I never got hooked on the TV series "Lost," but a whole lot of my friends sure did. I've often seen them the day after, shaking their heads, rolling their eyes, and tongue-tied when it came to trying to explain what happened the night before. Sunday night, their long journey ended with a 2 1/2 hour finale, creatively titled, "The End."

Somebody stole the cross. Go figure.

For sure, the news story got my attention. The missing cross is a six-foot tall metal structure that's been embedded in rock and concrete, perched high up on Sunrise Rock in the Mojave Desert. Veterans placed it there to honor those who've died fighting for their country.

It's been there for 75 years. No problem. Suddenly, it's a problem. People who don't want it there argued against it all the way to the Supreme Court. For now, the Justices said it could stay. But now, somebody just went up there and stole the cross. It's crazy.

For years, the headlines were all about Tiger Woods' triumphs. Now, it seems like they're all about Tiger's troubles. In his first tournaments since his sexual infidelities were exposed, he just wasn't the almost invincible golfer we knew before. Then last weekend he had to drop out of a tournament because of painful neck spasms. On Monday, his swing coach quit.

Now they're talking about throwing old tires down a pipe. That's the latest idea for trying to contain that massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. I've got a few tires they could use.

The authorities are literally scrambling for ways to keep that gunk from destroying wildlife, wiping out fishing industries, polluting beaches and sinking tourism. Potential damage to the environment of this magnitude is no laughing matter. It's cause to mount an all-out, even desperate attempt to stop it. I've turned on the news to find them deploying booms and nets to hold back the oil...setting the water on fire to burn up the oil...lowering a huge dome to contain and siphon off the oil. Oh yeah, and the tires.

We went to an IMAX theater over the weekend, and I was blown away - three IMAX-enhanced movies about the wonder of the world we live in.

First, we spent 45 minutes in the high and mighty majesty of the Alps. Mountain peaks that defy human conquest. Amazing stuff!

The tornado sirens went off near our daughter's house a few nights ago. She knew what to do. She and our son-in-law quickly herded their three children into the basement until the danger passed.

Unfortunately, Nikki Carpenter lived outside of town where she couldn't hear the tornado sirens. She and her three young sons had no time to prepare, and there was no basement in the trailer where they lived. For me, Nikki's story seems especially moving on this Mother's Day weekend.

Millions of kids came home from church yesterday with palms in their hands. It was Palm Sunday, of course. Not many came home - or will come home - with crosses in their hands.

I woke up this Palm Sunday thinking of all those people in Jerusalem, having a big Jesus party, palms and all. The question is, where were they five days later?

The auditor just left - and our administrative team is high-fivin'. Partly because we again had the kind of clean audit our ministry's been blessed with year after year, and partly just because it's over! They worked hard to be ready for all the things the auditor wanted to check out.

In the business world - and sometimes even in the Christian world - audits aren't always happy. Auditors can find things that get you in trouble with your boss, with the government - even with the law. Audits uncover hidden secrets.

Like a lot of people, I’m tired of hearing about the secret sins of yet another public figure who’s violated his marriage vows for sex with someone else. The husband of an Oscar-winning actress, a former Presidential candidate, an iconic sports figure, a “family values” governor – sadly, the list is long.

I saw my friend Mike at a conference recently. Mike's a dear Christian brother who's had a long and successful career on Wall Street. But these past months have felt like a Category 5 hurricane in his life and his business.

When I asked Mike how all the turbulence and uncertainty were affecting him, he responded with an answer I've been chewing on ever since. "It's exposed my idols."