Posts by D C

I have visited Bethlehem only once and that was nearly fifty years ago, but I will never forget the experience.  As is true of other Christians, I came not as a tourist, but as a pilgrim.  Tourists are attracted to sacred sites for many reasons.  Some come out of curiosity.  Some come because they’ve been…

If you have been paying attention to collegiate sports, you will undoubtedly notice that more and more athletes are competing for their second and sometimes third college or university.  Being curious about this trend, I opened the NCAA site that lists the guidelines for transferring and eligibility.  I’m not qualified to evaluate these guidelines in…

It has been a joy to have our grandchildren with us for Thanksgiving this year.  Not having been with them for eight months, we’ve marveled at how much they’ve grown and what new interests they have.  Our granddaughter, aged six, asked to help prepare the Thanksgiving meal.  Our grandson, aged nine, is still not too…

It is always rewarding when people tell me that they’ve enjoyed reading one of my books. We authors hope that what we’ve written informs and entertains, but there’s nothing like a supportive comment from readers to encourage us to continue writing. My wife has written letters to authors whom she enjoys, and quite often she…

Whenever I am asked to speak to a group, my favorite part is the question and answer time  that follows my remarks.  That is when I, the speaker, become the listener, and I always learn something. This was my experience last week when I spoke on the joy of writing to residents of Compass Park.…

Those of us raised in religious families can easily be so familiar with our faith’s sacred stories that we can hear one of those stories without really listening to it.     This overfamiliarity is shattered when someone offers a new translation or updates a too-well-known faith story.  A story that has grown stale over time…

One of the Israeli government’s initial acts in the aftermath of Hamas’ attack on Israel took me by surprise.  Israel’s ambassador to the Vatican conveyed an urgent message to Pope Francis.  The message was more a demand than a request, and that demand was for Pope Francis to portray Israel unambiguously as the victim and…

To understand the off and on, and now full-on conflict in Israel and Gaza, we have to understand the stories that lie behind the violence. These stories on all sides are ancient, but they continue to empower the people who love them. These stories provide something worth living for, worth dying for, and, for many,…

Having taught at Franklin College for over four decades, I have found Homecoming to be one of my favorite college events.  This was especially true this fall, when Homecoming fell on the last weekend of September.   The weather could not have been better for this year’s celebration.  There have been Homecomings in the past when…

It’s not often that I can write a column that features the rock group KISS and Pope Francis.  But those two stars aligned this past September 1.  KISS performed a concert at a small town near where we vacation in the summer, and, at the same time, Pope Francis was in Mongolia.  The town I’m…