If Savannah Guthrie, Matt Lauer, and Anderson Cooper had been alive and if television had been in existence in 1809, the morning and evening news would have focused on Austria. The big news in 1809 was Napoleon Bonaparte leading the French army across Austria. While...
Since the Council of Nicaea the global church has strongly affirmed that Jesus was fully human and fully Divine. Certainly this seasons of Advent and Christmas uphold the Divinity of Jesus. That he was born a tiny, vulnerable baby in humble circumstances notwithstanding, in his...
Have you ever been stuck? Not sure how to proceed? Are you asking questions like: “Should I change jobs? Should I say “yes” to the opportunity that is before me? Which road should I take?” God can’t steer a parked car. So…proceed in the direction that...
When the phone rang and I saw that it was from Lucille…I braced myself. Lucille was critical of almost everything in the church. Do you know people like this? I sometimes call people like Lucille, “cobweb spotters.” A cobweb spotter is someone who can...
Have you ever wondered why Jesus' teaching was so memorable? Jesus was a master communicator who employed three important methods that all communicators ought to remember: he asked provocative questions, he told memorable stories and he used illuminating metaphors. Who can forget Jesus’ story of...
From Guest Writer: Rev. Karl Travis, Pastor of First Presbyterian Church Fort Worth, in Fort Worth, Texas The anesthesiologist didn’t want to do my surgery. He asked the surgeon why they were going ahead with the procedure, considering the complications and the morbidity rates. I didn’t learn...
When Mark Twain was the most well-known and respected writer in the United States, he was paid $5.00 for every word he wrote. Someone sent him a note which said, “Dear Mr. Twain, please send me your best word,” and enclosed a $5.00 bill...
When I was in third grade, my grandfather made me memorize the 23rd Psalm (in the King James version, of course; is there any other way we’d prefer to hear or recite it?). At the time, I was enduring several months of “confirmation” in the...
I love the story of Pablo Casals, the world’s greatest cellist, who at the age of 93 still practiced four hours a day. When a reporter asked Casals why he practiced the cello four hours a day at the age of 93, Pablo replied, “Because…...