PRAYERS & CLOTHES While staying with her aunt, a little girl attended her aunt’s church for the first time. During the service all the people knelt down and began to pray. The little girl did not understand what was happening, so she asked her aunt. Her aunt answered, “They are saying their prayers.” The only …
HISTORICAL TRUTH The historian arrives at truth through probability, but this does not mean “a doubtful kind of truth” but a firm reliance on the likelihood that evidence which has been examined and found solid is veracious. From The Modern Researcher, by Jacques Barzun and Henry G. Graff, 1977, p. 92, cited in The Historical …
Evidence | History | Probability | Remembering | Tradition | Trustworthy | Truth Read More »
LANDINGS NEED IMPROVEMENT The New Guinean tribesmen’s introduction to the white man’s Balus or “bird” was sometimes traumatic, sometimes humorous. In the 1950’s pilot Peter Manser, flying a Taylorcraft Auster J-5 was carrying a young man of the Dreikikir tribe home from a farm where he had been working. The passenger, who had never flow …
CIVILIZED NECESSITIES Civilization is a limitless multiplication of unnecessary necessities. — Mark Twain
SAVING & KILLING TIME Modern man thinks he loses something–time–when he does not do things quickly; yet he does not know what to do with the time he gains–except kill it. From The Art of Loving, by Erich Fromm, 1956
THE RIGHT TRACK Even if you’re on the right track, you’re going to get run over if you sit there. Will Rogers
CHANGE NONE TOO SOON In 1802, municipal authorities of Rye, on the English coast, hired an armed sentry to keep watch for a Napoleonic invasion. The last man in the job was “Chummy” Barton. The job had been handed down in his family since 1802. “Chummy” died in 1944, and the city council called off …
Desire | Guard | Perseverance | Purpose | Relevance | Time | Tradition | Traditions Read More »
MEANINGLESS STATISTICS Statistics have always had a strange fascination. For example, David Letterman once announced that three out of four people make up seventy-five percent of the entire population.
FLYWHEEL OF HABIT Habit is the flywheel of society. — William James
A TOUGH CONGREGANT The King from the Wizard of Id is walking out of Church and talking to the preacher. The preacher asks, “Did you enjoy the Easter service, sire” The King says, “You call that an Easter service? Not one lousy mention of the bunny.” The preacher says, “There are no BUNNIES in the …
Atonement | Easter | Humor | Ministry | Resurrection | Tradition Read More »
CIRCULAR FORECASTS The Cree people asked their Chief in the autumn, if the winter was going to be cold or not. Not really knowing an answer, the Cree chief replied that the winter was going to be cold and that the members of the village were to collect wood to be prepared. Being a good …
COMMUNICATING UNCONCERN A man from another country visited the United States for an extended period. While in the United States, he attended a church. During an evening fellowship service, he was introduced to the congregation. After the service, a number of people came to him and welcomed him warmly and told him they would love …
CONNECTING PAST WITH FUTURE Those individuals who do not look upon themselves as a line connecting the past with the future, do not perform their duty to the world. — Daniel Webster
CHEATED BY A FLY A Englishman, a Scotsman, and an Irishman walk into a pub. They proceeded to each buy a pint of Guinness. Just as they were about to enjoy their creamy beverage three flies landed in each of their pints and got stuck in the thick head of the beverage. The Englishman pushed …
MINISTRY MOTIVATED BY MONEY Changing the subject from a newsletter from an organization called Ministry of Money this quote from Mary Pipher. ” We live in a money-driven culture. But the bottom line is not the only line, or even the best line for us to hold. A culture organized around profit instead of people …
CONTACT WITHOUT CONTAMINATION A church on the move must confront reality and meet people where they are. Separation is not isolation-it is contact without contamination. Jesus was the friend of publicans (tax collectors) and sinners. Many church members don’t have any unsaved friends, or if they do, they keep them at a distance. Jesus was …
SAME OLD STORY An alumnus returned to his old college dorm and wanted to see the room in which he once lived. The new occupant let him in, and the alumnus looked around. “Same old room. Same old furniture. Same old view from the window. Same old closet.” He opened the closet door. There stood …