None of us gets to choose our ancestors, but many are nonetheless fascinated with learning the details regarding our forebears. One of the hottest gifts this Christmas season is a “23andMe” DNA kit, promising to reveal all kinds of surprises about who I am and where I come from, and not in any metaphysical sense: […]
Tag Archives: hope
Have you ever let someone down? I know I have, and it’s tough to own up to and face the hurt and disappointment in the person, especially if it is someone you love. As a parent, I can think of instances when I wasn’t able to measure up to my younger children’s lofty and unrealistic […]
I’m not a fan of horror movies. In the few I have seen, I found myself shielding my eyes and even trying to stop my ears. It is rather embarrassing cowering next to my wife who, although not a fan of the genre either, stares at the screen through every gory detail. A Field Trip […]
In his book The Divine Conspiracy, the late Dallas Willard gives the analogy of a fighter pilot becoming disoriented and flying upside down without realizing it[1]. In that circumstance, even thoughtful and well-intentioned actions can yield catastrophic results. It is a powerful reminder that we as people can become so disoriented in our fundamental conclusions […]
In his classic work Walden, Henry David Thoreau wrote that “the mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.” It’s a phrase oft-repeated that resonates with many, but the observation, though insightful, has hardly been the stuff of empirical data. That may be changing. Nobel-laureate and Princeton Professor of Economics, Sir Angus Deaton, and his […]