Big Tex has nothing on this church
KERENS, Texas — Big Tex was born here. The 55-foot icon of the Texas State Fair got his start in this small town — south…
Insight
Listen: Can our churches be houses of healing?
In the midst of a global pandemic, I found a story of hope in modern-day Israel. I talk about it on the "Common Grounds Unity…
Handyman has a heart for Honduras
CAMPAMENTO, Honduras — I met Donnie Anderson at a garbage dump. Sort of. I was in Honduras in 2012 covering an effort by missionaries to…
‘9/11 taught me to seek out the light’
Twenty years ago I was driving to work on the Tuesday before my first Friday deadline as a reporter for The Christian Chronicle. The song…
Do we really need a Lord’s Supper devotional on Sunday night?
When Tim Tannich passed the seven-minute mark in his communion devotional, I squirmed in my pew. I mean, this was the 5 p.m. Sunday service…
After a year without camp, lyrics are hard to remember. God’s presence isn’t.
NORMAN, Okla. — I forgot the words to “Days of Elijah.” “It’s something like ‘these are the days of the harvest,’ right?” my brain asked itself…
Angels get the burned rice
NEYBA, Dominican Republic — Burned rice is a delicacy here. Or not. I’m still a little foggy on the stuff they call concon. It’s the rice…
How a Sunday Bible hour became a masterclass in suffering and grit
OKLAHOMA CITY — “Hi, my name is Tyler, and I’m an alcoholic.” That’s not what I expected to hear in Sunday morning Bible class. …
A journey from a food truck to an Air Force cargo plane and back again
ALTUS, Okla. — Whenever we come to this southwestern Oklahoma town to see my wife’s folks, we hit all the high points — Roberts Drive Inn, Luigi’s…
Requiem for a passport and a parrot
‘This parrot is no more! He has ceased to be. Bereft of life, he rests in peace. If you hadn't nailed him to the perch…
