Herbert Spencer was one of Europe’s most famous intellectuals in the closing decades of the nineteenth century. But this philosopher, sociologist, and evolutionary theorist lost plenty of favor in his later years. Critics assailed him for his absence…
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As a church this winter, we read the book “Just Mercy” by Bryan Stevenson. He is one of the founders of the Equal Justice Initiative, based in Alabama. This group of lawyers, interns, paralegals, and other justice workers advocate for equal treatment…
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The Bible is such an amazing book. This morning in Heart Soul Mind Bible study we enjoyed a terrific discussion of Psalm 119. We learned a lot of fun facts about this piece of scripture: it’s 176 verses long, divided into 22 sections, and, within eac…
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One of the joys of working with teenagers is that they so often have a way of articulating what adults are sometimes unable to vocalize. As an example, last summer I accompanied a group of middle school girls to a local nursing home to visit some of…
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Six months before his death, John F. Kennedy delivered a commencement address at American University: “So let us not be blind to our differences, but let us also direct attention to our common interests and to the means by which those differences can…
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One of my most treasured belongings is a quilt my grandmother made. I have others from her that are more technically impressive, but this mismatching simple nine-patch scrap quilt is my favorite. It’s made entirely by hand and the stitches that hold…
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When I was in high school, I worked at a homeschooling curriculum supply store. Our shop was wall-to-wall with books, games, programs, software; basically every supply a person would need to educate a child at home from preschool to 12th grade. This…
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The world in solemn stillness lay, to hear the angels sing. Those words, penned by Edmund Sears in 1849, conclude the first stanza of the carol “It Came upon the Midnight Clear.” On this twelfth and final day of Christmas, I hope you have managed to…
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Have you purchased your partridge in a pear tree yet this year? Received your three French Hens or two Turtle Doves? Ordered your seven swans for this Saturday? Neither have I. I must admit, I’ve never really understood the meaning (or the appeal) of…
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My family moved from Colorado to Wisconsin just weeks before my sophomore year of high school. I eventually made some really wonderful friends, but the first months were very lonely. On Christmas morning that first Wisconsin winter, my dad gave me an…
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Everyone who enters church on Christmas knows that singing carols is far and away the best part of the worship. The melodies stir deep-down sentiments that most of us can’t even find words for. And the words of the carols themselves? – “The hopes and…
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This time of year, I find something special hitting bookshelves across town – holiday-themed children’s books. Filled with re-imagined familiar stories and bright illustrations, the time between Halloween and Christmas is a book-lover’s dream. Stacks…