In his 1970 book Habitation of Dragons, Keith Miller tells about a memorable conversation in a small group of adults who were struggling to learn how to follow Jesus. As part of a get-acquainted exercise, each member shared something about his or her childhood. Miller writes: “One older lady had had a good many disappointments and seemed bitter about her past. … Read more »
What’s wrong with this picture? An adult Reed Warbler is feeding a humungous chick that is straddling the entirety of the tiny warbler nest. That’s because the chick isn’t a Reed Warbler. It’s a Common Cuckoo, a European species known for its “brood parasite strategy.” To put it another way, cuckoos are squatters. They force other birds to raise their… Read more »
“Once upon a time, something happened to someone and he decided that he would pursue a goal. So he devised a plan of action. And even though there were forces trying to stop him, he moved forward, because there was a lot at stake. And just as things seemed as bad as they could get, he learned an important lesson. … Read more »
One of the charms of the Golden Gate Bridge is that it almost appears to be fragile. That’s astonishing – especially since it sits alongside the San Andreas Fault, one of the most active geological features in North America. But engineers are convinced that the bridge is probably the safest place to be the next time San Francisco is rocked… Read more »
Four weeks ago America lost its most famous test pilot. Chuck Yeager, who lived to be 97, was the first human being confirmed to have exceeded Mach 1, piloting the Bell X-1 jet faster than the speed of sound in 1947. A few years later, when Yeager was testing an F-86 Sabre, he executed a roll – a standard… Read more »
During the summer I turned 10 years old, I was on top of the world. I played lots of softball. I was even asked to be the starting pitcher in my league’s All-Star Game. Our family took a memorable road trip. It culminated in a visit to Mammoth Cave, which launched my lifelong love of spelunking. As a kid who… Read more »
Christians go to war with each other over the dumbest things. Church consultant Thom Rainier has seen it all. There are the usual hot button issues, such as disagreements over the ideal temperature in the sanctuary, the right color of carpeting, and the most God-honoring order of worship. Then there are the issues that defy imagination. One congregation fought over… Read more »
A prayer for the first day of this new year: My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am… Read more »
Bertrand Russell, the celebrated 20th century British philosopher, wasn’t shy about his atheism. As he looked across the cosmos, he doubted the existence of a transcendent Being. In his book Why I Am Not a Christian, Russell didn’t pretend that such a conviction provided humanity with any grounds for a feel-good assurance that life has ultimate meaning: That Man is… Read more »
You would expect Indianapolis Colts quarterback Philip Rivers to make public appearances wearing a cap with the team’s iconic horseshoe. But more often than not, the veteran slinger – who is about to finish his 17th season in the NFL – wears a cap that displays two Latin words: Nunc Coepi. That hat “tends to be on my head most… Read more »
