Pastor of Jackson Memorial A.M.E. ZIon Church, Hempstead, NY; Husband of Calandra Y. Branch; Father of Isidoa Branch, III and Yvette R. Branch
You’ve probably seen the signs: No Shirt. No Shoes. No Service. Or if expressed in the positive: Shirt and Shoes Required. Such signs came to widespread promine...
My husband’s serious illness left him weak. But when a physical therapist prescribed exercises to grow strong again, Dan showed little interest. Then one day I ...
With his team winning comfortably, Philadelphia Eagles’ superstar football player Saquon Barkley rested on the bench. There was no need for him to continue play...
While out walking the family dog, my nephew Andy was hit by a car. Someone saw the accident and stopped to give him CPR and call for an ambulance. A ventilator ...
When Monica’s son Augustine wanted to leave home for a city known for its immorality, she pleaded with God not to let him go. But he went anyway, which greatly ...
After being jobless for a year, Ethan finally got a good offer—but his wife stopped him from accepting it. “Is this good for you?” she asked. “It’s a night...
Where were the packages? An inner-city church was having problems receiving deliveries. Although its office staff requested that online orders be dropped off in...
In ancient Greece, actors on stage would portray the emotions of their characters by wearing masks that either expressed tragedy or comedy. Masks also allowed t...
It was raining, bringing the temperature down even more. We were on a multiday hike in Nepal, and leaving the warm mountain lodge to venture into the freezing w...
In a film about a vigilante crime-fighting hero, the protagonist seems to be waging an impossible war. Not only is his city overrun with violence and theft, but...
Six-year-old Tiana clasped her hands. She prayed as she scanned the crowd, glancing toward the front door of the church. Her classmates waved at guests settling...
In a letter dated September 13, 1943—five months after his imprisonment for opposing the Nazi regime—Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote his parents. He asked for books a...
One particularly catchy book promotion featured the auctioning of the chance for readers to have their name in print. Willing participants could pay to have the...
The British TV reality show Portrait Artist of the Year pits nine amateur painters against each other in creating portraits of a local celebrity. The images hav...
At a large university, an artist painted ten stunning portraits of the men and women who keep the university running: those working in maintenance, food se...
Lillie Cunningham is 110 years old, yet she isn’t reliant on a cane or walker. She does rely on Scripture, however, which she reads every morning and night—and ...
Can you imagine sprinting as hard as you can possibly run . . . without being able to see? That’s what happens in Paralympic guide running. Blind runners compet...
The world watched the news in horror as the sightseeing helicopter flying over the river tore into pieces. As the main rotor and tail broke off, the cabin plung...
In September 1963, Welsh artist John Petts heard the news that a racially motivated bombing of 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, had killed fou...
“You have to be careful about the snakes, insects, jaguars and everything else,” said archaeologist Ivan Šprajc. Wielding chainsaws and machetes, he and his tea...
