Author: Jon Gauger

At 25,000 feet, clouds look different.  They just do. From the window of a jet, the view is completely unobstructed.  No cluttered skylines, no haze, no polluted air, just crisp viewing.  But the skyscape I like best is seen at much lower altitudes.  I love it when the plane lofts just high enough that is enshrouded in the misty vapor of the first cloud layer. Wispy trails rocket past the window reminding me of just how fast the hollow metal tube in which I’m seated is actually traveling.   But once we reach cruising altitude—say 25,000 feet—the clouds look much…

Unrelenting action, high-tech weapons and exotic locations. Stingray had it all. At least it seemed to when I was five. The mid-1960s television drama featured high-functioning marionettes, not live actors, to portray a futuristic submarine fleet of crime fighters. Powered by imagination, laced with explosions, Stingray delivered a solid half-hour of undersea thrills. I loved it then. I love it now. Enough that I bought the entire five-disc series on DVD and now share this magical underwater past of mine with our grandkids. You’d think that in an age of green screen, CGI and 3D animation Stingray would be sunk….

Smart folks do not let smartphones near water. (And now the story). Recently at our campground, eight-year-old Joslynn and I chugged around the lake in a paddle boat.  Fun!  Back on shore, Joslynn immediately asked if we could take the kayaks out for a spin. Point of clarification: paddle boats have broad flat bottoms and are virtually impossible to capsize.  By contrast, kayaks are unstable, and easily dunked.  This insight came to me later, rather than earlier. In approximately 18 inches of water, I managed to roll the kayak, thoroughly soaking myself—and the iPhone in my pocket. Rocketing out of…

I will never forget the first time I met Elizabeth Philhower. Pulling up to the farm with her daughter, Diana, I was struck immediately by how different a place this was from my home. I grew up in the shadow of O’Hare airport surrounded by congestion, noise, crowds and planes. But Calvin and Elizabeth’s place was peaceful, quiet and surrounded (it seemed to me) by corn—and cows. To know Elizabeth Philhower was to know she always had a place for you at the table. Last-minute dinner guest? You were welcomed. You brought an extra friend with you? Never a problem….

Recently, I had the honor of talking with Will Graham.  As the grandson of evangelist Billy Graham, Will carries the family name well.  Better than that, he carries the name of Jesus well. In the course of more than three decades at Moody Radio, I’ve been blessed to meet and interview a number of Will’s family members: Anne Graham Lotz, Franklin Graham (Will’s Dad), Gigi Tchividjian, and Billy himself, whom his grandson refers to as “Daddy Bill.”  Can I tell you a secret, something I’ve seen up close?  Apart from their love Jesus, the most important thing you need to…

How do you mix the Fourth of July, the story of Gideon, and an urgent desire to pass on biblical truth to your grandkids?  I’m not at all sure I know. But here’s what happened. All four of Josh and Lynnette’s grandkids showed up at our house for an overnight on July 4th.  With ten-month-old Sadie finally asleep, it was time to get Josie, Caleb and Lucy to bed.  Bible stories are a grand tradition, and we have a couple of favorite kids’ Bibles we use (I strongly recommend Ken Taylor’s, The Bible in Pictures for Little Eyes from Moody…

Today we bury Elsie.    At 92, she was still young.  She emailed.  Used Microsoft Access.  Was an ace at Wheel of Fortune.  She was a regular out at our campfire, spinning stories into the sparks and dark.     We will miss her.     Born in 1924 in Chicago, Elsie once met actor Charlton Heston, at the time a student at Northwestern University.  She attended a production at the Goodman Theater.  Later that evening, Charlton Heston gave Elsie and her girlfriend a ride from the theatre to their home.   Elsie commented that she wasn’t very impressed with…

Swimming.  Boating.  Horseback riding. For most kids, that's standard stuff at summer camp. Not when you’re a special needs child.  But the ministry of Joni and Friends is quietly rewriting the book on all this.  One chapter of that story played out last week in Michigan at a gathering exclusively for people like Michelle and their caregivers. She has Down syndrome and lives with my friend Dan and his wife, Joan. Michelle was one of about sixty-five “kids” (many of adult age) who attended, along with their caregivers.  And everybody—everybody—was treated lovingly. “The whole point is to let the kids experience normal life,…

An open letter to the Honorable Bernie Sanders, United States Senator   Dear Senator Sanders, I read transcripts of the conversation you had last week with Mr. Russell Vought, President Trump’s nominee for deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget. During that exchange, you quoted Mr. Vought as saying, “Muslims do not simply have a deficient theology. They do not know God because they have rejected Jesus Christ his Son, and they stand condemned.” Senator, you reacted by saying, “In my view, the statement made by Mr. Vought is indefensible, it is hateful, it is Islamophobic, and it…

In any given week, approximately 79 credit card offers find their way to our mailbox.  So awhile back, I caved in to an invitation from American Airlines to receive their Platinum Select card.   In addition to one free checked bag for my wife and me, the big pay-off this card dangled was Group 1 boarding status.  Diana and I were excited to try out these new perks, standing in line at O’hare airport. Our suitcases were checked in free, just as advertised.  The boarding process, however, was another story.   Turns out Platinum Select is not nearly as exclusive a…