Sam Rayburn Defined Community

Years ago, when speaker of the house Sam Rayburn heard he had terminal cancer, he shocked everyone when he announced he was going back to his small town ...

Dead Man Lacked Community

In the September 20, 2004, issue of MacLean's magazine, Lianne George recounts this tragic story:

One November day in 2002, Jim Sulkers, a 53-year-old ...

We Were Meant to Live in Little Platoons

When he left Rivendell, Frodo didn't head out with 1,000 Elves. He had eight companions. Jesus didn't march around backed by hundreds of followers, ...

"Glory": A Worshiping Community

The movie Glory dramatizes the true story of the first black regiment to fight for the North during the Civil War. The 54th Regiment from Massachusetts ...

The Feast That Cost Everything

There's a wonderful story by Isak Dinesen called Babette's Feast, about a strict, dour, fundamentalist community in Denmark. Babette works as ...

"Lord of the Rings" Taught Viggo Mortensen About Community

The lesson is the union with others is more significant than your individual existence. It doesn't deny the importance of your individual existence; ...

Americans Live in Isolation

Novelist Jonathan Franzen writes about our increasing isolation:

In 1890, an American typically lived in a small town… Not only did his every purchase ...

Old Man Becomes Mentor

Robert Lewis writes in an article for Leadership titled "Noble Masculinity”:

Robert Bly said, "If you're not being admired by other ...

How Tuning Forks Produce Tone

Consider a tuning fork. It delivers a true pitch by two tines vibrating together. Muffle either side, even a little, and the note disappears. Neither ...

Friends Carry Doubting Widower

In the book Stories for the Journey, William R. White tells about a European seminary professor named Hans and his wife, Enid. World War II forced them ...