Last week, my brother-in-law, Rusty Morris, died. It was not unexpected, as he battled brain cancer for nineteen years. But it is undoubtedly painful. The sobering separation that death brings between us and our loved ones is hard to capture in words. Suzy compared it to feeling like something is just not right, like wearing a shoe on the wrong foot. As we stood over Rusty’s grave, I told my sister, “This is not the way it’s supposed to be.”            But death is part of life. It comes for [...]

             One of the most entertaining parts of the World Cup this summer is watching how visitors to the United States react to various aspects of our country. Whether it is the Australian guy who could not stop praising the goodness of Texas Roadhouse or the Europeans who cannot fathom the bigness of a Costco, people are stunned by America’s greatness.              But are restaurants and grocery stores what make America great? As we celebrate America’s 250th birthday this month, it seems worthwhile to pause and reflect on what makes [...]