By Jim Nichols You probably have heard the joke about the man out for a stroll on his street. He encountered a woman walking her dog and speaking to the dog as if it were a human. He was so amazed that he went right home and told his cat and they both had a good laugh about it. It

By Jim Nichols Writer and Christian thinker Henri Nouwen has said succinctly: “There are no times or places without choices.”  Most of the choices we make are of low consequence—a choice to get up today, a choice to stay home or go somewhere, a choice where to sit in the room, a choice to read this or not. But even

By Jim Nichols A catchy advertising slogan is an important part of business. It might be a rhyme or a semi-joke, but potential customers need to remember it.  As a boy, we took family summer vacations in the car. Part of the treat was staying in a “motel” a few nights unless we were visiting relatives. Motels then were single

By Jim Nichols At the entrance to a large multi-store like Walmart or a grocery store, it is common to encounter a person or two (usually including children) with boxes in front of them containing either puppies or kittens. They are at some distance from the store itself on the driveway leading to the store. They hold cardboard signs advertising

By Jim Nichols The chorus concluded the last notes, and the director dropped her hands during the silence. Immediately, applause erupted from the audience. The conductor gave a thumbs-up to the chorus, smiled, and turned to the audience and bowed. She stepped to the side and waved her hand to the chorus as the audience continued applauding. Then, the conductor

By Jim Nichols Mystery, problem, enchantment, thin places. Author Joan Didion, when asked her discernment of a topic, replied, “I don’t know what I think about it until I write about it.” That response came to mind when a friend asked me what I thought about “mystery.” What is it? Is it different from a problem? What is a mystery

By Jim Nichols There are words that we commonly use that are in the “squishy” category. That is, we use them in such diverse ways that, I suspect, we might have difficulty in defining them. One such word or concept is “inspiration” or “inspired.” Whereas one might think this should be a word with religious connections, we often use it

By Jim Nichols It was constructed of blue metal with white trim, four wheels, colored wooden beads right at bite level, and a wooden “driving” handle.  One of my treasured snapshots from childhood shows me sitting in that era’s version of a baby stroller—a Taylor-Tot. I was about one year old. That was a popular early life purchase for new

By Jim Nichols There are eight items on the fireplace mantle. In the center is the ticking clock that is approximately accurate. The other seven items are photographs of grandchildren. One of those photos sits on top of the clock and will be there for the current week. The other six are to the left and right of the clock.