By Jim Nichols Like others, I have been amused at news reports suggesting that younger people have difficulty telling time on an analog clock or watch. In our digital age, there is apparently something mysterious about a circular clock face with numbers and hands that move around the circumference. That contrasts with my rite of passage (like tying my shoes)

By Jim Nichols There are words in our language that can have quite different meanings depending on the context of their use. One such word merits our interest here; the word is “agency.” Most commonly, when someone uses that word the reference is to a division of the government, that is, some federal agency. For example, the Central Intelligence Agency

By Jim Nichols Sometimes I write to myself rather than to you, readers. I was probably six or seven years old when I received my first, very own Bible. Oak Park Christian Church must have had a Bible giveaway to children of a certain age. I was proud of that Bible; my father had wonderful printing ability, and he inscribed

By Jim Nichols The week between Christmas and New Year’s is an odd one in ways. Our normal calendar has no other major holidays so close together. They are different holidays in important ways, but for many of us, I am guessing, they are connected. For one thing, they disrupt our daily schedules. They re-position our work schedules and by

By Jim Nichols Who knows what the true trigger is? A person might be reading a book and the sensation starts. Perhaps a long-lost photograph falls from an old magazine where it was stuck for decades. Maybe a movie or television show touches on something you thought you had buried in your personal history and therefore successfully forgotten. Regardless of

By Jim Nichols As the American Christmas season nears, positive images are beginning to surround us. Memorable music, aromas, colorful lights, perfectly prepared special foods—we each have our favorite aspects. In many ways, it is a wonderful time. A friend once proposed to me that he thought the incarnation, not the resurrection, was the fundamental activity of Christianity. He defended

By Jim Nichols We remember Major League Baseball great Yogi Berra not only for his playing ability but also for his way of generating phrases that are awkwardly and weirdly true. An example is “You can observe a lot by watching.” It is a strange way of teaching the value of observation and active listening. In late December and early

By Jim Nichols If you are of a certain age and have attended a local church congregation in the past, you probably have a memory of an announcement such as: “Please sign up for an appointment time for you or your family to have a photograph taken for the upcoming church directory.” This seemed to occur about every eight to

By Jim Nichols As a university professor, I have written hundreds of letters of reference. Most of them have been for students applying to a professional school or for a scholarship or job. Occasionally, I have composed a letter for a colleague applying for a promotion or exciting growth opportunity. A recent recommendation request, however, was unique; it was from