The enemy poured toward Rome like a river of iron. Citizens ran. Soldiers argued. Someone shouted, “It’s over—save yourselves!” Then one man stepped onto the narrow wooden bridge—the only road into the city. Horatius. Arrows hissed. Spears rang. He didn’t deny the danger; he denied despair the last word. “Cut the bridge,” he called to […]

In 1969, public broadcasting was on the chopping block. The proposal was to cut funding in half—from $20 million down to $10 million. The Senate hearing was chaired by Senator John Pastore, a sharp, no-nonsense questioner who wasn’t easily impressed. Fred Rogers was given only a few minutes. He didn’t argue. He didn’t match the […]

Let’s start with a picture we can all see. Engineers sometimes aim a small spacecraft at a huge planet—not to land there, but to swing around it. That move is called a gravity assist. On paper it looks like a stall, a pointless loop. But that loop gives the craft the speed and direction it […]

  That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” … A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Notice the order in Mark 4. First comes a sentence, then comes a storm. “He said to them, ‘Let […]

When Jesus says, “I am the vine, and you are the branches,” He is giving us more than a poetic image. He’s describing a reality we all live in. If you’ve ever seen a vineyard, you know the secret to its beauty and abundance isn’t just in the sunshine or the soil—it’s in the pruning. […]

Matthew 18:10-14 is one of Jesus’ most radical teachings. He tells us that God, like a shepherd, will leave ninety-nine safe sheep behind and set out after the one who’s gone missing. Most of us, if we’re honest, would hesitate to take that risk. Our nature is to protect what’s stable and let go of […]

Remember the old story of The Ugly Duckling by Hans Christian Andersen? It begins with a duckling who looks different—awkward, gray, clumsy—and is rejected by all around him. No one sees any hope for him. He’s considered ugly, unwanted, hopeless—a weed among ducklings. Yet, throughout this story, there is patience. The duckling patiently endures harsh […]

Psychologist Barry Schwartz, in his insightful book The Paradox of Choice, reveals a powerful truth: endless freedom does not lead to endless happiness. Schwartz carefully demonstrates that while freedom to choose seems like the ultimate source of satisfaction, too many choices often lead to anxiety, regret, and dissatisfaction. We stand paralyzed in supermarket aisles, endlessly […]

The Black Mirror episode “Nosedive” powerfully captures the unsettling direction our culture is moving toward. It depicts a world where every human interaction—each smile, each greeting, each conversation—is instantly rated by others through a smartphone app. Your personal rating becomes your social currency, influencing your career, relationships, and even where you’re allowed to live. The […]