"Forrest Gump": Accepted with Flaws

In the movie Forrest Gump, the mentally challenged and physically handicapped Forrest Gump reminisces about the ups and downs of his unique life. Early ...

"My Big Fat Greek Wedding": Unexpected Acceptance

My Big Fat Greek Wedding is a comedy based on the real-life experiences of Greek American actress Nia Vardalos. Toula Portokalos (played by Nia) is the ...

"Shrek": Looking Beyond Appearances

The animated movie Shrek celebrates the worth of society's undervalued people. It revolves around a boorish ogre, Shrek, who finds a friend in a talking ...

Children's Book, "The Velveteen Rabbit," on How to Become Real

The beauty that comes from experiencing God's love through exposure to the body of Christ is much like the quality of becoming "Real" in ...

"Dilbert" Creator on Influence

Scott Adams, creator of the popular "Dilbert" cartoon, tells this story about his beginnings as a cartoonist:

You don't have to be a "person ...

Crossing the Generation Gap

Bill is wild haired; his wardrobe for college is jeans and a T-shirt with holes in it. He recently became a believer while attending a campus Bible study. ...

Bono and Helms Model Acceptance

In a June 2001 column, religion columnist Terry Mattingly writes:

As lunch ended in the ornate U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee conference room, ...

"Toy Story": Belonging to God

In Disney's animated movie Toy Story, Woody (a plush toy cowboy) confronts Buzz Lightyear (a toy astronaut) with the fact that he is only an action ...

Knowing God's Acceptance

In his book, Connecting, Larry Crabb writes:

A friend of mine was raised in an angry family. Mealtimes were either silent or sarcastically noisy. Down ...

God Loves the Sinner

Recently my 21-month-old, who had just learned to say, "Daddy," had been struggling with asthma and an ear infection for two weeks. He coughed ...