In 605 BC a young man named Daniel was captured when Nebuchadnezzar and his Babylonian army marched to Jerusalem and took many of the people back to Babylon, along with some of the vessels used in the temple. Many of them were trained to work in the king’s administration, including Daniel. Throughout his years in…

In the ancient Roman world, a barbarian was anyone who was not Roman. To be Roman was to be civilized, to be part of the broader culture. There was a general sense of shared values and a shared language. To be outside of this accepted norm was to be barbaric. A barbarian could become Roman…

Years ago my wife and I decided to start a family. She left the regular workforce and began volunteering with Project Literacy to fill her time. One Sunday we visited a church and also visited a class for young married couples. I’ll never forget this particular woman who walked up to us, full of confidence…

In the small college I attended, a professor nearly universally adored would often offer hilarious one-liners. If he saw a student distracted and not doing what he or she should be doing he might say, “Don’t just do something; stand there!” One of my favorite lines is—and yes, I have completely and forever stolen this…

“For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in that which I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem to be a joy, and her people to be a gladness. I will rejoice in Jerusalem and…