By JIM NICHOLS During my years of college professor work, I often envied the students’ enthusiasm, naivete, and joy for life. I did look out from the front of the classroom, however, and be thankful that my life as a college student was in the past. Although life is good in many ways for a student, did I really want

By JIM NICHOLS Another author used the phrase “receiving the moment” as a paraphrase for contemplation and it struck a positive note with me. It was an admonition to pay closer attention and see what memories and aspirations God calls up from seemingly unnoticeable events. The biting wind of the day had relaxed to near zero leaving only a clear,

By JIM NICHOLS The cartoon was making a wry attempt at humor. The boy said to his father, “It got dark real early. Why is today the shortest day?” The father’s reply was, “I guess 2020 is finally giving up.” Winter solstice has come and gone recently. This is an event with a long history of meanings. Officially, this marks

By JIM NICHOLS Many of us have heard that preachers (or writers) often preach or write what they, themselves, need to hear. When the product comes out, it may not be obvious, but I believe it is often true. That is an admission from me that I want to talk to myself here and let you listen in. These seem

By JIM NICHOLS “Bench research” describes scientific endeavor that involves, at least partially, standing at a laboratory bench doing experiments. This might involve test tubes, various liquid solutions, small machines, and, in the case of a biologist, some sort of living organisms. The goal is to generate numbers that have some meaning or usefulness. I have done a lot of

By JIM NICHOLS Several weeks ago, small flags appeared in our front yard. Our next-door neighbors were re-financing their house and one of the legal requirements was to identify the true boundaries between the properties. Boundaries are apparently important to all of us. In recent days, more flags have appeared, this time in our back yard. After asking my permission,

By JIM NICHOLS If you understand anything about computers, you know more than I do. Most of us carry around a small computer we use as a telephone but also use for many other purposes. Many of us have access to a larger computer that we use for gathering and sorting information, communicating, and, frankly, playing. My hunch is that

By JIM NICHOLS One of my favorite musical shows is Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. The first time I saw it I was fascinated how the creative artists put together a charming and important lesson from the Bible featuring catchy songs and great dancing. It tells the story of Joseph’s life from being (literally) cast out from his family