High-fives, multi-colored powder, beat-bumping bass, and 15,000 pumped-up runners took center stage in Grant Park at 7:30 a.m. yesterday for Chicago’s first annual Color Run – aka, “The Happiest 5K On the Planet.” I can’t decide if this, or my Down & Dirty 5K in May, was more fun – either way, I ended up… Continue reading Color Run Chicago: A Recap of the Happiest 5K on the Planet
Category: Profile
Are Mumford & Sons “Christian?”
Alternative/folk group Mumford & Sons is back with another chart-topping album release, Babel. With banjos and guitars abounding, their newest release has created a stir in both mainstream and Christian music critic circles: With an album title referencing the Tower of Babel account from the book of Genesis, a few overt mentions of “Jesus” in… Continue reading Are Mumford & Sons “Christian?”
Tow Trucks, Trans Ams & Jesus
Last week, my car got towed. The starter died on me, and the engine wouldn’t turn over. So I called Triple AAA. They got me a tow truck at 7 a.m., driven by a bandana-clad urban cowboy with a fervent love of country music, classic cars, and motorcycles. It was a two day process: my… Continue reading Tow Trucks, Trans Ams & Jesus
Admiration & Autographs: A Day at Wrigley Field
My sister and I had arrived two hours early for the epic Chicago Cubs vs. St. Louis Cardinals matchup at Wrigley Field. As Cardinals fans since birth (born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri), we were decked out in Cardinal Red, cheering for our boys wandering around the outfield stretching, fielding grounders, and catching pop… Continue reading Admiration & Autographs: A Day at Wrigley Field
Only the good die young: a tribute to Josiah Bubna
At dinner with a former Wheaton College professor this evening, I was devastated to receive news of a former classmate’s sudden, tragic death: Josiah Bubna was only 22 when he died suddenly Saturday afternoon. We shared duties on the Wheaton Record’s editorial staff, shared a classroom in Dr. Graves’ Introduction to Old Testament class sophomore… Continue reading Only the good die young: a tribute to Josiah Bubna
Why I pray for Katy Perry & Britney Spears
The reason I became a journalist passionate about arts and entertainment writing is because of Rolling Stone’s 2008 cover story. It’s called “Britney Spears: Inside an American Tragedy,” and it completely changed my life. The explicit details about her coming of age in a liberal, materialistic culture, and publicly crashing and burning as a result,… Continue reading Why I pray for Katy Perry & Britney Spears
Justin Bieber is a BELIEVER
Justin Bieber’s much anticipated album, “Believe,” hit store shelves today. His fourth studio album was immediately purchased by millions of screaming girls and their mothers, hitting the top of iTunes charts in mere hours and, according to Billboard Magazine, is well on its way to becoming the biggest debut of the year. It has finally… Continue reading Justin Bieber is a BELIEVER
MotoX : go big or go home
Motocross is not for sissies, and it’s definitely not something I thought existed outside of the television until I attended a Motokazie hare scramble race in Carver, Minnesota last Sunday where I learned how intense the sport can be in real life. My sister’s boyfriend, Eric Hempel, placed 4th out of 24 in his class,… Continue reading MotoX : go big or go home
The Miracle of Memorial Day
As parades process up and down streets in cities nationwide, families remember lost and loved ones in service and fireworks light up the skies, I remember my Grandpa Bob, who served as a Sergeant in the United States Army’s 9th Infantry during World War II. He was married to my grandmother in the 1940s, several… Continue reading The Miracle of Memorial Day
THE MIRACLE OF HIGHER EDUCATION: Shaq gets a PhD!
For anyone who has ever wondered if they’re “good” or “smart” enough to go for a doctorate degree, look to the model of Dr. Shaquille O’Neal, who not only brought it on the basketball court for decades, but now reps a doctorate degree and will look to school, literally, in brick-and-mortar classrooms just as he… Continue reading THE MIRACLE OF HIGHER EDUCATION: Shaq gets a PhD!