Up there with “Stoker” and “Like Someone in Love” as one of the best films to hit theaters this spring, “War Witch” is devastating, beautiful and truly not to be missed. An Oscar nominee for Best Foreign Language Film, this gut-wrenching tale of a child soldier has been reeling in the accolades: Best Actress awards for young star Rachel Mwanza at both the Berlin and Tribeca film festivals, along with a whopping 10 honors (including Best Picture) at this year’s Canadian Screen Awards.

Around 25 years ago, I was racing bicycles in Southern California. It was mostly local club races and I enjoyed training rides with teammates. We began hearing stories of a talented junior (under 18) in Texas. He had gifts, but tended to be so relentlessly competitive that he wanted to lead a race from start to finish, which often is not the best strategy. That young Texan turned out to be Lance Armstrong.

Did you hear about the horse that walked up to the bar and the bartender said, “Why the long face?”

January is National Mentoring Month, and all around the country organizations and churches are hungry for adults to begin investing in the lives of youth. Being in full-time youth ministry, I’m an obvious supporter of mentoring.

I have always been more interested in the questions than the answers. I guess that is because the questions begin conversations and answers, even the good ones, end them.

Millenials, Generation Y, or simply, teenagers and the 20- to 30-something population has seemed to slip through the “grasp” of the church’s hand.

In her Sept. 5 (Spiritual Side) column (“‘Coming out’ for marriage equality — a letter of thanks”) Diane Meehl proclaimed her support for legal and church marriages between persons other than one man and one woman. Meehl urged Christian churches to follow suit, saying “does the church want to continue to be associated with a divisive issue about which we likely will never achieve consensus?” There are many “divisive issues” — including the divinity of Christ and the message of salvation — on which the church must take an unwavering position on principle, not on the nose count of a supposed “consensus.”

I know; I’m supposed to be wickedly angry. After all, my mom’s coping with Stage 4 gastric cancer, and I’m supposed to want to take cancer down like an ultimate fighter.

Forty some years ago I was in a small town on the Fourth of July. There was the usual kind of celebrating going on but there was also a group of men passing out fliers. On one side was a peace symbol and, in large block letters, “Footprint of the American Chicken.” The war in Vietnam was still on and still dividing at home.

Forty some years ago I was in a small town on the Fourth of July. There was the usual kind of celebrating going on but there was also a group of men passing out fliers. On one side was a peace symbol and, in large block letters, “Footprint of the American Chicken.” The war in Vietnam was still on and still dividing at home.

Easter changes everything.

Easter changes everything.