David McCullough’s book, The Great Bridge, tells an engaging and enlightening story about the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge, which arches the East River and joins Manhattan to Brooklyn. In June 1872, the chief engineer of the project wrote, “To much of the public that might imagine that no work...Read more
In his book Life Essentials, author Tony Evans remembers during his days at Dallas Seminary how one of his favorite professor’s, Dr. Howard Hendricks, told them of how his fifth-grade teacher tied him to the chair in an attempt to make him behave. When he went to sixth grade, his...Read more
Phillips Brooks, the former New England pulpiteer, was known for his calm demeanor. So you can guess the surprise of his associates when they found him pacing up and down the floor of his study like a lion in a cage. One of the friends asked, “What is the trouble,...Read more
The guy was obviously down in the mouth as he sat on the park bench. He was so depressed looking that a policeman who was patrolling the area sat down, and sought to console him. “Something the matter?” asked the policeman of the young man who was staring into space....Read more
After the Civil War in the fall of 1865, John Broadus and the faculty of the fledgling Southern Baptist Seminary in Greenville, South Carolina, became burdened for more preachers of the gospel to help heal the nation’s gaping wounds. To help remedy that situation, John Broadus prepared a seminary course...Read more
I have a friend in ministry who has a wonderful habit of invariably finishing a conversation especially when talking about difficult problems or people with the words, “It is all good.” His words are based on the wonderful promise of Paul in Romans 8:28 where those loved by God are...Read more
A generation back there was a famous Hollywood actor named Spencer Tracy who starred in such notable films as "Captain's Courageous" (1937), "Father of the Bride" (1950), and "The Old Man and the Sea" (1958). Most people in that day thought he was the best actor they had ever seen....Read more
The inimitable and inspiring C. H. Spurgeon once said, “Often when I have been traveling on the Continent I have been obliged to put up at a hotel that was full, where the room was so inconvenient that it scarcely furnished any accommodations at all. But we have said, ‘Oh,...Read more
You and I live in a world of access codes, security measures, digital barriers, and restricted use. We need ID cards to enter certain buildings, we need thumbprints to access our smartphones, we need passwords to retrieve particular computer files, and we need PIN numbers to get money from our...Read more
During the war of 1812, the Congressional Library became a casualty of war and was destroyed by the British. Afterward, Thomas Jefferson sold his 6000-volume library to the government to help restart a new Library of Congress. Later he would write to his friend and colleague John Adams, “I cannot...Read more