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

By Jim Nichols Consider this as a public service announcement. In many hospitals at this moment a small group of family members has gathered because another member of the family group is ill or injured—perhaps even near death. Here is an abbreviated version of that difficult conversation.  Child #1: This is totally freaking me out. How did he ever get

By Jim Nichols Who plays the role of “priest” in your life? Who plays the role of “prophet” in your life? You may be confused by the questions and want to respond, “No one.” I suggest, however, that each of us has individuals in our life that come in and out and they play important parts in determining who we

By Jim Nichols He unrolled a long section of white paper with heights marked off on it with a black felt pen. The marks were in feet and inches. After taping it in the correct position on the back of a bedroom door, he used snapshots of previous years to add dates such as “1-1-54” and “1-1-55” on smaller pieces

By Jim Nichols My parents subscribed to Reader’s Digest when I was growing up. This small magazine has articles that do what the title says—they digest/summarize written items from a wide variety of sources. For some years there was even a book-sized version for purchase in which famous full books were reduced to more quickly readable sizes. Even as boy,

By Jim Nichols She sensed that her elementary-aged child was reluctant to go to school one morning. Speaking to the child, she said, “I believe that God has a surprise for you today. I want you to keep your eye out for it and tell me about it when I pick you up this afternoon.” Some might suspect that this