J.R.R. Tolkien's 40-year Journey to Excellence

J.R.R. Tolkien, author of The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings, did not initially set out to write fantasy novels and create an entire world that he called ...

Russian Comedian Discovers American Grocery Stores

When the Russian comedian Yakov Smirnoff immigrated to the United States, he said that the thing he loved most about America was the grocery stores. He ...

Stanford Psychiatrist on the Dangers of Internet Use

A new book by a Stanford psychiatrist provides a sober warning about how our use of the internet is making us more angry, selfish, and impatient. In his ...

John Ortberg on the Importance of Spiritual Weaning

Stillness is always a prerequisite for receptivity. Telephones and television sets cannot receive messages when they are too filled with static and noise. ...

Olympic Figure Skater Paul Wylie on the Christian Life

At the 1992 Winter Olympic Games in France, American figure skater Paul Wylie won the silver medal. The victory came after a disappointing tenth-place ...

Why Dogs Have a Better Sense of Smell

Dogs do some things better than humans. For one thing, most dogs have a far better sense of smell than we do, and there is a physical reason for that. ...

How the Internet Creates a "Permanent Puberty of the Mind"

Before Shane Hipps became a Mennonite pastor, he was a former strategic planner in advertising. In both vocations, he has learned a great deal about how ...

Billie Holiday on Losing Despite Winning

Sometimes it's worse to win a fight than to lose.

—Billie Holiday, U.S. jazz singer (1915–1959)

Aquinas on Explanations

To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible.

—Thomas Aquinas, Italian Roman Catholic priest, ...

Christian Life: Getting a Feel for the Game

A common theme in modern Christianity has been that head knowledge is how one becomes more adept at following Christ: the more you know, the better you'll ...