In this week’s chapters from our companion book, BJ, the manager of HomeMarket, has a breakthrough in her wrestling career. We learn about BJ’s ambition to transcend her daily life, and how the world often responds to such efforts when her performance falls flat and...
A record number of viewers tuned in to the Jimmy Kimmel show this past week for the comedian’s return after being cancelled as a result of unlawful pressure on the network from our current administration. Our freedom to voice opposition to government policy remains...
Free speech is a fundamental element of democracy and is protected by the First Amendment. Maybe “protected” is too strong, considering recent events. In our second episode of the Hurricane series, we examine the link between confidence, belonging, and free speech....
In this series, Hurricane, we explore how God is our shelter and always ready to come to our aid in times of trouble. And troubles come that only God can get us through. However, God allows us to suffer the consequences of our collective decisions. For a companion...
According to Spaceplace, a website for kids maintained by NASA, tropical cyclones are the most violent storms on Earth. Tropical cyclones that form over the Atlantic Ocean or eastern Pacific Ocean are called “hurricanes." The site describes hurricanes as giant engines...
In the first story from our companion book this week, we learn that there is no doubt that Barbara Jean believes in angels and depends on them coming through. We also learned that one of her angels had the same name, and while Barbara Jean number two may be more...
In Hans Christian Andersen’s classic fairy tale, The Emperor's New Clothes, an arrogant and not-so-bright authoritarian dictator prioritizes his desire to appear well-dressed over his duty to lead. Obsessed with what others say about him and easily manipulated, the...
Surviving a close call is a reason for celebration. Yet survivors often face other emotions when someone says, “You’re lucky!” as the reality of what they survived sinks in. I remember a time when I was “lucky to be alive” several days after emergency surgery, after...
The images of starving children coming from the war zone in Gaza are heartbreaking. Opposition groups in Israel are labeling what is happening genocide. The Israeli Prime Minister claims no children are starving, while other officials, who don’t deny the obvious,...
Jelly Roll shares a common dilemma in one of his hit songs released two years ago, which starts out with the realization, “I only talk to God when I need a favor. And I only pray when I ain't got a prayer.” His first stanza ends with, “But God, I need a favor.”...