Like much of the country, we’ve had a mild winter and, recently, unseasonably warm weather that has ushered in an early spring. Unlike much of the country, that means that spring is coming not just a week or two early, but about six weeks early! Last year, we didn’t have consistent temps in the 60s until May, with snow flurries on the 1st and 2nd of that month. So it’s an understatement to say that we are rejoicing to have spring-like weather on the first day of spring rather than having to wait until May Day. The photo below, of the Jefferson Monument viewed through Cherry Blossoms, captures a traditional herald of spring...

“For God so loved the world…” We’ll hear this familiar and beloved verse again this Sunday. But do we stop to consider what it means? For God so loved the world, the whole world, and everyone in it. This picture of residential buildings in a district of the Chinese city of Qingdao reminded me of an experience I’d often have as a kid while driving down the interstate at night in my parents’ car. I’d watch all the headlights whizzing by and wonder how on earth God could know all these people, listen to all their prayers, and love them all. It was mind boggling. And it still is. Yet that’s the...

I count myself among the lucky in that I stumbled upon Suzanne Collins The Hunger Games shortly after it was published and so had a chance to read it, love it, and recommend it to others way before the film buzz. (Of course, that also meant that I had to wait a full year in between each of the successive two volumes!) Since then, I’ve been wondering about the phenomenal appeal of this book. Not only is it tremendously popular but it’s been one of the stories that has most stayed with me in recent years (indeed, I’ve read it a couple of times now). I’ve also been wondering about how we might read it with our kids (both in our families...