Years ago I visited one of my kids' pre-school classes. On this particular day, the kids were really excited because the teacher had promised to bring in a real, live rabbit to show them. The kids all gathered on the rug, and she brought in the wire cage, set it down in the middle of the rug, and opened the door so the rabbit could get out. No sooner had she done that then the kids crowded around ...

University of Louisville psychologist Michael Cunningham recently did an extensive study of the most common complaints men and women have about each other. Here is what he discovered.

The most common complaints men have concerning women include:

• the silent treatment
• bringing up past transgressions
• being too hot or too cold
• being critical
• being stubborn and refusing to give in

The most common complaints ...

[My daughter], Allison,* came home for the weekend. She opened the door, didn't speak, and dropped her duffel bag. Smudges of mascara circled her eyes. I whispered a "God-please-no" prayer.

"Come tell me about your classes." I patted the sofa.

"Gotta take a shower."

As she clomped upstairs, I analyzed the recent changes in her: complaints of not having any money, rarely answers the phone, weight loss, ...

"On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me." Tony Bennett's voice wove its subtle magic throughout the shopping mall. How appropriate, I thought, as I watched the shoppers scurry from store to store. The advertisements promised "just the right gifts at just the right price," allowing us to "give like Santa and save like Scrooge."

As I listened, I was struck with how we have turned Christmas ...

In Jesus Mean and Wild, author Mark Galli discusses the challenge of repentance in American culture:

I look at myself some days and it's hard to imagine that I am a miserable offender and that there is no health in me [as the Book of Common Prayer suggests]. I go to church. I read my Bible. I help at the homeless shelter once a month. At home, I do the dishes, take out the trash, and don't beat my ...

There is a huge difference between being smart and being wise.

Exhibit A is the story of Steffi Krause, age 17. She and her 19-year-old friend were in a German juvenile detention center for stealing. The 19-year-old was about to be released but Steffi had more time to serve. Steffi, of course, did not want to wait any longer behind bars, so the two friends concocted a clever plan for springing Steffi: ...

In the movie Click, Michael Newman (played by Adam Sandler) is given a true "universal" remote control that has the power to influence real life. He can mute peoples' voices, fast-forward through annoying conversations, and even rewind through past experiences.

In this scene, Michael is talking to Morty (played by Christopher Walken)—an employee of Bed, Bath, and Beyond who originally gave him ...

In March of 2006, the Associated Press and Ipsos surveyed 1,003 adults concerning Americans' attitudes and behavior regarding impatience. Some of the findings included:

• While waiting in line at an office or store, it takes an average of 17 minutes for most people to lose their patience.

• On the phone, it takes about 9 minutes for most people to lose their patience.

• Women lost their ...

"It ought to be possible to live a Christian life without being a Christian," laments Roy Hattersley, a columnist for the U.K. Guardian. An outspoken atheist, Hattersley came to this conclusion after watching the Salvation Army lead several other faith-based organizations in the relief effort after Hurricane Katrina.

"Notable by their absence," he says, were "teams from rationalist societies, free ...

Rock star Courtney Love isn't used to waiting in line. She's used to the fame that came with her marriage to mega-star Curt Cobaine of the rock band Nirvana. She's used to the front cover of Rolling Stone magazine (October, 1998), and the wealth that came with her multi-platinum selling albums.

She's used to the black stretch limousine that dropped her off in front of the Manhattan Criminal Court building, ...