Speech teachers always stress the importance of brevity. Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address is their prime example that immense wisdom can fit on the back of an envelope. But what really set Lincoln’s speech apart from others is his defense of freedom…
A sense of humor is one of the unsung gifts of the Holy Spirit. It’s the secret to a long marriage and a long life. This gift helped the Jewish people survive and fight persecution throughout history. Some of the…
People love unlikely heroes. Our pop culture is full of them, from Bilbo Baggins (The Hobbit) to Lt. Columbo (the homicide detective). Their characters were so counter to our heroic archetype that their enemies tended to underestimate them. The Columbo…
In the movie version of “The King and I,” The king of Siam (played by Yul Brynner) decides to stage his subjects’ version of the American classic novel, “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.” He wants to convince visiting Western diplomats that his…
The death of a mother or father is difficult for any young son or daughter—especially if it happens while celebrating the birth of the Son of Man. It seems impossible at the time, but consolation eventually comes. It may take…
Pomp and Circumstance won’t be what’s remembered most about George H.W. Bush’s funeral. The moments without them will. Those were the ones recalling Bush the human, not the commander-in-chief. The human side is the one who asked us to join…
It’s too easy to be a jerk. Being joyful is too difficult. Jerks abound in difficult times, when resources are slim and “every man for himself” is not only a survival strategy but a philosophy. The miracle of Christmas is…
Many seasoned travelers have mapping app horror stories. They involve getting too much information about routes you already know (like your own street), being directed to go the wrong way on one-way streets you don’t know, or driving through a…
Having a career used to mean salvation from some of humanity’s worst vices. People with too much idle time tend to find comfort in artificial satisfactions like alcohol and drugs. Instead of finding comfort in these diversions, though, we add…
Around Halloween, there was a TV special on the scariest movies ever made. The Exorcist topped the list—and this list included some truly frightening stories. But what makes the Exorcist so scary isn’t the projectile vomiting of pea soup or…