WORDS ARE TOTALLY INADEQUATE … at times like this. What in the world can anyone say to make what happened at Virginia Tech this morning make any sense? Any? Any at all? It doesn’t make sense. It’s not supposed to. If it did, I suppose, we’d really be in trouble. As I’ve watched the death toll climb each time I’ve logged on to CNN.com — from two, to 20 to 30 to 33 and, please God, no higher — something... Read more

PONDER THIS: WE’RE RICH This is my buddy Rob Bell in a clip from one of his more recent short films (Noomas, is what they’re called). Something to think about, something to talk about, something to ponder. Deeply. And this is what Rob’s up to next. Clever boy. Read more

CUBS LOSE (MOAN, SIGH, GRUMBLE), BUT GOD GIRL MIGHT WIN Despite such a promising start — our boy Zambrano even hit a lovely home run, for goodness sake — the North Siders couldn’t pull it off. So we keep praying as we always do. Such is the faith of a Cubs fan. Promising news for God Girl: Cathleen learned today that she is a finalist for the Templeton Religion Reporter of the Year. The winner will be announced Sept. 29... Read more

HOPE SPRINGS ETERNAL: GO CUBBIES! We’re headed to our first Cubs game of the season today. And we believe in the power of prayer, so here’s one for our beleaguered home team. May God have mercy on their soles. A Prayer for the Cubs(from www.fergiejenkinsfoundation.org) Dear Lord, If I should die before they win,Oh how sad my life will have been. Please dear Lord grant me this one thing,Allow the Cubs a trophy home to bring. Allow their bats to... Read more

GODSTUFF: NOT-SO-IDLE THOUGHTS ON HEALING THE PLANET The Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity got me to stop idling. They didn’t accomplish it with guilt, browbeating or a ruler. The good sisters did it with a song. Idling, in and of itself, is not inherently a bad thing. For the rejuvenation of the body and spirit, for instance, a good portion of restful idle time is a necessity. But idling in my car in the parking lot while I reapply lip... Read more

THURSDAY: TRAVEL DAY Hi kids,God Girl is (begrudgingly) making her way back from the wilds of Montana to the wilds of Chicago today so there won’t be much posting to be done. She’ll be back tomorrow with a column (and an interview with our favorite singer, Bruce Cockburn) and other stuff. In the meantime — because we have Bruce and forests on the brain — here’s an oldie but a goodie of his from 1989 to keep you busy while... Read more

SAD NEWS: JOHNNY AND JUNE CASH’S HOME DESTROYED BY FIRE This is such terribly sad news out of Tennessee (and via The Tennessean): “Camelot.” That’s what June Carter liked to call the Hendersonville home she shared with her husband, Johnny Cash. “She thought of it as her and dad’s private kingdom,” wrote the couple’s son, John Carter Cash, in his Anchored In Love: The Life and Legacy of June Carter Cash, a book slated for June release. The Cashes’ Camelot... Read more

TODAY IN GOD:RELIGION NEWS BITES FOR YOUR SNACKING PLEASURE ____________________________________________________________________________________UK Hospital banned hot cross buns to avoid offending non-ChristiansHospital staff claim they were banned from handing out hot cross buns this Easter in case they upset non-Christians. The decision disappointed patients at Poole Hospital in Dorset and angered catering staff. In an email to their local paper, sent on Good Friday, catering staff said: ‘We the kitchen staff of Poole Hospital were disgusted to find that the patients were not... Read more

ANOTHER ROADSIDE ATTRACTION During the last two weeks, I’ve spent many hours on the back roads of western Montana, watching the drama of the natural scenery change. On Tuesday’s drive from Whitefish to Missoula alone there were mountains, hills, lakes and disappearing streams (now they’re here, but they won’t be in a month or so once the run-off stops), sunshine, rain, and sideways snow that decorated the evergreens along Rt. 83. In addition to the natural wonders of Montana, the... Read more

RETIRED FLINT, MICHIGAN CONSTRUCTION WORKER UNCOVERS THE MYSTERY OF HOW STONEHENGE CAME TO BE … This is fascinating. Flint, Michigan. Who would have thunk it? Well worth the watchin’. Read more