Orange County’s latest project cost $35 million and is located on a ten-acre campus with state-of-the-art housing for up to four hundred homeless occupants. Each separate area is entirely soundproof and temperature-controlled. The five-star facility is two stories and over thirty thousand square feet. It features a large reception area with friendly greeters, large outdoor … Read more
I suspect the title of this blog post caught your attention right away! Why would someone ask such a strange question? Paul did in the fifth chapter of his first letter to the Corinthians. He ranted about this situation for the entire chapter and told the Corinthians to expel the man who was living with … Read more
The other day, I officiated at a funeral, though we don’t use that word much anymore. Calling such events celebrations of a life is much more popular. The word funeral reeks of morbidity. However, I had a difficult time associating the word celebration with this woman’s life. Her life was not easy. She was a … Read more
Laura Ingraham is supposed to be a mature woman with a primetime TV show. Why did she verbally attack a seventeen-year-old Parkland High School survivor for not getting accepted at four of California’s top universities? She paid a price for her bad behavior, but why did she do it in the first place? The world’s … Read more
King David has long been one of my Biblical heroes—or so I thought. The story of David versus Goliath is a powerful metaphor for facing life’s challenges. The little guy takes on the big and the powerful—and wins. I always envisioned the great King David as the prototype for who and what the Messiah should … Read more
I wrote this blog post at the airport in Havana, Cuba, while Annie and I waited for our flight home. We were in Cuba for only three days, so I realize that my viewpoint is rather limited. From the moment Annie and I stepped off the plane until we stepped back on, we felt like … Read more
I kid ye not! The Faith of Donald J. Trump: A Spiritual Biography is a brand-new book cowritten by David Brody, a reporter for the Christian Broadcasting Network, and Scott Lamb, a Southern Baptist pastor. I’m being a little facetious, but I thought that maybe the book would be ten pages long with a big … Read more
The February 26, 2018, issue of Time magazine featured several articles on the theme of how to live longer better. One article entitled “You Asked: Do Religious People Live Longer?” insinuated that going to church might increase longevity. My last book, Cramming for the Finals, was dedicated to a Roman Catholic priest, Father Tom Schutter, … Read more
Have you ever imagined Jesus as a no-nonsense tough guy? I suspect not! Too many people see Jesus as a saccharinely sweet Mr. Nice Guy, a doormat who wouldn’t hurt a flea. Many paintings depict him as a bit effeminate, with long, wavy, well-coiffed hair and a flowing white gown, which doesn’t strike most people … Read more
In a previous blog post entitled “Mother Teresa and Doubting Thomas,” my editor included a painting by Caravaggio of Doubting Thomas sticking his fingers deep into the chest wound of the “resurrected” Jesus (also shown here). When my editor first showed me the picture, I thought that it seemed a little morbid, but when I … Read more