Is God a John Wayne fan?
John Wayne was loved for the heroic men he played in the movies. But was he a real-life hero? What if I told you he was divorced twice? And what if I told you he often joked that he was…
The Cure for Depression is found through Suffering
A recent Wall Street Journal article bore this headline: “Churches Struggle with Mental Health.” The story told of several evangelical pastors being fired when church elders discovered they are suffering from depression, bipolar disorder and other mental health problems. The…
Perfection: One Size Fits All
Sometimes it seems our world’s cultures and religious institutions are surrendering to moral relativism. Things that were once thought either right or wrong now come in shades of morality. Misbehavior is often swept under the rug to save public face…
Celebrate a New Tradition: Banish Fear!
This Sunday’s Feast of the Presentation of the Lord recalls several Jewish traditions by which a child was officially inducted into his faith. The Presentation ceremony incorporates purification rituals and the ceremonial redemption of the firstborn. As a Christian with…
Hate: Our Most Cunning Addiction
Taking sides against one another has always been one of humanity’s greatest vices–but not as great as our weakness for turning that vice into virtue. This idea that my side is better than your side has been the cause of…
Share Some Tea and Prophesy
The readings for the second Sunday in ordinary time can be used to remind us of the continuous power of Christmas spirit. They deliver three accounts of the calling to bring the gift of God’s grace to others. The called…
The Irresistible Force that Moves Immovable Objects
I was copied on an e-mail with an article attached, titled Science Confirms: Angels Took the House of Our Lady of Nazareth to Loreto. It tells of a miracle supported by physical evidence and papal recognition. Faithful readers are asked…
Could Herod Have Become a Christian?
I took my family to a Christmas concert at Parkside Church, an Evangelical community in Chagrin Falls. It felt like this interfaith gathering was meditating on the Joyful mysteries of the rosary. The songs selected for the program took us…
How Irrational Holiness Pays Off
Richard Robb is CEO of a $5 billion hedge fund, and author of a book titled “Willful: How We Choose What We Do.” He wrote it to help us understand the central theme of neoclassical economics: that people base their…
Our Father’s Loyalty is Our Christmas Gift
The Bible can help us plot our place in a fruitful family tree nourished by a royal bloodline. Matthew’s gospel traces that line back to Abraham, but the first line gives us the CliffsNotes version, short and sweet: Jesus Christ—the…