In the spring of 1989, Chinese students at Beijing University led in an uprising for democratic freedom. Their protest was over hardship, corruption, and forty years of repression. The conflict became so intense that the Chinese government ordered over three hundred thousand troops to use tanks and semi-automatic weapons to crush the protest. By early
When I was a young boy, I remember hearing the story about a farmer who had fallen on hard times. Times were so difficult that the farmer did not have enough money to buy oats for his mule. So, the farmer came up with a very creative idea and mingled a small amount of sawdust
Bill Hybels tells this inspiring story in his book, Who You Are When No One’s Looking. It started like so many evenings. Mom and Dad at home and Jimmy playing after dinner. Mom and Dad were absorbed with jobs and did not notice the time. It was a full moon and some of the light
“Rachael Sierra Stewart.” Hearing your name and watching you walk across the stage overwhelmed my heart with a flood of emotions. There was a sense of pride as the evidence of years of hard work had finally paid off. You finished in the top ten percent of your class, and we both know this was
On the morning of April 13, 1888, Alfred Nobel, a Swedish chemist who was the inventor of dynamite, opened the morning paper expecting to read the obituary of his older brother Ludvig. However, he was startled to read the headline, “The merchant of death is dead” The newspaper reporter in Paris had made a careless
Tom Elliff tells the inspiring story of playing a round of golf at the distinguished Augusta National where they play the Masters Tournament. Having come to “amen corner,” Tom was now standing on the tee box of the most famous hole in golf; the dog-leg left, par five, number thirteen. The beauty of the azaleas
In August 2012, a group of fifty tourists were visiting the Eldgja volcanic canyon in southern Iceland when it was discovered that one of the passengers was missing. During a rest stop, a woman described as “Asian, 160cm, in dark clothing, and speaks English well” had not returned to the bus. The passengers formed a
As I stood at the bus stop with my Mickey Mouse school bus lunch box in hand all geared for the first grade, making my way to graduation was the furthest thing from my mind. My heart was too caught up in the moment to look that far ahead. Many questions filled my mind on
Just a few days before Christmas, I laid to rest our family dog of nearly eighteen years. While no one would ever classify me as an animal lover with the likes of Steve Irwin, Saydee certainly held a special place in my heart. She came into our lives at a time when Jeanne and I
Several years ago, I recall reading a story line about a young couple who had fulfilled their dream of purchasing a Victorian home in an exclusive neighborhood. Their plan was to remodel the large, older home and to rent the two apartments on the first floor to help cover the cost of the monthly mortgage.
During the 1920’s, Arthur Berry was considered the world’s most famous jewel thief. However, Berry’s notoriety was not due to the fact he was a thief, but because of his rather ingenious, bold style of only stealing from the elite rich and only taking high class jewels. Known as a “Gentleman thief,” Berry was always
I once read a story that emerged from World War I of a soldier who became so discouraged and defeated during the war that he went AWOL and deserted his fellow troops in the heat of a battle. The soldier made his way to a nearby house and exchanged his uniform for the clothing of