speak at all. His fellow students mocked him in Latin as bos mutus, “the dumb ox.” His mentor Albert (who would… Read more »
To listen to today’s reflection as a podcast, click here Who’s the most famous Egyptian of all time? That would have to be a minor, inconsequential pharaoh who came to power at age nine and died at the ripe old age of 19. There’s no indication that King Tutankhamen accomplished anything of note during his decade on the throne around 1300… Read more »
To listen to today’s reflection as a podcast, click here The people of Holland have had a centuries-old love affair with tulips. For a brief stretch of time that passion bordered on insanity. Tulips grow wild toward the eastern end of the Mediterranean. When bulbs were first imported to northern Europe in the 17th century, their lively colors quickly became a… Read more »
To listen to today’s reflection as a podcast, click here A surprising number of astronomers believe it’s out there somewhere. Planet Nine. No, not Pluto, the iconic “ninth planet” that was discovered in 1930, but then downgraded to the status of dwarf planet two decades ago when astronomers concluded it wasn’t big enough to sit at the grown-ups table. Planet Nine… Read more »
