The Commons

One of the strangest conversations I’ve ever had on the phone was with Charles M. Schulz, the creator of ”Peanuts,” which was read by over 350 million people around the world. He died at age 77 in 2000, and on the 20th anniversary of his death I may tell the…

“There is nothing that can replace the absence of someone dear to us, and one should not even attempt to do so; one must simply preserve and endure it. At first that sounds very hard, but at the same time it is a great comfort, for one remains connected to…

Actor Clark Gable . . . was a legendary ladies’ man, but some suggest the accent was on the legend. AS his third wife, Carole Lombard, said: ‘Listen, he’s no Clark Gable at home.” The real test of discipleship: not can you be Jesus to others, but can you be…

A church secretary was accustomed to answering the telephone, saying “Jesus loves you. This is Alice. How can I help you.” Once, the telephone rang while Alice was deeply engrossed in a conversation with an office colleague. Thus distracted, she picked up the phone and said, “Alice loves you. Jesus…

“In 1911, the Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre Museum in Paris. It was missing for two years. During that time, more people came to the museum to stare at the blank space than had come to view the masterpiece itself in the previous twelve years. Doesn’t that sound…

A worker was employed by the highway department to paint a center line in the middle of a road. The first day, he painted two miles. The boss was very pleased. The second day he painted one mile. The boss was curious, but still pleased. The third day the man…

Martin Buber (1878-1965)  was one of the most read Jewish philosopher and theologians of the 20th century. He is famous for his “I-Thou” formulation of relationships and his forging of new modes of Jewish-Christian dialogue. At a recent three-day meeting in Rome (July 2015) organized by the International Council of…

Rejected? Don’t get discouraged. Alfred Knopf turned down “The Diary of Anne Frank” on the grounds that it was “very dull.” This “reject” has sold more copies in the Western world than almost any other publication other than the Bible  

God will work in us. God will work with us. God will work through us. But God will not work for us.  

“I was in my late twenties, so I had a business, but nobody knew who I was at the time. I was headed to the Virgin Islands and I had a very pretty girl waiting for me, so I was, umm, determined to get there on time. At the airport,…