On May 29, 1925, Percy Fawcett sent a final letter to his wife before he ventured deeper into the unmapped jungles of Brazil. He was seeking a fabled lost city of great splendor, determined to be the first explorer to share its location with the world …

One Thanksgiving I called home to greet my parents. As we talked, I asked my mom what she was most grateful for. She exclaimed that she was most grateful that “all three of my children know how to call on the name of the Lord.” For my mothe…

When I was a little girl, I loved the old hymn “Count Your Blessings.” The song encourages those who are “tempest-tossed” and “thinking all is lost” to “count your blessings, name them one by one.” Years …

When I was younger, I thought it improper to ask God to help me meet writing deadlines. Other people have greater needs, I told myself. Family problems. Health crises. Job letdowns. Financial needs. I’ve faced all those things, too. But meeting a…

Alida took a DNA test in 2020 and discovered a strong match to a man living on the opposite coast of the US. Later, she and her daughters found news articles from the 1950s that led them to conclude that the man was Alida’s long-lost uncle, Luis!…

Mario was a 28-year-old crack and alcohol addict who was imprisoned for burglary. At his sentencing the judge said he was “a waste of a human life.” Mario sadly agreed. Midway through his jail time he saw an advertisement for a journalism c…

My father first locked eyes on my mother at a party in London. Next he gate-crashed a second party, then organized a third, just to see her again. Finally, he asked Mum out for a country drive, picking her up in his old Rover sedan—his treasured …

Two pilots fell asleep in the middle of their flight over Indonesia. While the commanding pilot had permission to nap once the plane reached cruising altitude, he woke up to find that his co-pilot had also dozed off. The two were asleep for about thirt…

Do you ever feel like a fraud? You aren’t alone! In the late 1970s two researchers identified “imposter syndrome” as the condition of doubting one’s skills, talents, or abilities and interpreting ourselves as a fraud. Even succe…

The freelance project wasn’t working out well. The clients were demanding what seemed to be the impossible, and I was stressed and discouraged. My first reaction was just to walk away from it, which would mean not getting paid for the work I&rsqu…