Stuart Briscoe, author and long-time pastor of Elmbrook Church in Brookfield, Wisconsin, tells the following story:

Many years ago, during the Cold War, I traveled to Poland for several weeks of itinerant ministry. One winter day my sponsors drove me in the dead of night to the middle of nowhere. I walked into a dilapidated building crammed with one hundred young people. I realized it was a unique ...

Being completely conformed to the likeness of God's Son is something that we look forward to in the future, although the transformation is happening now gradually. Being adopted among many brothers is something that we have now. The minute you become a Christian, you have intimacy of relationship. You have an unconditional relationship. You become wealthy, because everything that Jesus Christ has ...

The movie Blood Diamond depicts the world of "conflict diamonds" during the political and social turmoil of Sierra Leone's civil war in 1999. A Mende fisherman and a mercenary-turned-smuggler are on a quest to find a rare pink diamond, each hoping it will change his life.

Danny Archer (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Solomon Vandy (Djimon Hounsou) are at the site where the priceless diamond is buried. Solomon's ...

In the article "Leading by Naming," Mark Labberton speaks of the power names carry:

Every day our naming of the people around us gives life and takes it away. …

I can still feel the impact of a highly musical friend who one day called me musical. No one had ever called me that. I didn't really play an instrument. I was no soloist.

Yet what made this comment so remarkable was that I instantly ...

In the Bourne Identity, Matt Damon plays Jason Bourne—a CIA agent who has suffered amnesia and is trying to figure out just who exactly he is. The fundamentals of his journey are not too different than our own.

In the mountains of Switzerland, Jason has hitched a ride to Germany with a young woman named Marie. He's running from the police—but he's not even sure why. He tries to keep quiet about his ...

In his book Disappointment with God, Philip Yancey offers a powerful metaphor for the church:

I have a bright, talented, and very funny friend in Seattle named Carolyn Martin. But Carolyn has cerebral palsy, and it is the peculiar tragedy of her condition that its outward signs—drooling, floppy arm movements, inarticulate speech, a bobbing head—cause people who meet her to wonder if she is retarded. ...

Cinderella Man tells the true story of boxing legend James J. Braddock (Russell Crowe), who made an incredible comeback during the Great Depression. Injured and arthritic, Braddock's promising career was cut short, and he had to go on public assistance when he couldn't get work at the docks in New Jersey. But when an opportunity came for him to get back in the ring—and provide for his family—he took ...

Researching your family tree can be a fun and rewarding hobby. For one Minnesota man, it was a life-changing experience.

Marty Johnson knew he was the product of two young college students who had a brief affair. Neither parent was prepared to deal with raising a child, so Johnson was given up for adoption and grew up in a loving home in Minnesota. Years later as an adult, he started digging through ...

You probably know Ted Giannoulas even if you've never heard his name. He has been the San Diego Chicken for 30 years. But Ted is getting older. At age 50, being the Chicken has been his life and his whole identity. His face is never photographed unless he is in costume. No one knows the real Ted. He has no family.

At first, he loved his alter ego. "I discovered an untapped personality in that suit," ...

What’s in a name? For many, a name is closely linked with identity and worth. That may explain why the oldest independent boarding school in the United States believes it’s time for a change.

“The Governor Dummer Academy” was named after the governor of the Massachusetts Territory in 1720. The name has since been the source of mockery, such as, “Students who come in, come out ‘Dummer.’”

The image-conscious ...