By Dr. Barry Thornton In the timeless classic It’s a Wonderful Life, George Bailey, played by Jimmy Stewart, tries to make sense of his topsy-turvy life and the fleeting purposes for living that he almost loses, due to regrets and missteps at a critical time in his life. Clarence, an angel trying to earn his […]
By Dr. Barry Thornton In the movie, Mr. Holland’s Opus, Glenn Holland spends his entire life teaching music in a local high school, postponing his dream of writing a musical score as a part of his life’s work. As the movie winds down, Holland’s job is eliminated, leading to a sense of frustration and the […]
By Dr. Barry Thornton New homes grew from an average of 1,660 square feet in 1974 to 2,400 square feet in 2004, according to Grant McCracken. Houses have gotten bigger while the average family size has gotten smaller. And yet, in spite of these facts, our hunger for more stuff has grown out of control. […]
By Dr. Barry Thornton Sometimes divine appointments occur in our daily lives when we’re least expecting them. Sometimes they happen 30,000 feet in the air. Twenty-five years ago I encountered such a lofty appointment. I had just taken off from Sky Harbor airport in Phoenix, having concluded a mission trip in the mountains of Arizona, […]
Dr. Barry Thornton Forrest Gump, at the grave of his beloved Jenny, lamented life’s design: “I don’t know if we each have a destiny or if we’re all just floating around accidental-like on a breeze.” Some form of Forrest’s pondering is what we all have asked at some time in our lives. Our purpose for […]
