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As we drove to church, I saw a small creature up ahead, weaving across the four-lane highway, headed for the safety of the trees. We were going in the opposite direction, but as we got closer, I could see it was a raccoon—a skinny raccoon. Odd for October, since they usually bulk up for winter. Plus, raccoons are normally active at night, not in the daylight. We slowed down, only to see the raccoon spin back into oncoming traffic and stop in the median. It seemed stunned and unaware of the cars barreling toward it. It stood [...]

Talk about hitting the glass ceiling! With the odds stacked against him, English glassmaker, William Blenko, pushed through three failed attempts to start a glass factory in the United States. Finally in 1921, when he was sixty-seven years old, he succeeded in Milton, West Virginia. He lived on three dollars a week, slept on a cot rigged from two spare tires, and made his home in the corner of a drafty glass shack. Working by himself, he blew melted glass into a long hollow tube, cut the ends off, sliced the tube open lengthwise and reheated it [...]

Does anyone remember the tattooed lady at the circus? Her image was splashed across bright, sideshow banners along the midway, each one designed to pull in the curious and coax them toward the ticket booth. Among them was Emma de Burgh, the late 19th century performer whose upper back displayed an intricate tattoo of Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper. Emma performed alongside her husband, Frank, whose back featured a large depiction of the Crucifixion. During the Victorian era, tattoos were considered scandalous, and the couple chose religious and patriotic motifs to project virtue and respectability to [...]

As we approach America’s 250th birthday, the contrast between our founders’ deep reliance on Scripture and today’s fading biblical engagement is unmistakable. Current faith-related surveys report: The Bible is still the best-selling book in the world, but usage has declined sharply in the United States. Only 39% of Americans read the Bible at least once a week, down from 50% a decade ago. Twenty-six percent of Americans have never read the Bible. Biblical literacy has dropped, and many Americans cannot identify basic stories or teachings. Digital Bibles and apps have increased access, but not necessarily engagement. [...]

As we said goodbye to my teenage son at the Greyhound Bus Station in Fredericksburg, Virginia, a man wearing an overcoat approached. He gave us a toothless grin, then threw his coat wide open, revealing dozens of watches. “Wanna a watch?” he said. “Just $20.00 for a Rolex.” This was my introduction to the world of knockoffs. Since then, I’ve been offered counterfeit luxury items in Mexico, Japan, Hong Kong, the Philippines, local swap meets, and online platforms. Everyone loves a bargain, don’t they? Like Gucci or Louis Vuitton designer handbags at a fraction of the cost. [...]

Mothers come in all shapes and sizes. The one on my front porch had a reddish-brown breast and soft dusty blue on her wings and tail, giving her a classy appearance. We’d put up a nest box to attract bluebirds, and she perched on its roof, then peeked inside to inspect it. Meanwhile, her escort whizzed around our yard, proudly displaying his brilliant “look at me” cobalt wings as he scrutinized the nearby plants and flowers. I found myself echoing Henry David Thoreau’s words: “The bluebird carries the sky on his back.” Apparently, the pair liked what [...]