The Storm Saturday Night
It was a big storm. The television showed weather updates. The radar looked like red-and-yellow vomit.
“Find shelter!” the weather guy kept saying. “There’s a tornado on the ground in Calera!”
Inspiration
Walking to Jerusalem
Have you ever wondered what Jesus was thinking as he headed to Jerusalem for what would be His final Passover? He knew where he was going, he knew why he was going, and he knew what would happen. And because of you and me, He did it anyway.
The Great Shipwreck
Anna and her four young daughters were on a trip to England on the SS Ville du Havre. It was a French steamship. All iron. Built like a tank. Except, of course, tanks weren’t around yet. This was 1873.
One Afternoon at Winn Dixie
The kid was filling a shopping buggy. He was reaching for a bag of tortilla chips on the top shelf. I saw one of the older ladies in our aisle reach upward and remove a bag of Tostitos for him.
Oh My Dog
“Dear Sean,” the letter began, “there’s a dog in my neighborhood who was lost and followed me home.
I Would Walk 500 Miles
In a few weeks my wife and I will be walking 500 miles unless we die before we finish. We will be walking the Camino de Santiago, a medieval religious pathway across Spain. We will be on foot. With backpacks. And we shall not be called “hikers,” but in the ancient Spanish tongue: “Locos Americanos con mochilas.”
Letter From a Humble American
Husbands and sons. Carpenters and clergymen. Some rich, some poor. Some carrying the nicest firelocks money could buy. Some wielding nothing more than a pitchfork. I was playing my fife for them.
A Man Named Paul
Paul William Bryant was born in the late summer of 1913 in a Cleveland County, Arkansas, backwater. His hometown of Moro Bottom wasn’t even a town, technically. Only seven families lived there.
Sweet Georgia Barbecue
Columbus, Georgia. I was eating at a barbecue joint not far from the state line. My cousin, John, insisted that this joint serves the best barbecue in the state of Georgia. He made me promise to try it.
Road Trip!
When you decide to take a road trip, how do you prepare? Are you a list-maker or a risk taker? Just over 2000 years ago, Jesus was preparing for the greatest road trip of all time.
When You Wish Upon a Star
I saw a shooting star. A big one. I was exiting Walmart. Pushing my buggy. It was dusk. The sky was pink. I looked into a cloudless sky and there it was.
Defiant, Disruptive, and Unforgettable: The Parallel Legacies of Churchill and Trump
Since his iconic descent down the escalator, President Donald Trump has faced relentless attacks unlike any other figure in modern U.S. history. Despite enduring the slings and arrows of his fiercest critics, he has defied the odds, staging a remarkable political comeback. Throughout American history, only one other president—Grover Cleveland—has won a non-consecutive term. Beyond …
Uncle Sam’s Children
I was late for a plane when I saw him. The freckled kid was in uniform. Operational camouflage combat fatigues. Reverse-flag patch on the right shoulder. High and tight haircut.
A Woman Named Honey
Her name is Honey. She is in the meet-and-greet line after one of my shows. She holds one of my books. White hair. Tiny frame. Maybe five-foot.
Incline Our Hearts to Wisdom
King Solomon was one of the wisest men to ever walk the earth. Does his advice still hold true for us today?
Powerless and Terrified? Welcome to the Human Condition.
There’s nothing quite like the gut-wrenching realization that you are not in control of the world. You can hustle, plan, vote, save, and fight, but at the end of the day, your power is a fragile illusion.
The Woman Who Tried to Die
It happened in Washington, the Evergreen State. It was late. There was a woman about to kill herself. She was young. Standing on the ledge of an overpass. Holding a stuffed animal. Hair blowing in all directions. She was really going to do it.
The Rainbow Bridge
A little boy walked into the little church, unannounced. It was a weekday. A country church. Clapboards. Tin roof. The kind of church that—until a few years ago—only had window-unit A/C.
A Few Good Men—And Women, of Course
“A lot of people might think the world is falling apart,” he wrote to me. “But they’re wrong. I’ve been on the other side. There’s lots of good people out there.”
Keep Me From Stumbling
What does the Bible have to say about sickness and healing? Actually, a whole lot!