The two men conquered human flight, but the Wright brothers’ journey to success was never easy. Despite countless failures, ridicule, money woes, and serious injury to one of them, the brothers weren’t stopped by the trials they faced. As O…

London is a cosmopolitan city, with people from many nations living side by side. This coming together of people from around the world can bring much richness—including amazing food—but it also has its challenges. For instance, I was sadden…

Driven by powerful winds, the fire raged for days. The historian Tacitus describes a chaotic scene filled with screams and citizens running for their lives. In the end, nearly two-thirds of Rome had been destroyed by the ad 64 blaze. The Roman emperor …

In ad 155, the early church father Polycarp was threatened with death by fire for his faith in Christ. He replied, “For eighty and six years I have been his servant, and he has done me no wrong. And how can I now blaspheme my king who saved me?&r…

In his Confessions, Augustine wrestled with how it was possible for God to be in relationship with him. How could the One who created the universe come into something as small and sinful as his heart? But he pleaded with God to make it possible, prayin…

The face was there all along, but no one knew. When Sir Joshua Reynolds painted The Death of Cardinal Beaufort in 1789, he put a demon’s face in the darkness behind the dying man. Reynolds was accurately depicting a scene from a Shakespearean pla…

I couldn’t wait. My husband and I had just returned from the grocery store; and as we unloaded the groceries, I frantically searched—but couldn’t find the telltale donut bag. Then I checked the receipt. No donuts. Frustrated, I cried …

At our school district’s championship wrestling match, children as young as eight grappled on gym mats, deploying clever holds to wrestle down their opponents and win. An ancient sport, wrestling demands a savvy combination of takedowns, escapes,…

Jason and Pierre had worked together for a decade putting siding on houses. They were good friends, but neither was talkative. As they worked, they said hardly a word. Yet they knew each other so well that this was seldom a problem. The two could rely …

The elderly man was taking a long time looking at the children’s backpacks in the store. He told me, “It’s my granddaughter’s birthday. I hope she likes my gift.” At the check out, he clutched a pink backpack with a cartoo…