BookTrends: It Happened in Italy

"Meeting Walter Wolff was a bit of a miracle, for many rea­sons. First, he is a Holocaust survivor, and anyone who survived the Holocaust is, by definition, a miracle.

Second, he was in Dachau and was released when virtually no other prison­ers were. Finally, meeting Walter was a miracle because I actually opened my mail in a timely fashion! (I have been known to let what I call 'extra mail' pile up on my desk.)"

For more of the story, click here.

Miracle at Planned Parenthood

"People often ask me if I believe in miracles. Of course I do! I see them every day. Because a changed heart is nothing short of a miracle."


Click here for more of Chuck Colson's commentary.

A Caregiver's Prayer

"I'm fighting my share of battles these days as I watch my mother decline. Even when she is at her most hurtful and demanding, I must remind myself that I am not only caring for her; I am caring for Jesus through her. I don't always succeed as well as I desire.

For my fellow caregivers everywhere, as well as myself, I offer this prayer."


For "A Caregiver's Prayer," click here.

Conversation in a Body-Piercing Salon: Hurtful Language Picks at Tender Wounds, But There Is Another Way

"I nervously waited in the little room. My head swung around as a man in his mid-20s confidently strode in.

With his interesting ear piercings and tattoos that covered his arms and disappeared under his shirtsleeves, he fit right into the décor of the body-piercing salon."


For more on the conversation, click here.

Gum fight at the Chicago corral

"For a company used to peddling such slow-growing staples as coffee and cheese, Kraft Foods Inc. is looking to chewing gum to freshen its product line.

With British powerhouse Cadbury PLC agreeing last week to Northfield-based Kraft's more than $19 billion buyout bid, Kraft stands to suddenly be a strong No. 2 in one of the most attractive sectors of the global food industry — chewing gum. While gum is an age-old product, no part of Cadbury is growing as fast as its gum business."

Click here for a look at the gum industry and its players.

Resist the Spirit of the Age

"To their contemporaries, the first Christians were a most peculiar breed. They didn’t participate in the diversions and activities that everyone else did to satisfy certain lusts of the flesh (1 Pet. 4:1-4). They publicly and at no small cost repudiated cultural activities or artifacts that represented a worldview contrary to the teaching of Christ (Acts 19:18-20). They didn’t keep their religion to themselves, either; in fact, Jesus Christ was so much a part of their daily conversation that their unbelieving neighbors took to calling them the 'Christ-ones' (Acts 11:26)."


For more on T.M. Moore's perspective, click here.

A new show on State Street: Restored cast-iron at Louis Sullivan's former Carson Pirie Scott & Co. store dazzles anew

“'Jersey Boys' is no longer playing the Loop theater district, but there’s another show on State Street, and it lets you see one of Chicago’s architectural masterworks as you’ve never seen it before."


Click here for more on this stunning restoration.