Anne Lamott (1954-) was a 30-year-old moderately successful fiction writer who worked an assortment of odd jobs to pay the rent. She was also a down-and-out drunk with an eating disorder. She was walking one Sunday morning through a flea market...
Michel Quoist (1921-1997) was born into a working-class Catholic family in France. He went to work at age 14 after his father's death and later returned to school to become a Catholic priest. His first assignment was working with youth in a section...
Thomas De Witt (T. T.) Talmage (1832-1902) accepted a call to pastor a church in Brooklyn, New York, in 1869. His offer letter was signed by seventeen people, the total number of members of this dying city church. He preached to a cavernous...
Charles How (1661-1742) served as a courtier in King Charles II's court, nicknamed the "Merry Monarch" for his pleasure-seeking approach to the English throne. When Charles II died, his brother, King James II, took over and assigned the courtier...
John Gresham Machen (1881-1937) was nominated for a promotion as a professor at Princeton Seminary in 1926, having taught New Testament there for twenty years. Back in the day, faculty promotions required the approval of the General Assembly, the...
As my wife Chris and I were traveling recently on Interstate 95 through Baltimore late one evening, we observed a new, seven-story illuminated cross mounted on St. Agnes Hospital, prominent against the city skyline. A short while later, as we drove...
Charles Henry Brent (1862-1929) was given two hard assignments in ministry as an Episcopal priest. The bishop sent him to reopen an abandoned church in the poorest section of Boston's South End. After he successfully revitalized the church, he was...
Tornados are rated zero to five on the E.F. scale. A level 5 tornado is the strongest, with winds exceeding 200 miles per hour that can level homes, hurl automobiles through the air, and cause significant damage to high-rise buildings. On August...
We live in anxious times. The rise of Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GA.D.) has become acute among the under-18 crowd. Colleges report an exponential increase in students showing up at medical clinics and counseling centers suffering from anxiety...
Professor Howard Hendricks said that every Christian needs a Paul, a Barnabas, and a Timothy in their lives. A Paul--to serve as a mentor and role model, a Barnabas--to come alongside to offer encouragement, and a Timothy--someone in whom we can...
In 1878, Inventor Thomas Edison spoke the first words ever to be recorded into a phonograph. The words he chose to be immortalized in that initial recording originated from a popular children's poem of the time, "Mary had a little lamb, whose...
Ludwig Beethoven began to lose his hearing in 1798. This was devastating to a musical composer of Beethoven's stature, as he could no longer hear the music he was creating for appreciative audiences. His encroaching deafness assaulted his...
I admire Christina Rosetti (1830-1894) as a poet. Her depth of feeling, keen insights, and spiritual sensitivities win my admiration. While she could be introspective and serious, she periodically displayed a lighthearted, playful mood, as...
The Isle of Man is situated between England and Ireland. This island, with a population of 84,000, has a temperate oceanic climate. Its highest recorded temperature is 84 degrees. Thomas Wilson (1663-1755) arrived at the Isle of Man with his wife...
Emily Malbone Morgan (1862-1937) and Adelyn Howard were the best of friends growing up in Hartford, Conn. They climbed apple trees, shared attic treasures, and attended the same Episcopal church. Adelyn moved away to a new home, away from her...
Bill Wilson was ruining a promising career on Wall Street with his problem drinking. He became a Christian through the influence of the Oxford Group and resolved with Christ's help to abstain from alcohol. During a business trip to Ohio, he became...
He was the originator of the modern department store in the late 1800's. We're not talking about a big box store here. His flagship store in downtown Philadelphia featured the largest organ in the world shipped from the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair...
People gathered for worship one evening in 1906 in a Presbyterian church in Philadelphia. There was opportunity for people in the service to testify to their faith in Christ and share experiences of how they came to believe in him. One woman spoke...