One day, when our son was in the fourth grade at Wallace Elementary School, he finished an assignment early. Instead of requiring her students to sit quietly at their desks with nothing to do, the teacher provided activities to engage their interests. Recognizing his curiosity about design, she handed our son a book about the […]

Overlooking Virginia’s Blue Ridge mountains, Thomas Jefferson’s grave is located downhill from his beloved home, Monticello. Jefferson was the second governor of Virginia, a member of the Continental Congress, the first Secretary of State, our second vice-president, and the third president. And yet, these accomplishments are not listed on his grave marker. Instead, his monument […]

In a conversation about the challenge of preaching in our politically divided society, a friend said, “The Gospel speaks for itself. The question is if anyone will listen.” His comment reminded me of Jesus’ Word to the crowd when he told the Parable of the Sower, “Let anyone with ears listen!” There is a difference […]

In a conversation about the challenge of preaching in our politically divided society, a friend said, “The Gospel speaks for itself. The question is if anyone will listen.” His comment reminded me of Jesus’s word to the crowd when he told the parable of the sower, “Let anyone with ears listen!” There is a difference […]

“Read, read, read.” That is the good advice of William Faulkner, who is considered one of the 20th century’s greatest writers. Acclaimed American author, Stephen King, describes books as “a uniquely portable magic.” Garrison Keillor, long-time host of “A Prairie Home Companion,” calls a book “a gift you can open again and again.” In the […]

Did you wear a WWJD bracelet in the 1990s? With its origins in sermons by the 15th century German-Dutch theologian Thomas à Kempis and the 19th century Baptist preacher Charles Spurgeon, and the 1896 novel In His Steps by Charles Sheldon, WWJD stands for “What would Jesus do?” The bracelets were introduced by a church […]