Strangers in the Land

I find new foreign foods and unusual customs a fun adventure. Yet while traveling internationally, my thoughts are never far from home. Although people make me feel welcome in their countries, two of the many things that make me feel like a stranger are my tastes and...

Spiritual CliffsNotes

I must make a confession. During a literature course in college, I did not read the assigned books; instead I used CliffsNotes — study guides that present and explain literature in shortened form. Many would criticize my shortcut. There is certainly no...

Set in My Ways

Change is hard. Brain researcher, Dr. Gerhard Roth of the University of Bremen in Germany, explains why. "The brain is always trying to automate things and to create habits, which it imbues with feelings of pleasure. Holding to the tried and true gives us a...

Am I a Pharisee?

Sometimes it is just easier to be a Pharisee — justifying my thoughts and actions as righteous. I can easily point out the good I do and hide the true attitude of my heart — the sin that lives there. The fact is that I want you to believe that I am a good...