By JIM NICHOLS Church policy arguments can be tedious. If you are a member of a church with a clear non-local hierarchy, you have an advantage of having leaders you may not even know make policy decisions for your local group. You may not agree with those decisions, but you do not have to lose much sleep trying to make
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By JIM NICHOLS The sound was faint at first. As it became louder, we were able to sense some direction to it. It was coming near to us. Finally, not only could we hear the geese honking, but we could see a large group swooping from our back left to our front left. They were in the classic V formation,
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By JIM NICHOLS One of my favorite movies of recent years is “Hidden Figures.” In this 2016 film, the setting is the early 1960s and the exciting “space race” between the United States and Russia. The movie traces the lives and contributions of three African-American women, each of whom makes brilliant contributions to the eventual NASA launch of John Glenn
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By JIM NICHOLS In my more introspective moments, I consider how I have changed in my life. This is normal, of course, and it can be an instructive activity. Many wonderful people have enriched me and cared for me; indeed, many have sacrificed for me. I have had a blessed life compared to virtually everyone I know. When I consider
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By JIM NICHOLS “No more let sin and sorrow grow, Nor thorns infest the ground; He comes to make His blessings flow Far as the curse is found.” Somewhere in town is an unknown clerk at a convenience store who said just the right words: “Mister, are you OK?” Both the man and woman receive daily meals delivered by volunteers.
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By JIM NICHOLS Especially with younger people, one cannot always be sure when they are listening. Their facial expressions and body language may well look distracted, but their ears (and hearts) may be listening well. I was with the 13-year-old and the 15-year-old out for lunch, just the three of us. The conversation was just general chitchat. Speaking to the
Read moreBy JIM NICHOLS The two trees are rather like twins in many ways. They stand next to one another, separated by perhaps thirty feet. One of the trees is on the edge of our yard and the other is across our neighbor’s driveway in about the center of their front yard. Judging from the similar ages of our two houses,
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