What is it like to hear a word from God? It’s safe to say that many of those who attend worship are hoping to hear something – perhaps an insight, a reminder, or a word of hope. More than a dozen years ago, those attending the 8:15 am Sunday worship service at my friend Keith’s congregation in Wichita, KS heard… Read more »
During the 1950s, Americans were curiously casual about nuclear energy. A U.S. congressman proposed that two dozen atomic devices might be used to dig, quickly and easily, a brand new Panama Canal. Tourists poured into Las Vegas not just to play the roulette wheels but to catch a glimpse of a nuclear blast. The U.S. military at the time was… Read more »
A few years ago I got a phone call from the fraud department of the bank that supports my VISA card. “Mr. McDonald, we’d like you to confirm a couple of expenses that were recently charged to your account.” Whenever I hear those words, I always take a deep breath. I wonder what grabbed their attention. “How can I help… Read more »
“The scandal of Christianity in our day is the heresy of a five percent spirituality.” That’s the claim of Quaker devotional writer Richard Foster. What he means is that far too many followers of Jesus take a Tupperware approach to reality. They seal off 5% of their lives to experience God. And the rest of the time? They assume they’re… Read more »
What an election year. “The fate of the nation and of civilization is at stake,” according to the New York Times. There’s been a surge of white nationalism. The president, stoking an ongoing bitter feud with Congress and saddled with approval ratings below 40%, keeps accusing the media of fake news. The Middle East is torn by war and acts… Read more »
On a wintry morning in February 1956, a riding instructor named Harry de Leyer drove four hours from his Long Island farm to New Holland, Pennsylvania. Every Monday as many as 300 horses were auctioned at this Amish community. Harry, a Dutch immigrant, knew horses. He had $80 in his pocket and hoped to purchase a gentle animal that could… Read more »
It’s often said that before we can hope to understand someone else’s life, we need to walk a mile in their shoes. Or perhaps join them on a car ride from Washington D.C. to Texas. Before he became vice-president and ascended to the White House following JFK’s assassination in November 1963, Texas senator Lyndon B. Johnson sometimes asked his black… Read more »
Loggerhead sea turtles are navigational savants. Against all odds, they somehow “know” exactly where they’re going – even though they usually swim the world’s oceans alone. Baby loggerheads aren’t much to look at. They are about two inches long and weigh less than one ounce. If they can survive their harrowing first walk from their nest on a Florida beach… Read more »
The reign of King Solomon represents the high water mark of the Old Testament. For centuries, faithful Jews looked back to the time of Solomon and his father, King David, as a kind of Golden Age. Solomon was a remarkable person. He is credited with composing 1,005 songs, authoring more than 3,000 proverbs, and expanding the boundaries of Israel to… Read more »
The woman in the silver SUV laid on her horn. And closed in on the bumper of the guy in front of her. She was exasperated by his not-one-mph-above-the-speed-limit pace. As they approached the next intersection, the light turned yellow. Instead of accelerating, the guy in front hit his brakes. The woman pulled onto the shoulder, absolutely committed to… Read more »