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There is a lot about middle school I have, admittedly, forgotten. But some of my most vivid remaining memories come from Mrs. Johnson’s sixth-grade choir class. At Edison Middle School in Champaign, Illinois, every student was required to take a seme…
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On Monday morning, I did something that is not uncommon for me. I headed to 392 Caffé to meet a friend at this one of a kind coffee shop. I got there early, so I was able to snag a table and spread out – I even had a chair *just* for my heavy tote ba…
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Last January, after one of our big snowfalls, our neighbor a few doors down got stuck halfway down the alley. Our alley is never plowed, so it’s always an adventure getting to the road. So, after she tried multiple times to get going, another neighbo…
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Pat Venditte is one-of-a-kind in major league baseball. He can throw a fastball at 85 miles per hour with either hand and with equal skill and accuracy. His ability to switch arms while pitching to the same batter has produced comedic scenes over the…
Twenty-five thousand people turned out on a cold January day in New York City to rally in solidarity with the Jewish community following the December 28 attack on a rabbi’s Hanukkah party. It was an eloquent witness of support amidst ever-growing num…
The power of positive thinking is over- and underestimated. No doubt, our attitude can have a tremendous impact on our circumstances, positively or negatively. You need only consider the smile of someone dear to you, and the effect it has on your own…
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On the morning of New Years’ Day, my wife asked me, “Are you making any New Year’s Resolutions this year?” “No, I don’t think so,” I replied. “You?” I can’t remember whether I made any last year. If I did, they didn’t last long. I understand the draw…
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Mid-Advent, if you were to peep my church office, you’d find a disheveled scene. Fifteen hand soaps in an opened box on my desk, a manger full off socks waiting to go to Family Resources, and a displaced baby Jesus doll resting on an office chair. To…
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Every year, it seems there’s always an abundance of sugar consumed around the holiday season. Perhaps like your household, when I was growing up, there were cookies aplenty, plates of goodies shared from neighbors and friends. And none of it lasted v…
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Several years ago, someone asked me why I abbreviate Christmas as Xmas. Surprise prompted the question – surprise that someone who speaks as often as I do of trying to live a life in Christ would jettison His name from the very festival honoring His…
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In households throughout the country, children have been taking part in the annual ritual of early December. They’re writing Christmas lists, full of the toys or books, clothes or gadgets they hope to receive under their tree. While they are writing,…
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On this national football holiday, it’s hard to know which will get passed more often, the turkey or the pigskin. But somewhere along the course of the day, and the games, it’s almost certain that someone will invoke the time-honored maxim: no pain –…