By JIM NICHOLS During the construction of biology classes for college students, instructors have developed certain patterns. There are areas that need to be addressed in readings, lectures, and discussions because they are agreed upon central concepts of the discipline; somewhere during the semester the topics need consideration. The students’ interest in certain topics may be high or low. Despite

By JIM NICHOLS I could hardly wait until I was eight years old and eligible to play Cub Scout baseball. That was the earliest age at which boys in my city had the option of being in an organized league with dads as coaches, real bases with chalk lines, caps, and t-shirts with major league names on them for uniforms.

By JIM NICHOLS The call came saying that a patient had died, and the family had requested a chaplain. Sometimes, chaplain visits are repeated to the same patient, but usually they are single visits such as this. This was one of the larger patient rooms and, when I entered, the patient was lying in the bed right inside the door.

By JIM NICHOLS An instructor friend in the religion department got in trouble with administrators because of a teaching technique that is potentially harmful, but overall positive. Despite his problems, I believe it is the way by which God wants us to learn and grow. Learning and growing are not completely positive events when they are in the process of

By JIM NICHOLS He hoped he had put on enough antiperspirant/deodorant that morning. He was facing one of the periodic daunting challenges of being a graduate student. In this case, he was seated on one side of the conference table and three of his professors were opposite him.  There were no rules; they could ask him any questions they wished.

By JIM NICHOLS At first glance or encounter, a labyrinth seems to be a maze; it is a path with twists and turns seeming to go nowhere. On closer attention, however, one realizes it is a path leading eventually to the center. Their meditative value is that they mimic the varying positions of life, eventually leading to a center of

By JIM NICHOLS We have all been there. We are sitting in a waiting room with both hope and fear. Behind that door is someone we have not met who will make a decision that could change our lives significantly. As an applicant for the job, we chose our clothes carefully. A mentor told me to “. . . dress

By JIM NICHOLS It seems noticeable to many of us that we are living in a fearful world. Perhaps humans have always felt that way, but I believe the amount of information to which we have access today accelerates our fearfulness. When this basic fearfulness combines with the wonderful creativity (for better or worse) of humans, the stage is set

By JIM NICHOLS The names are made up, but the story is common. David’s father, Ralph, was seriously ill. Ralph had a constellation of physical problems and he had been hospitalized for at least two weeks this time, growing weaker by the day. It seemed to everyone that this would probably be his last stay. Ralph certainly did not lack