Not much is known about Adelaide Pollard, and that’s sort of the point. She was a humble servant of God who wanted no recognition for herself. At the age of forty, she felt a strong calling to be a missionary to Africa, but that door was closed to her, leaving her greatly discouraged. Yet Adelaide…
In April 2019, a fire broke out in Notre-Dame de Paris—the city’s famed medieval cathedral—destroying the spire and a “forest” of oak beams supporting the lead roof. Almost immediately, plans formed to restore the cathedral. Donations poured in from across the globe and craftsman have undertaken restoration using the same building techniques and the same…
As I visited a patient in the hospital, I was struck by the actions of a young doctor standing with a team of other inexperienced physicians. The group listened as a more seasoned doctor explained about the patient’s health. Suddenly, the patient anxiously announced that she needed to use the bathroom and couldn’t get up….
When Chris McCandless wandered off the grid and into the Alaskan wilderness, he expected to return. But he crossed the Teklanika in April, well before summer ice-melt would swell that river into an impassable torrent. Months later, out of food, McCandless couldn’t get back. His tragic death is memorialized in book and film. The people…
Lillian Colón, who grew up in an orphanage, beat out four hundred dancers to win a coveted spot on a world-renowned dance team. She performed with that group, with its tightly ordered synchronized choreography, until her mid-forties. Now teaching dance at age seventy, she imparts to students her greatest lesson from precision artistry: work together….
As the Taliban swiftly overran the Afghanistan government in 2021, and tens of thousands were trapped with no way to escape, many were isolated and desperate. Ordinary citizens jumped to action, including one young man who launched an Instagram campaign, raising $7 million to pay for chartered evacuation flights. “We’ve shed the political divisions in…
When I visited Ecuador’s Amazon region with my father many years ago, we took a fun speed boat ride to a small village to take in the sights and learn about the local tribes. My dear dad bought me handmade jewelry, including a set of earrings. I only wore those earrings on special occasions, including…
A pilot and his two daughters took off from Soldotna, Alaska, on a sightseeing trip. Their small plane, however, never made it to its destination. After several local pilots began searching for the missing aircraft, one named Terry Godes finally spied its nearly submerged wreckage on a partially frozen lake. The three family members were…
A judge used a unique approach to address shoplifting—sentencing offenders to wash cars in a local store’s parking lot as part of their community service. He hoped it would deter future thefts and serve as a vivid reminder of the consequences of wrongdoing. He emphasized that actions have consequences and accountability matters. The judge’s sentence…
Kiribati, an island country in the Pacific Ocean, is the only nation in the world that exists in all four hemispheres of the globe. The thirty-three islands of Kiribati straddle both the equator and the 180th meridian. It’s also one of the most remote nations in the world. We serve a God who cares about…