Pests—bugs and rodents—even the thought of them makes our skin crawl. But pests find their way into everyone's home at one time or another. The question is, do we hate these pests enough to do what it takes to get rid of them? One survey says that depends on what sort of pest is in the house. Researchers found that people will dish out their hard earned money for an exterminator—meaning ...

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Several years ago I ran a marathon. I trained hard to be as prepared as possible, but there's a part of a marathon that's always hard to prepare for. A marathon is just a little over 26 miles, but experts tell you not to run over 20 miles in your training. That means the last six miles of a marathon are "no man's land." You don't know what you're getting yourself into. You may hit a wall. You may ...

A little while ago, my wife kidnapped me and took me to Napa Valley for a romantic, overnight getaway for just the two of us. I had never been to Napa Valley before. It's lovely. What struck me as I was going past the vineyards was all of the thought and action that went into the rows of vines. A fruitful, productive vineyard is a thing of beauty. But here's the thing about vineyards: they don't just ...

In my experience, signs follow decisions. The way you overcome spiritual inertia and produce spiritual momentum is by making tough decisions. And the tougher the decision, the more potential momentum it will produce. The primary reason most of us don't see God moving is simply because we aren't moving. If you want to see God move, you need to make a move!

I learned this lesson in dramatic fashion ...

Bee Movie centers on the life of Barry B. Benson—a maverick bee who is less than enthusiastic about taking his place in the hive as a life-long worker. When Barry takes an unauthorized trip into the human world, he makes a shocking discovery: humans are stealing the honey that bees work so long and hard to produce.

Incensed at the injustice, Barry files a lawsuit on behalf of all bees demanding ...

On February 25, 2008, the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life released a study entitled The U.S. Religious Landscape Survey. Based on interviews with 35,556 adults, America is "constantly shifting amid religious choices" and "unaware or unconcerned with doctrinal distinctions." Here are some telling highlights from the study:

• Forty-four percent of those surveyed said they've abandoned "the religious or secular upbringing of their childhood."
  
  

If any athlete was known for focus, it was Michael Jordan. In Jordan's book, Driven from Within, Fred Whitfield, president and chief operating officer of the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats basketball team, tells a fascinating story about something Jordan did while getting ready to go out one evening. When Jordan asked if he could borrow a jacket from Whitfield, he found that Whitfield's closet was filled ...

Unlike Israel's exile, our process of secularization is not clearly marked by a hostile takeover. We are losing the land by way of a thousand little changes.

—Jo-Ann Badley, U. S. professor

In his book We Are Still Married, Garrison Keillor wrote a hilariously subversive essay called "The Current Crisis in Remorse." It's written by a fictitious social worker who was once employed as a "professional remorse officer" in the Department of Human Services. Because America cares very little for the pain of regret, the poor guy didn't even get an office—just a desk across from the elevator ...