Devotionals

Heights, spiders, snakes and roller coasters are some of the more common physical things that give rise to fear and can drive people to all kinds of irrational behavior.  The “fight or flight” response may cause someone to be combative or run away.  Other fears aren’t as obvious, but just as real, like loneliness, change, failure, rejection or being judged.  People respond in unpredictable ways to those [...]

One summer our family vacationed in Iowa to visit grandparents and other extended family.  During a humid afternoon the adults found their way onto the front porch where we were swapping stories and laughing together.  Some were sitting on the porch swing, others in lawn chairs and a couple were perched on the short patio wall.  As is common in the Midwest, a localized, afternoon storm had [...]

According to the Euro News, an elderly woman in Romania found a curious, 7.75-pound “reddish chunk of rock” in a streambed.  The stone served as a doorstop for decades until she passed in 1991 when it caught the attention of the relative who inherited the property.  Deciding to have it appraised, he learned the door chock was “one of the largest intact pieces of amber [...]

The Pew Research Center recently published an article entitled “Almost half of Americans say people have gotten ruder since the COVID-19 pandemic.”  It claims that 47 percent of people surveyed are convinced of this, with 20 percent categorizing public behavior as “a lot ruder.”  The article narrowed the categories of rudeness to smoking around other people, taking someone’s photo without asking, bringing a child [...]

You may be familiar with the vocal ranges of a standard four-part harmony—soprano, alto, tenor and bass.  There are, however, other lesser-known parts such as mezzo-soprano, contralto and baritone.  The lowest vocal register of them goes by the Italian title “basso profundo.”  (Think of Thurl Ravenscroft, the voice of “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” and Tony the Tiger.) In high school one of [...]

Pittsburgh Steeler Quarterback Cliff Stoudt was the first player in NFL history to earn a pension without ever taking a snap during the regular season or playoffs.  He was on the active roster for the first 56 games of his career without taking a single step onto the field.  In his unused backup role he even received two Super Bowl rings!  On public speaking [...]