George Washington Carver, the nineteenth century horticulturlist, created hundreds of products from plants . . . 325 from peanuts alone. His work improved rural economies—saving land, varying...
Make no mistake: I am a red-blooded, two-fisted, iron-pumping, rugby-rucking, middle-aged guy with persistent delusions of athletic competence. Because I am what...
"You must do the thing you think you cannot do." —Eleanor Roosevelt ...
An Olympic ice skater brings upon two blades just the right mixture of body weight, momentum, and angle so that each blade is in sync with the laws of physics and motion. The...
"Why do you stay up there?" my mother would ask when Mr. Leavitt ate dinner with us on Sunday after church. "Up there" meant the old farm on Pleasant Ridge where he’d been...
God looked over everything he had made; it was so good, so very good! It was evening, it was morning— Day Six. Heaven and Earth were finished, down to the last detail. (Gen...
When we were kids, we all wanted to make a big difference in the world: cure cancer, fly to the moon, or drive that shiny red truck to put out fires in burning...
I once knew a man (it could have as easily been a woman) who believed he deserved everything he wanted. He lost his job but nothing changed. In fact, he believed he deserved...
"Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love each other, God lives in us and his love...
I come from a line of strong women, chief among them a great aunt who lived in a large farmhouse. As a child there, I was never bored. My aunt was always canning...
An old Native American tale recounts a conversation between a grandfather and his grandson. The grandfather confides to the boy that two wolves struggle inside him, each trying to dominate his...
Work is tough, full of disappointments—and that is true even of work that many people envy, such as my own. I have never understood why people consider writing to be a glamorous career...
Baseball player Jackie Robinson was the first African American to play in the major leagues. In his autobiography, I Never Had It Made, he tells a story of how it felt to break...
In the building where I used to work, there was an elevator operator called Frank. He stood in the main entrance and ensured there was an even balance of elevators going up and...
At the end of my first day in high school, I lingered in class until the dark-haired teacher asked me if I...
On September 29 a feature-length film called Facing the Giants will open in 86 markets and 400 theaters across the United States...
Last year, I retired from a college where I taught many years and moved to Kansas City. I joined a large Methodist church where there are many chances to serve. Even my book...
“. . . you are the light of the world . . .” Matthew 5:14-16 ...
The opposite of integrity is hypocrisy. Hypocrites will betray their own words and commitments for personal gain. Hypocrites will say what they must to gain a desired position, then do what it...
Around my home I have a fabulous collection of hand-thrown mugs and other clay pottery—bowls, pitchers, platters—in subtle earth and jewel tones and glazes. You could call this collection a passion...
