This year is the 400th anniversary of the King James Version of the Bible, and that makes it a great time to read Alister McGrath's delightful book In the Beginning: The Story of the King James Bible and How It Changed a Nation, a Language and a Culture (Anchor).
A woman was visiting a relative who was stationed in Germany. She assumed that most Germans would speak English, but found that many people spoke only their native tongue, including the ticket inspector on the train.
From a Christian Post article: "The majority of Protestants and evangelicals believe good people and people of other religions can go to heaven, according to author David Campbell. Campbell, who co-wrote American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us, contends that surveys of 3,000 Americans, used to write the book, show that American people of faith, though devout, are very tolerant -- so much so that most believers also believe good people, despite their religious affiliation, can go to heaven.
I have tried everything. Really, I have worked so hard at it. My sincere desire is to be successful, but I don't do well at it. Memory is not my forte. Folklore tells me my memory will improve the older I getwell at least for things in the past, not necessarily for the things in the current stream of life.
Hidesaburo Ueno, a professor of agriculture at the University of Tokyo in 1924, wanted a dog for companionship. After looking at some dogs, he chose an Akita born on a farm near the city of Odate whose name was Hachiko. The Japanese name was a combination of hachi, meaning "he was the eighth born in the litter" and ko, meaning "prince or duke."
Cooking relaxes me, especially grilling. I can taste the brats or the marinated chicken breasts basted in raspberry vinegar and oil, the grilled vegetables or corn in the husks. My lips are smacking already as my taste buds are fantasizing about juicy hamburgers as the smoke and smell rise from the grill.
Have you seen the Christmas classic, It's a Wonderful Life? Surely, you know the story. Down-and-out banker George Bailey stands over an icy river, ready to end it all, asking God to strike his name from history's roll. At that moment, a friendly angel appears and takes George on a tour to see how life would have turned out for his town if God honored his request.
Every parent knows the frustration that follows a complaining child. Kids are notorious for voicing their feelings about the current condition of their lives. "I'm hungry!" "I'm thirsty." "I want my own room." "When are we going home?" The pitter-patter of little feet is adorable; the constant grumbling of a child is aggravating.