God’s Word: Apollo 11’s Greatest Takeaway

“First Man” is a recent movie recalling Neil Armstrong’s first steps on the moon. Before its release, many patriotic reviewers got their nose out of joint because the film didn’t depict the planting of the American Flag on the moon.…

All or Nothing at All

Our headline is the title of a great Sinatra song for lovers, but it could also summarize what God wants from humanity’s relationship with Him: All or nothing at all; Half a love never appealed to me. If your heart…

Overthinking the Supernatural

An article in CWRU’s quarterly magazine THINK reports on research being done by Julie Exline, Ph.D. She wants to understand what makes people believe that some life events are the result of supernatural forces—including God. Exline says, “A person who…

His Banner Over Me is Love*

The light poles along our town’s main street are decorated with banners honoring many of the city’s veterans. One of them happens to be our next-door neighbor, a police officer who was greatly influenced to expand his service to the…

A Prayer to drive-out Worry

A friend texted me, asking me and my family to pray for his wife who was diagnosed with a form of cancer. I texted back the only thing I could think of to give him comfort. “Of course we will.”…

From Amber Alert to Golden Opportunity

If you’ve ever received an AMBER alert on your smart phone (from America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response network), the missing person it was about probably wasn’t anyone you knew—that you know of. That’s true with most people, which means the…

Be cool in the end zone.

Some of history’s greatest pro football coaches were credited for promoting this philosophy: “When you get into the end zone, act like you’ve been there before.” In non-philosophical terms, spiking a football and dancing in the end zone is just…

“Put up or shut up!”

Gamblers have made that phrase as popular as “Put your money where your mouth is.” It’s biblical too, and the theme of this Sunday’s liturgy. Christ’s disciple James uses a far more poetic version in the second reading (Jas 2:14-18):…