Weekly Devotional

Do you like bubble wrap? It is a great invention that, frankly, came from a failed experiment. In 1957, two engineers were attempting to create a new type of wallpaper. They wanted to make three-dimensional, textured wallpaper, so they glued two plastic shower curtains together, inadvertently trapping pockets of air between them. Frankly, that doesn’t…

The expression “a penny for your thoughts” dates all the way back to around 1535, when Sir Thomas More used those words in one of his written works. It has been used throughout the centuries as a question for someone who appears to be deep in thought. If a person is silent or pensive for…

I learned a new word today: ultracrepidarianism. Want to take a guess what that means? There are some who may even look at the word and think they know what it means, then go and try to explain the word and be totally wrong. That would, in fact, be ultracrepidarianism. The meaning of the word…

Did you know there are 160,000 species of moths? At least that is what scientists think. Moths come in all sizes. There are really large moths that are almost the size of small birds. There are also really tiny moths that do not look like much at all. Moths, however, are all known for one…

The 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles came at a time when the United States had not participated in the Games for some time. The United States had boycotted the 1980 Games held in Moscow because of political tension. Thus, many of the athletes who would have competed in 1980 had to stay in top…

The Silver Bridge in West Virginia failed suddenly in 1967. As a result of this failure, forty-six people lost their lives. However, it didn’t really fail suddenly. It failed because of something that happened over time. It failed because of rust. A crack slowly formed and eventually became a 0.1‑inch fracture in one of the…

Have you heard of the blue dot plague? Until recently, I didn’t know of this phenomenon. When a person goes online to purchase a ticket for a concert or sporting event, they usually see all the available seats in the venue that are open for purchase. Many times, they are marked with a blue dot.

In Ohio, there is a marker placed in memory of a terrible event. It is one of two markers commemorating Vietnam veteran Gene Simmers. Gene was a combat medic in Vietnam. He earned a Silver Star for his actions in saving men under intense fire during one of the missions. That in itself is a…

Vibia Perpetua was a North African woman from the Carthage area. Born in 182 AD, she lived in a time when Christians were under constant persecution. From a wealthy family, she was married at an early age and, by the age of 21, had already given birth to a son. She discovered the Christian faith…

Over the years, people have confessed to me that one of their secret pleasures is watching a Hallmark movie. Some that I know even live for the Christmas season, when all the Hallmark Christmas movies come out. They like it because they know that all the movies are going to have a happy ending. All…

Melvin Kaminsky was a combat engineer during World War II. One of his main jobs was to deactivate enemy mines. It was a very high-stress job. Born in Brooklyn to Jewish parents, he lost his father when he was two years old. Growing up without a father affected him, but he persevered. Before he could…

Growing up my mother wanted me to learn to cook. Many times at meal time she would have me help with whatever was on the menu. Most of the time I really enjoyed that time and learned many little tricks for the kitchen that my mother taught me. There was one task however that I…

Every August in Abilene, Kansas, they held a parade all through town leading to the fairgrounds. It was a highlight to attend that parade and to see the floats, the new farm machinery, the clowns, the high school marching bands, and even the dignitaries who rode the parade route. Everyone in the parade was on…

Have you heard of the dog war? No, not the one that happens in neighborhoods around the world with dogs barking at each other through fences. Not the one where dogs fight over a scrap of food in the streets. Not even the one between family members who can’t decide if they should get a…