The problem with looking to Hollywood for the image of masculinity (even those true-to-life stories of courage) is that it feeds my desire for glory. Courage isn't only in the big accomplishments. It's in the small acts, too.

When I leave the theater and scratch the car door next to me getting into my car, my decisions about whether or not to leave a note admitting my mistake isn't glorious. Nobody ...

A fascinating study done by Professor Vicki Medvec reveals the relative importance of subjective attitudes over and above objective circumstances. Medvec studied Olympic medalists and discovered that bronze medalists were quantifiably happier than silver medalists. Here's why: Silver medalists tended to focus on how close they came to winning gold, so they weren't satisfied with silver; broze medalists ...

What oxygen is to the lungs, such is hope to the meaning of life.

—Emil Brunner, Swiss theologian (1889–1966)

In Jack's Life, Douglas Gresham's book about his stepfather C. S. Lewis, Gresham comments on the great love that the young Lewis had for Lizzie Endicott, the Irish woman who helped look after Jack (as he was called) and his older brother Warnie. Gresham notes, "Jack was also fond of his nursemaid Lizzie, and she would tell him old Irish folktales and fairy stories."

In Prince Caspian, we find a comparable ...

The following statistics are from the Pew Research Center's 2008 survey on marriage and parenting:

• Forty-one percent of American adults said children are very important to a good marriage. This represents a sharp decline from the 65 percent who offered the same conviction in a 1990 survey.
  
  
• By a margin of nearly 3 to 1, Americans say the main purpose of marriage is the "mutual fulfillment" of adults rather than the "bearing and raising of children."
  

Yellow is not my favorite color. But now that I know the story of Vincent van Gogh, I have come to value yellow differently. This famous Dutch painter, sadly, tossed away the truth imparted him in his Christian home and sank into depression and destruction. By the grace of God, as he later began to embrace the truth again, his life took on hope, and he gave that hope color.

The best-kept secret of ...

During the 2007-2008 NFL regular season, New England Patriots' quarterback Tom Brady set the record for most touchdown passes in a regular season, paving the way for his winning the MVP award. At the age of 30, he has already won three Super Bowls—an accomplishment that sets him apart as one of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game.

In 2005, Tom Brady was interviewed by 60 Minutes journalist ...

America is swimming in a sea of Prozac, Zoloft, and Paxil! In 2006 alone, over 190 million prescriptions were given for antidepressants. The swim is a little expensive, though. On average, each pill costs between $2-3 for the patient. To add to the burden, the side effects of antidepressants can sometimes be negative.

Researchers at Britain's Essex University have found a much cheaper alternative with ...

In 1955, the largest soda McDonald's offered was 7 ounces. In a little over 50 years, it has swelled six times that size to 42 ounces. In a recent international marketing campaign, McDonald's is pushing their super-sized drink more than ever, lovingly naming it "Hugo" to entice customers. Should someone choose to grab a Hugo, he or she will be taking in over 400 calories in the drink alone.

On December 10, 2003, TIME reporter Michael Weisskopf was riding with an Army convoy through the streets of Iraq's Al-Adhamiya when he noticed a small grenade had been thrown into the Humvee. He quickly took hold of the missile to throw it out of the vehicle, but it exploded before he could fully release it. He saved a number of lives that day, but he lost his right hand—his writing hand.

In ...