By JIM NICHOLS Perhaps you feel as I do that sounds during the night seem different than the same sounds in the daytime. The blowing wind is more noticeable, the living room clock strikes more clearly, car and truck traffic usually drowned out by other noise now comes to the surface.  It is not exactly an inner-city hospital, but it

By JIM NICHOLS She looked like a regular university student, but she was carrying a background that made her unique and, to me, especially positive. She was a “missionary kid” and had spent most of her life in a country and lifestyle much different from mine. She told me that it had taken her several months after arriving back in

By JIM NICHOLS If one tends toward a somewhat cynical view, transitions in life do not seem so significant as they do to others. Graduations, proms, weddings, and even funerals can be described as simply human concoctions that are trivial in their true importance. There is work to be done, decisions to be made, and thoughts to be considered—let us

By JIM NICHOLS Perhaps you have heard the joke about the man who went for a walk. During the walk, he saw a woman talking to her dog. When he got home, the man told his cat about it and they both had a good laugh. The relationship between humans and animals is an eternal and fascinating one. The Bible

By JIM NICHOLS Conflict is a regular part of our lives. This is no different than in Jesus’ time. His teaching about loving our enemies presumes we have at least one. His teaching on turning the other cheek presumes we have already been struck on one side. And yet, one of the centerpieces of his beatitude list in Matthew chapter

By JIM NICHOLS Perhaps we try to make this too complicated. God’s requests of us as His people are relatively few; the list may be challenging, but they are not mysterious. The dilemma for us is not that we do not know what God desires; we just do not want to behave that way. The hospital announcement requested a chaplain

By JIM NICHOLS There is much to be said for simply paying attention. This may be short- or long-term. Since we seem to be unable to control (or even influence) much of what occurs in our lives, we must move on to trying to decipher the meaning of what does occur. For those of us trying to follow God, this

By JIM NICHOLS The editor sent me a message that she wanted a new photo of me. It was apparently an artistic request of some kind. I complied but realized that I am in the group of people who may not relish seeing a photographic image of oneself. I do not have a large complaint, just a preference. In our

By JIM NICHOLS The preacher was clearly saying it on purpose. At first, those of us in the congregation did not notice it. Perhaps we attributed it to the fact that he was young (as was I) and new. Soon, like something blurry becoming clearer, it came into focus. Some churches, including this one, take the Bible quite seriously. In