Being More Like Mary Than Martha at Christmastime

In Luke 10:38-42, Jesus decides to visit the home of a woman named Martha. When he arrives, he finds Martha distracted by all the tasks that come with ...

Mattress with One Million Dollars Tossed in Garbage

Jesus warned against piling up money on earth, because money comes and goes. A sad reminder of the vulnerability of money came with the June 2009 news ...

How to Pray in an Economic Crisis

During one of the most volatile periods of the current economic crisis...Philip Yancey received a call from an editor at Time magazine. The editor's ...

Mother of Addict Discovers She's an Addict, Too

[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 ...

What Weeds Can Teach Us About Worry

In some parts of my lawn, the grass is thick and green. In other areas, it's sparse and dry. There are even a few places where the grass is missing ...

Immigrant Unaware of Legal Status

Wilfredo Garza lived the life of an illegal immigrant for more than 35 years. Year after year, he eked out a living crossing the border from Mexico into ...

Finding Comfort in the Worshiping Community

I got the news that I was sick on the afternoon of my 39th birthday. It took a bit of time, travel, and a series of wretched tests to get the specific ...

The Risk of Hope

To hope is to risk frustration. Therefore, make up your mind to risk frustration.

—Thomas Merton, Trappist monk and writer (1915–1968)

Chemistry As Religion

In his book High Society, Joseph Califano, the chairman of the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, talks about the ...

"Akeelah and the Bee": Girl Overcomes Her Fears

Akeelah and the Bee is the story of a talented South Los Angeles girl who overcomes her fears and all other obstacles to compete at the National Spelling ...