In Java a unique wedding custom is observed. The day before the wedding the bride calls in all of her close friends. In their presence she burns her dolls, toys and other cherished tokens of her childhood. Then her friends console her in the loss of these mementos by giving her many presents -- new objects identified with...

Many people in Ghana, Africa are very devout. They express it in the names they give to their business enterprises. There is a Hail Mary Plumbing Shop. You can to go to the I Love Jesus Dry Cleaner. You can refuel your car at the God is Great Gas Station. Personal names also reflect this unusual custom. One American visitor said...

The May/June issue of Worth magazine carried a story about an exclusive community on New York City's upper East side. You would need an income of over one million dollars a year just to live there. The people who do, give an average of $ 11,000 a year to charity. That's one percent of their income. The article noted that...

Several months ago a tornado struck the small town of Piedmont, Alabama. Twenty people were killed. Most of them were inside the Goshen United Methodist Church at the time. Among those killed was the daughter of the pastor. Later, The pastor was interviewed by television news reporters. She said, "Having your faith...

Christmas has not always been celebrated on December 25. For centuries the Eastern Orthodox Church observed January 6 as the celebration of the birth of Christ. Eventually most of the world adopted December 25, but there are still areas in eastern Europe and the Middle East where January 6 is Christmas. This was known...

Consumer Reports put out a little book entitled "How to Clean Practically Anything." It tells you, what solvent to use for a particular stain. Glycerin will remove the stain from a ball point pen. Boiling water will remove berry stains. Vinegar will remove crayon stains. Ammonia will remove blood stains. Alcohol will remove grass...

Old and new are always relative terms, especially when an American visits Europe. For example, in Delft in the Netherlands there is a New church built in 1420! The new church was built on the site of the old church. The site for the old church was chosen for an odd reason. The land is swampy and swamp gas could sometimes...

Last year in Boone, NC, Shelby Jean White was found guilty of murder in the first degree. It was a bizarre case. She murdered a local woman, buried the body, and then took that woman's identity. For some months she pretended to be the other woman, writing checks in her name, using her name when she answered the...

In the Sixth century the Emperor Justin II presented to the Vatican a cross. It was made of gold and covered with precious stones. The value of it is beyond calculating. In the center was a splinter of wood. That splinter seems out of place in such a jeweled cross until you know that Justin believed it was a splinter of...

When silent film star Rudolf Valentino died, nine thousand people passed by his casket every hour and the viewing lasted for three days! The Lord Jesus knew no such homage. Those who passed by His cross only taunted Him. There were only a few who came to His tomb: Nicodemus, a few faithful women and two apostles...