BRUISES NEEDED My son constantly ventures out past his known boundaries, continually expanding the envelope. You can tell by the number of bruises on his legs how far he has ventured that day. But he…
Sermon Illustrations
PROGRESSIVE PRACTICE When Pablo Casals reached the age of 95, a young interviewer asked him this question: "Mr. Casals, you are 95 years-old and the greatest cellist who ever lived. Why do you still practice…
TREE RINGS OF FIRE While vacationing in California, we were able to visit the Sequoia trees near Yosemite National Park. One of the things that impressed me most was a cross-section of a tree that…
MEN OVER FORTY President Lincoln turned down an applicant for a job and gave as his reason: I don't like his face." One of the Cabinet members indicated that he did not think this was…
RETIRED NUISANCES On the eve of his eighty-second birthday, Herbert Hoover, still elbowing though the crammed schedule of a twelve-hour-workday, explained his philosophy of late life: "There is no joy to be had from retirement…
TWO KINDS OF FOOLS There are two kinds of fools: One says, "This is old, therefore it is good"; the other says, "This is new, therefore it is better." From William Ralph Inge, Anglican prelate…
TIME TO APPRECIATE One woman prayed, "Dear Jesus, please teach me to appreciate what I have before time forces me to appreciate what I had." From Michael Jackson, Willmar, Minnesota
A THANKSGIVING MONTH GAME A personal story by Rev. William Stidger I have a little game I like to play with my friends every November as we approach Thanksgiving time. I write at least one…
WASHINGTON B. C. "Our neighbors are moving to that town that was there before Jesus was born," our young granddaughter excitedly informed her mother. Baffled, her mother inquired as to which town that was. "You…
Aging | Appeal | Attraction | Dating | Drivers | Humor | Marriage | Motivation | Motivations | Women
NIGHT DRIVER Two older women were talking about a mutual friend who had recently married. One woman asked, "Is he rich?" The other woman said, "No, she told me he was not well off at…
RABBIT LINE Do you know what you get when you have thirty rabbits in a row, all marching backwards? A receding hare line. From "The Bell, The Clapper, and The Cord" by the National Federation…
SIMPLE TO COMPLEX TO SIMPLE Life is a journey from simplicity through complexity and back to simplicity. In 1966, there was a famous exhibit of Picasso's paintings at Cannes, France. It was a retrospective exhibit,…
HAIR LIKE TEETH The next time that Dad is complaining about losing his hair, perhaps you could encourage him with these words: "Just think how much worse it could be. You could have your hair…
NEED THAT LITTLE SO MUCH It can be said of young children, as it has been said of the elderly, that they need so little from us, but they need that little so much. From…
SAVING PLEASANT THOUGHTS When saving for old age, be sure you put away a few pleasant thoughts.
FORGETFUL PROFESSOR The university professor and his wife were leaving church. The professor confronted his wife: "Ah-ha! So who is absent-minded now? You forgot your umbrella and left it in church, but I remembered mine…
CHRISTMAS WITH GRANDPARENTS After Christmas vacation, a teacher asked her small pupils to write an account of how they spent their holidays. One youngster wrote about a visit to his grandparents in a life-care community…
LIKE FINE WINE The aging man told his wife that husbands are like fine wine-- they improve with age. So the next day, his wife locked him in the cellar.
TIME TO RETIRE On January 1 of 1998, Nebraska football coach Tom Osborne spoke of retirement. He said that he was recently visiting a retirement home, but he could not find the right room. He…
ULTIMATE TIGHTWAD My great-grandfather Laramer had seen hard times, and he did not like to waste anything. In the mornings he would chew a wad of tobacco, and when he was done chewing it, he…