The year was 1818. In the small alpine village of Oberndorf, near Salzburg, Austria, world history was made when a church organ broke down at the most inopportune time. A young priest named Joseph Mohr led a small flock of believers attending the St. Nicholas Church. Europe was still recovering from the Napoleonic Wars—life [...]

The Shroud of Turin?Alright…I can already hear all you scoffers and naysayers. Hang with me, here. You might find this interesting.First things first. There’s no doubt about the historical Jesus. He came, he preached and healed, and he died.We have enough independent accounts outside the Christian canon to verify his ministry. Consider:Flavius Josephus (c. 37–100 [...]

How can the same holiday tradition be both the snag in my season and the joy that steadies my heart—its memories clinging like ornaments to a well-worn branch? Growing up in a Jewish family in the 50s and 60s, God forbid a Christmas tree ever crossed the threshold. For a few years, though, our living [...]

A Historical Bridge... As you may know, I love history, so I’m naturally drawn to milestone events and their anniversaries—moments that invite us to reflect on the course of humanity. The years 2025 and 2026 mark two such world-changing events. On May 30th, in the year 325AD—1700 years ago—more than 300 bishops from across [...]

The fruit of Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is the story of a people in search of a new beginning. In 1620, the Pilgrims crossed the Atlantic hoping for freedom—to worship, to live without persecution, to begin again. They risked everything to gain the very gifts we often take for granted. Their first winter was a season [...]

A question that’s getting harder to answer. I had breakfast with some buddies last week, and this is what we talked about. Not that any of us are facing such a crossroad, but we have kids—in some cases grandkids—who are still sorting out their lives. I’m glad I walked that road a long time [...]

Karen and I will be on our own this Thanksgiving. There’ll be no bantering, no loud arguments, no too-many-cooks-in-the-kitchen chaos. You know what—we’re okay with that. Oh, we’ll miss the chaos, at least on one level. We love filling the kitchen with family and friends, breaking bread—or turkey, in this case—and sharing life as [...]

The first line of the song For What It’s Worth, by Buffalo Springfield—the rallying cry of the Baby Boom generation against the Vietnam War and the traditional mores of their fathers’ generation. They spoke out. They marched. They brought about a cultural revolution. The results? Some good, some bad. But the country was definitely [...]

What a stupid idea. The news sent me deep into a rewrite of one of my previous novels, the best place I go to escape sadness. The horror of Charlie Kirk’s assassination left level-headed people aghast. I mean, how can anyone celebrate the death of another human being—guilty of nothing more than standing up [...]

The memories behind the songs. (Some weeks ago, I submitted a series of posts on some of my favorite songs and the memories they elicit whenever I hear them. This is my final post on this subject, but please send me comments on your favorite songs and memories. I will post them in a [...]