Fasting and Lent: What’s It All About?

Fasting and Lent: What’s It All About?

Today is the beginning of Lent, a time when many Christians practice fasting in preparation for Easter. Even if you personally don’t observe Lent, this is a good opportunity to learn about fasting and why Christians do it. Lent isn’t the only time for fasting by far—...
Church, the Musical: Why Is Everybody Singing

Church, the Musical: Why Is Everybody Singing

Walk into any church, and one of the first things you’ll hear is singing. The style of music you’ll encounter varies. Some churches have a worship band with guitars, a keyboard, and drums. Some have a small orchestra with string and brass instruments. Others...
Hakuna Matata (It Means “No Worries”)

Hakuna Matata (It Means “No Worries”)

“Hakuna matata! What a wonderful phrase! Hakuna matata! Ain’t no passing craze! It means no worries, for the rest of your days… It’s our problem-free philosophy… Hakuna matata!” (Walt Disney Records) Is the song stuck in your head now? Disney’s The Lion King (1994) is...
A Single’s Perspective on Valentine’s Day

A Single’s Perspective on Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day can be traced back to the first Feast of Saint Valentine in A.D. 496. Somewhere around A.D. 1400, it took on the association with love that it has today. From the 1500s to the 1700s, the tradition of lovers exchanging greeting cards (valentines) and...
Dark Times, Hope, & Groundhogs

Dark Times, Hope, & Groundhogs

Groundhog Day (February 2) has come to be a day of hope when we look forward to the end of winter and the start of spring. I’m sure you’ve heard of Punxsutawney Phil, the famous weather-predicting groundhog of Pennsylvania. In a tradition going back to the 1800s, if...