Sitting alone on a park bench, I fought back tears of frustration. I was certain that my life was dedicated to God, and I tried faithfully to follow God’s leading. I...

I often make desk calendars with my church students as part of a program to welcome in the new year. Two years ago, however, after making our yearly desk calendar, I...

My father always sought to show us real-life stories of how God acts in our lives. One of those stories occurred in 1962, after the beginning of Angola’s liberation struggle, when...

Jesus’ first miracle began with ordinary water poured into commonplace stone jars. As far as we know, Jesus didn’t stir the water, touch the jars, or pray aloud. He simply asked...

One gray London evening, I listened to a musician play in a public square. All around, toes tapped and fingers snapped in rhythm. Onlookers swayed, appearing tempted to dance; but nobody...

On a warm, tranquil evening last summer, a friend taught me to fish. He provided the equipment and instructed me on fish behavior and bait. He emphasized the need for patience...

The trees on the riverbank across from my house are not particularly beautiful, but they are sturdy and productive. A wide variety of birds find refuge in their branches. People walking...

When I was a teenager, my brother and my father died within a few weeks of each other. Though the sun shone brightly that summer, my soul felt dark. Within 29...

A new year makes me acutely conscious of the passage of time: how we allow calendars and clocks to dominate us, how there is never enough time for what we need...

One of my favorite television shows from the 1970s 
always opened with the two main characters sitting at a piano singing “Those Were the Days.” As I think about this song,...