The mountains and hills will burst into song before you. Isaiah 55:12 “Look, Papa! Those trees are waving at God!” As we watched young birches bending in the wind before an oncoming storm, my grandson’s excited observation made me smile. It also made me ask myself, Do I have that kind of imaginative faith? Reflecting on the story of Moses […]

A record rainfall more than tripled what was forecasted in Waverly, Tennessee, in August 2021. In the wake of the powerful storm, twenty people lost their lives and hundreds of homes were destroyed. Had it not been for the compassion and skill of helicopter pilot Joel Boyers, the loss of human life would’ve been even greater. The pilot took flight […]

Astonishingly, it took Handel only twenty-four days to write the orchestral music for the Messiah oratorio—today perhaps the world’s most famous musical composition, one performed thousands of times every year around the world. The magnificent work reaches its climax nearly two hours after it begins with the most famous part of the oratorio, the “Hallelujah Chorus.” As the trumpets and […]

By JIM DENISON, PHD It is estimated that global cybercrime will reach $10.5 trillion by 2025, an amount larger than every economy in the world except the US and China. For example, Los Angeles Unified, the second-largest school district in the US with more than 640,000 students enrolled, was hit with a ransomware attack a few days ago. Such attacks on schools and universities are on […]

By JIM DENISON, PHD The news broke this morning that freight rail companies and unions representing tens of thousands of workers have reached a tentative agreement to avoid a strike. Following all-night talks, the agreement now heads to union members for a ratification vote. While the vote is tallied, workers have agreed that they will not strike. Why is this news important to […]

JIM DENISON, PHD Kenneth W. Starr, a former federal judge and US Solicitor General, died yesterday of complications from surgery. Judge Starr served as president and chancellor of Baylor University and dean of the Pepperdine Law School. He argued thirty-six cases before the US Supreme Court and served as Independent Counsel for five investigations, including Whitewater and President Clinton’s affair with Monica […]

The Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land. Jonah 2:10 Michael was diving for lobster when a humpback whale caught him in its mouth. He pushed back in the darkness as the whale’s muscles squeezed against him. He thought he was done. But whales don’t prefer lobstermen, and thirty seconds later the whale spit Michael into […]

By JIM DENISON, PHD The Emmy Awards were held last night. Among the honorees: Zendaya won best lead actress in a drama series for HBO’s Euphoria, which is so sexualized and graphic that even Common Sense Media’s review is forced to use descriptions I will not repeat here. The same goes for their review of HBO’s The White Lotus, which won for outstanding limited series. I could go on. […]

By JIM DENISON, PHD I wish I had been in New York City last night to see the “Tribute in Light” in person. Each September 11, two beams, comprised of eighty-eight seven-thousand-watt xenon lightbulbs, are released into the sky to echo the shape and orientation of the Twin Towers. Just seeing the video of the tribute was deeply moving for […]

The Jews agreed to continue the celebration they had begun, doing what Mordecai had written to them. Esther 9:23 Despite living much of his life as a pagan, the Roman emperor Constantine (ad 272–337) implemented reforms that stopped the systematic persecution of Christians. He also instituted the calendar we use, dividing all of history into bc (before Christ) and ad […]

By JIM DENISON, PHD After yesterday’s announcement that Queen Elizabeth II’s doctors were “concerned for Her Majesty’s health,” crowds gathered near Buckingham Palace. Then, shortly before her death was announced, a remarkable scene unfolded: a double rainbow broke through the clouds over the palace. It was as though the Lord of heaven and earth wanted us to know that the queen had made her way […]

By Ian M. Giatti, Christian Post  When it comes to history, and American history in particular, definitions matter. In 2006, before becoming the leader of the free world, former President Barack Obama famously said, “Whatever we once were, we are no longer a Christian nation — at least, not just. We are also a Jewish nation, a Muslim nation, a Buddhist […]

Even today, with “charitable choice” still in its infancy, many charities that grew out of religious commitment have become dependent on money they receive from government grants and contracts. Interviews with charity leaders in Massachusetts suggest three ways in which government funding tends to remake providers in its own bureaucratic image: (1) Government funding causes organizational mission creep. This was […]

By JIM DENISON, PHD Have you heard of “quiet quitting”? According to Gallup, at least 50 percent of the American workforce is made up of people who are “not going above and beyond at work and just meeting their job description.” Only 32 percent say they are “actively engaged” at work. Harvard Business Review believes that the problem is “bad bosses, not […]

You have been a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in their distress, a shelter from the storm. Isaiah 25:4 My wife and I once stayed in a lovely old seaside hotel with large sash windows and thick stone walls. One afternoon, a storm ripped through the region, churning up the sea and pounding our windows like […]

By JIM DENISON, PHD President Joe Biden delivered a speech last night from Independence Hall in Philadelphia. I have been where he stood and was deeply moved by the experience. It was here, at the “birthplace of America,” that the Second Continental Congress signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776. Eleven years later, in the same room, delegates to the Constitutional Convention created […]

By  JIM DENISON, PHD A new poll asked Americans about changes in the US political climate, including whether divisions have worsened and what they expect for the future. Here were their responses: 66 percent believe political divisions have gotten worse since the beginning of 2021. 62 percent expect political divisions to get even worse in the future. 66 percent say political violence has […]

Tennis superstar Serena Williams announced earlier this month that she would retire sometime after the US Open, so her first-round victory last night captured headlines. However, a tennis event last week deserves attention as well: the US Open held a “Tennis Plays for Peace” exhibition to raise funds for Ukraine relief. Tennis luminaries such as Rafael Nadal, John McEnroe, and Coco Gauff participated. The event raised […]

This has been a mind blowing week for this Ol’ Polish Woman (OPW).  Since my fall last Tuesday my physical ability to do much of anything has greatly diminished – a hard thing for me to accept as asking others to do things for me has never been an easy thing to do. Add to that on the same day […]

By  DR. JIM DENISON When Matt Chandler became pastor of Highland Village First Baptist Church in 2002, the church averaged 160 in attendance. Now known as The Village Church (TVC), the DFW-area congregation has planted multiple churches and has grown to over fourteen thousand attendees. Chandler was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2009 but was declared cancer-free a year later following medical treatment. He […]