starting with prayer
On November 23, 1835, George Müller wrote, “Today I have had it very much impressed on my heart, no longer merely to think about the establishment of an orphan house, but actually to set about it, and...
View Articleactions and adventure
On a recent visit home to the United States, I got my first taste of D-BOX—motion theater seats that pitch you forward and backward, side to side, and up and down in sync with the action depicted on...
View Articledon’t be evil
How does a cute, little baby grow up to become the face of evil? How does an Austrian boy become Adolf Hitler or a son of privilege turn into Osama bin Laden? And what makes one group of people...
View Articlesent
Brother Colm O’Connell, an Irish priest, went to Kenya in 1976 to volunteer for one year as a teacher at St. Patrick’s school. Thirty-six years later, he’s still there, and has established an...
View Articlepeace work
As we bumped slowly down the rain-ravaged, two-track “road,” we inched past weathered dwellings where skittish chickens dodged barefoot children. Simple fences framed gardens that sprouted low-yield...
View Articleunlikely gifts
The 166 female inmates at Davao City Jail in Mindanao didn’t have much. But as they saw it, others had even less. Typhoon Pablo had just swept over the southern Philippines, killing more than 1,000...
View Articlewrestling with God
Often, on Saturdays in the 1980s, my brother and I watched professional wrestling on TV. We were mesmerized by the acrobatics and the seemingly super-human body slams that shook the wrestling ring. We...
View Articlejust enough
In the movie Fiddler on the Roof, Tevye talked very honestly with God about His economics: “You made many, many poor people. I realize, of course, that it’s no shame to be poor. But it’s no great honor...
View Articlestrangers and foreigners
Last summer, my son and I were heading to a connecting flight at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport. As we walked briskly from one terminal to another, Wasswa said, “Look, Mommy, a Dinka!”
View Articlelove does
The news came on Christmas Eve. My wife put down the phone, walked into the bedroom, and burst into tears. We were living in Australia then and had been visiting family in Brisbane, but after the call...
View Articlethe touch of love
A hug is a powerful thing. Picture a sobbing mother and father clutching each other as they stagger in grief. A third person walks up, a pastor or close friend, and throws his arms around both of them....
View Articledifficult opportunities
I was driving to my friend’s memorial service when rows of taillights began braking in front of me. I flipped on the radio and learned that traffic was backed up because of an accident miles ahead. I...
View Articleno more prejudice
Many years ago, it was assumed that women could not play the French horn better than men. Their thoughts were challenged and disproved, however, when Julie Landsman auditioned for the role of principal...
View Articleuse what you have
In 2008, economists confirmed that the UK was in recession. Sure enough, in time, as many as one in ten people lost their jobs, and the normally bustling “high streets” fell silent as many well-known...
View Articlehonesty is required
Their sin ruined the moment. Like a brawl at a wedding or a bitter argument during an office party, their selfish act brought the party to a halt. The new church had been an exhilarating community of...
View Articlebreaking bread
Several years ago, a friend and I were dining in a restaurant’s outdoor seating area. As we neared the end of our dinner, we noticed a man watching us from the sidewalk. His clothes were dirty, his...
View Articlelove like this
When my son was learning to read, he realized he could decipher street signs—especially speed limit signs. Thrilled with his new skill, he would call out from the backseat, “Mom, the speed limit is...
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