It was in the news recently that there is a luxury apartment building in a very fancy housing district in my town and it was discovered that some of the residents of this apartment building were actually on public assistance. They were what we used to call welfare folks. Well, when that news came out, the homeowners in that very fashionable section of town were outraged. They didn’t want their property values coming down so they demanded and got a public hearing. I watched a little of it on the news and the first person to go to the microphone was a young mother with a baby on her hip. Her story was that when she got pregnant, her boyfriend took the car and left her. Left her with nothing. After the baby was born she managed to get a job as a maid in one of the local motels and if she didn’t have the apartment she couldn’t have the job, and if she didn’t have the job she couldn’t feed the baby. And she begged for the assistance to continue. The next person to the microphone was a homeowner who said that he and his wife had poured their life savings into their home and they wanted their investment protected. He turned and looked at the young mother with the baby and he said, “I understand how you feel, but I earned mine and you’re going to have to earn yours.” Well, when you have experienced grace, you can never look another human being in the face again and say, “I earned mine, you’re going to have to earn yours,” because everything we have is a gift of God. Everything is grace. Everything.
[Tom Long, http://www.30goodminutes.org/csec/sermon/long_4902.htm]
Monday, January 5, 2009
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Hard to Please
On the seventh day God rested....and on the 8th day, God started answering complaints.
A man dreamed of joining a monastery. His goal in life was to become a monk. So one day he went to a monastery and talked to the head monk and said, “I have longed to join a monastery. I know that I will need to renounce my worldly possessions and follow the order of living that this monastery requires. I am prepared to do these things. What else must I do to join?”
The head monk replied, "You might find our rules more difficult than you expect. Here in our monastery, we require a vow of silence. Our monks are only allowed to say two words every year.”
The man said, “That sounds a bit extreme; but I’ve wanted to be a monk for so long, I’m going to give it a try.” So he was shown to his room. And so for the next twelve months the man never said a word. At the end of his first year he was taken to the head monk, and was told he could now say his two words. With great feeling, the man said, “Food’s bad.” He went back to his room, and was silent for another twelve months.
At the end of his second year he again was taken to the head monk for his two words. This time his two words were, “Bed’s hard.” The head monk nodded. And the man went back to his room.
Another twelve months of silence passed, and the man was brought again to the head monk for his annual two words. This time the man said, “I quit.” The head monk nodded wisely and said, “Well, it doesn’t surprise me. All you’ve done is complain ever since you got here.”
A man dreamed of joining a monastery. His goal in life was to become a monk. So one day he went to a monastery and talked to the head monk and said, “I have longed to join a monastery. I know that I will need to renounce my worldly possessions and follow the order of living that this monastery requires. I am prepared to do these things. What else must I do to join?”
The head monk replied, "You might find our rules more difficult than you expect. Here in our monastery, we require a vow of silence. Our monks are only allowed to say two words every year.”
The man said, “That sounds a bit extreme; but I’ve wanted to be a monk for so long, I’m going to give it a try.” So he was shown to his room. And so for the next twelve months the man never said a word. At the end of his first year he was taken to the head monk, and was told he could now say his two words. With great feeling, the man said, “Food’s bad.” He went back to his room, and was silent for another twelve months.
At the end of his second year he again was taken to the head monk for his two words. This time his two words were, “Bed’s hard.” The head monk nodded. And the man went back to his room.
Another twelve months of silence passed, and the man was brought again to the head monk for his annual two words. This time the man said, “I quit.” The head monk nodded wisely and said, “Well, it doesn’t surprise me. All you’ve done is complain ever since you got here.”
Friday, September 19, 2008
The Tire
At Sydney University, there were four students taking Organic Chemistry. They did so well on all the quizzes, midterms and labs, etc., that each had an "A" so far for the semester. These four friends were so confident with the finals approaching that the weekend before, they decided to go down to Canberra and party with some friends there. They had a great time.
However, after all the hard partying, they slept all day Sunday and didn't make it back to Sydney until early Monday morning - the morning of their final exam! Rather than taking the final then, they decided to find their professor AFTER the exam and explain to him why they missed it. They explained that they had gone to Canberra to do some research in the ANU archives for the weekend with the plan to come back in time to study, but, unfortunately, they had a flat tire on the way back, didn't have a spare, and couldn't get help for a long time. As a result, they only just arrived now!
The professor thought it over and then agreed they could make up their final exam the following day. The guys were elated and relieved. They studied hard that night - all night - and went in the next day at the time the professor had told them. He placed them in separate rooms and handed each of them a test booklet, and told them to begin. The first problem was worth five points. It was something simple about free radical formation. "Cool," they all thought in their separate rooms, "this is going to be easy." Each finished the problem and then turned the page.
Question 2 (for 95 points): Which tire?
[This story was found at: http://www.allinspiration.com/Education/Lighthearted/the_tyre.html]
However, after all the hard partying, they slept all day Sunday and didn't make it back to Sydney until early Monday morning - the morning of their final exam! Rather than taking the final then, they decided to find their professor AFTER the exam and explain to him why they missed it. They explained that they had gone to Canberra to do some research in the ANU archives for the weekend with the plan to come back in time to study, but, unfortunately, they had a flat tire on the way back, didn't have a spare, and couldn't get help for a long time. As a result, they only just arrived now!
The professor thought it over and then agreed they could make up their final exam the following day. The guys were elated and relieved. They studied hard that night - all night - and went in the next day at the time the professor had told them. He placed them in separate rooms and handed each of them a test booklet, and told them to begin. The first problem was worth five points. It was something simple about free radical formation. "Cool," they all thought in their separate rooms, "this is going to be easy." Each finished the problem and then turned the page.
Question 2 (for 95 points): Which tire?
[This story was found at: http://www.allinspiration.com/Education/Lighthearted/the_tyre.html]
Friday, August 29, 2008
Slaying Sacred Cows
There is a saying that Frederick the Great (1712-1786) lost the Battle of Jena (1806), meaning that for twenty years after his death, the army perpetuated his successful organization instead of adapting to meet the changes in the art of war.
Many rules outlive the purpose for which they were intended. What rule, policy, or way of thinking has been successful for you in the past but may be limiting you now? What sacred cow can you slay?
From Creative Whack Packs (www.creativewhack.com) Green (Judge) Card #40
Many rules outlive the purpose for which they were intended. What rule, policy, or way of thinking has been successful for you in the past but may be limiting you now? What sacred cow can you slay?
From Creative Whack Packs (www.creativewhack.com) Green (Judge) Card #40
Friday, August 1, 2008
Pop Quiz
A college English class was studying often-used proverbs. One day, their teacher gave them a pop quiz to see how well they were paying attention. She told her students to take out a piece of paper. She would read one half of the proverb, and they were to write the second half. Here are some of the answers the teacher received:
It’s always darkest before...Daylight Savings Time
Never underestimate the power of...termites
Don’t bite the hand that...looks dirty
If you lie down with dogs, you’ll...stink in the morning
An idle mind is...the best way to relax
A penny saved is...not much
Two’s company, three’s...the Muskateers
Children should be seen and not...spanked or grounded
If at first you don’t succeed...get new batteries
Laugh and the world laughs with you, cry and...you have to blow your nose
It’s always darkest before...Daylight Savings Time
Never underestimate the power of...termites
Don’t bite the hand that...looks dirty
If you lie down with dogs, you’ll...stink in the morning
An idle mind is...the best way to relax
A penny saved is...not much
Two’s company, three’s...the Muskateers
Children should be seen and not...spanked or grounded
If at first you don’t succeed...get new batteries
Laugh and the world laughs with you, cry and...you have to blow your nose
Saturday, July 26, 2008
By What Measure?
Sixty-four years ago a Philadelphia congregation watched as three nine-year-old boys were baptized and joined the church. Not long after, unable to continue with its dwindling membership, the church sold the building and disbanded.
One of those boys was Tony Campolo, who is now a well-known evangelical pastor, author and sociologist at Eastern University in Pennsylvania. Over his many years of Christian service, Tony has boldly challenged millions of people all over the world to respond to God’s boundless love by combining personal discipleship, evangelism, and social justice.
"Years later, while doing research in the archives of our denomination," Tony said, "I decided to look up the church report for the year of my baptism. There was my name, and Dick White's. He's now a missionary. Bert Newman, now a professor of theology at an African seminary, was also there.
'It has not been a good year for our church,' the report read. 'We have lost 27 members. Three joined and they were only children.'"
One of those boys was Tony Campolo, who is now a well-known evangelical pastor, author and sociologist at Eastern University in Pennsylvania. Over his many years of Christian service, Tony has boldly challenged millions of people all over the world to respond to God’s boundless love by combining personal discipleship, evangelism, and social justice.
"Years later, while doing research in the archives of our denomination," Tony said, "I decided to look up the church report for the year of my baptism. There was my name, and Dick White's. He's now a missionary. Bert Newman, now a professor of theology at an African seminary, was also there.
'It has not been a good year for our church,' the report read. 'We have lost 27 members. Three joined and they were only children.'"
[submitted by Sarah Howe Miller]
All We Can Do For You Now
Elmer Bendiner, in his book The Fall of Fortresses, describes one bombing run over the German city of Kassel:
Our B-17 (The Tondelayo) was barraged by flak from Nazi antiaircraft guns. That was not unusual, but on this particular occasion our gas tanks were hit. Later, as I reflected on the miracle of a twenty-millimeter shell piercing the fuel tank without touching off an explosion, our pilot, Bohn Fawkes, told me it was not quite that simple.
On the morning following the raid, Bohn had gone down to ask our crew chief for that shell as a souvenir of unbelievable luck. The crew chief told Bohn that not just one shell but eleven had been found in the gas tanks—eleven unexploded shells where only one was sufficient to blast us out of the sky. It was as if the sea had been parted for us. Even after thirty-five years, so awesome an event leaves me shaken, especially after I heard the rest of the story from Bohn.
He was told that the shells had been sent to the armorers to be defused. The armorers told him that Intelligence had picked them up. They could not say why at the time, but Bohn eventually sought out the answer.
Apparently when the armorers opened each of those shells, they found no explosive charge. They were clean as a whistle and just as harmless. Empty? Not all of them.
One contained a carefully rolled piece of paper. On it was a scrawl in Czech. The Intelligence people scoured our base for a man who could read Czech. Eventually, they found one to decipher the note. It set us marveling.
Our B-17 (The Tondelayo) was barraged by flak from Nazi antiaircraft guns. That was not unusual, but on this particular occasion our gas tanks were hit. Later, as I reflected on the miracle of a twenty-millimeter shell piercing the fuel tank without touching off an explosion, our pilot, Bohn Fawkes, told me it was not quite that simple.
On the morning following the raid, Bohn had gone down to ask our crew chief for that shell as a souvenir of unbelievable luck. The crew chief told Bohn that not just one shell but eleven had been found in the gas tanks—eleven unexploded shells where only one was sufficient to blast us out of the sky. It was as if the sea had been parted for us. Even after thirty-five years, so awesome an event leaves me shaken, especially after I heard the rest of the story from Bohn.
He was told that the shells had been sent to the armorers to be defused. The armorers told him that Intelligence had picked them up. They could not say why at the time, but Bohn eventually sought out the answer.
Apparently when the armorers opened each of those shells, they found no explosive charge. They were clean as a whistle and just as harmless. Empty? Not all of them.
One contained a carefully rolled piece of paper. On it was a scrawl in Czech. The Intelligence people scoured our base for a man who could read Czech. Eventually, they found one to decipher the note. It set us marveling.
Translated, the note read: “This is all we can do for you now.”
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