The Gambles of a Holy Family

Life—like starting a family—is a series of gambles. What if a loved one leaves this life, for example? Could I afford the pain? Love is the currency of such a gamble, just as wealth is at stake in any high-roller’s…

The Supporting Role in your Life Story

Christmas is a time for bringing back memories. Maybe that’s why companies that digitize old family movies are so busy toward the end of the year. Home movies give families moments of holiday respite from the worries of the previous…

Curating Art from the World’s Ugliness

“Curate every aspect of your life, as much as you can. It’s in the things that deeply inspire us that we find ourselves. Surround yourself with truth, and you’ll have built yourself a heaven.” The source of this pithy quote…

Evil Depends on Doing Nothing

If you ever need proof that our sins of omission are as bad as or worse than any sins we commit, look no further than humanity’s reaction to Nazi Germany. History has judged those who let the Holocaust happen as…

Finding Faith that’s Buried Deep

If our lives are investments God makes to maximize the profit we return, we have to believe the wisdom reflected in the Book of Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, supporting the old maxim, “there’s strength in numbers.” Two are better than one: They…

Seek Wisdom to Reflect God’s Light

Many believe scientists become atheists as they decode the secrets of the universe. Turns out, the more information they uncover, the closer many of them get to God. Author Melanie Phillips, in her book “The World Turned Upside Down—the Global…

All Saints Aren’t Relics

All Saints Day is a good time to meditate on what a saint is. In many cases they’re simple people who were either martyred or persecuted for their fearless dedication to God. I grew up in a time when we…

Living Past 25 Requires Centuries of Wisdom

The City of Independence, Ohio provides a welcome packet to new residents. Among the services and amenities detailed is a program called “25 & Alive,” designed to help parents get their children through this obstacle course called life until they…