Commentary

Growing up, we may have let peer pressure get us involved in something without thinking it through fully. When our moms found out, they would ask, “If everyone was going to jump off the bridge, would you go jump, too?” Mom was sincerely looking out for our well-being. She said this to make us think, Why am I about to do this thing everyone else is doing? But how...

For years, my dad has run—not jogged—down an unpaved road located just a few miles from our home. “The Old Dirt Road,” as we called it, was just one of the many farm roads that decorate the American South. This three-mile, undeveloped byway served my father well for his exercise of choice after a hard day’s work. It also served me, by giving me a chance to learn...

Most people are familiar with British author Beatrix Potter’s The Tale of Peter Rabbit, which indirectly became associated with Easter through the familiar children’s song “Here Comes Peter Cottontail.” But where did Easter come from, and what does any rabbit have to do with celebrating Christ’s resurrection?

In the well-known biblical account of the prophet Jonah, God instructed His reluctant Israelite servant to deliver a warning to the city of Nineveh, an Assyrian stronghold. Assyria was traditionally a bitter enemy of Israel. Jonah unwisely attempted to shirk his duty and flee from his responsibility. To get away, he booked passage on a ship in Joppa (modern-day...