On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, the Armistice with Germany went into effect, ending the hostilities of World War I, known at the time as The Great War, and The War to End All Wars. We began celebrating Armistice Day a year…
If It Were Easy
In 1876, Yale professor William Graham Sumner wrote an essay called The Forgotten Man. In it, he said, “As soon as A observes something which seems to him wrong, from which X is suffering, A talks it over with B, and A and B then propose to get a law…
Talents
Fall is a special time of year for sports fans. Baseball is heading toward the world series. Football fans of high school, college, and NFL teams are waking from their eight month slumber. Hockey players are starting to hit the ice. The NBA is warming up for its season too.…
Patience
Of all the virtues, the one that is a stumbling block for our entire lives is the virtue of patience. As soon as we are able to communicate, we want everything now. We want food now. We want our parents’ attention now. We want that new toy now. As teenagers…
A Nation Divided
Haves versus have-nots. Conservative versus liberal. Straight versus gay. Pro-life versus pro-choice. Republicans versus Democrats. The 1% versus the 99%. Left versus right. Secular versus sacred. Black versus white. Cable news channels fill their airtime with little boxes of talking heads each yelling at each other about who is right…
Faith of Our Father
“We repair what your husband fixed,” reads the sign at the auto repair shop. While mildly amusing, it is part of an ongoing narrative you see everywhere: incompetent husbands and fathers, blindly bumbling their way through life. Men are portrayed as barely being able to handle simple tasks, always in…
The Narrow Gate
Recently,Target stores made the news by announcing their policy that “We welcome transgender team members and guests to use the restroom or fitting room facility that corresponds with their gender identity. Everyone deserves to feel like they belong.” Their policy means that if a man “feels like a woman” today,…
Missionaries
A new missionary visited a small village in a remote jungle, and, in his rudimentary skill in the native language, began preaching the Gospel. “Jesus will give you eternal life!” said the missionary. “Bawana!” shouted the natives. “You must not worship other gods!” said the missionary. “Bawana!” shouted the natives.…
The Breath of God
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was without shape and empty, and darkness was over the surface of the watery deep, but the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the water.” Imagine the Creation. Imagine the universe as a vast…
Passion for God
Believing in something you cannot explain is the true definition of faith. As Christians, we believe in many mysteries of God as part of our faith. We call these things mysteries because to us, as mortals, we cannot comprehend how they can be because they defy our mortal understanding. But…