Choosing Junction City, Kansas, Over Disney World

My pastor decided to pull a vacation surprise on his four children. "We're going to Junction City, Kansas," Peter told them. "It's ...

The Uplifting, Stirring Nature of Belief

Here's a little experiment: start a sentence with the words "I believe…," and then finish it with something deeply heartfelt. It ...

Playwright Eugene O'Neill Writes About Life After Death for Lazarus

Early in his career, the great American playwright, Eugene O'Neill, wrote the imaginative play Lazarus Laughed. It's about Lazarus's life ...

Harvard Studies Happiness

In 1937, a researcher at Harvard University began a study (originally named The Harvard Study of Adult Development) on what factors contribute to human ...

Our Preposterous Fantasies

God has made [our] fantasies … so preposterously unrewarding that we are forced to turn to him for help and for mercy. We seek wealth and find ...

Father Learns Valuable Lesson at Son's Baseball Game

Philip Ryken writes in “He Speaks to Me Everywhere”:

During one memorable at-bat the spring of my son's first baseball season, he repeatedly ...

Man Shares Memory of Mother's Faithful Witness

A few years ago, ChristianityToday.com asked readers to share how much their mothers and grandmothers meant to them. In response, Bill Fix, of Taylor, ...

Experiences of Beauty Serve as Signposts

What is the most beautiful thing you have experienced this week?

Maybe something you heard. Maybe some beautiful music—perhaps in church, or in the ...

Tony Campolo Experiences Powerful Moment at Funeral

Tony Campolo writes:

I went to my first black funeral when I was 16 years old. A friend of mine, Clarence, had died. The pastor was incredible. From the ...

A Christmas Memory from Author Walter Wangerin Jr.

In The Manger Is Empty, Walter Wangerin Jr. shares personal memories from past Christmases. In a chapter entitled "A Quiet Chamber," he recalls ...