Our Daily Bread

When Mindy Bryant went to Karaganda for a short-term missions trip, she discovered that it lives up to its nickname, “The City Where No One Smiles.” She saw hopelessness and hardness on the faces of those who passed by her in this major city in Kazakhstan, which had been part of the former Soviet Union.

Is the Bible grossly outdated? Must it “be rewritten to be of value today”? That’s the opinion of a Texas businessman who has donated $1.5 million to Oregon State University.

Willard Aldrich tells a story about his sneaky Labrador retriever. The dog would stay off the furniture when Aldrich and his wife were around, but as soon as they left the room, he would climb into one of their chairs until he heard them return. It was the telltale dog hairs and the warm chair that gave him away.

It’s time for the lazy days of summer to give way to the busy days of fall. Time again for school to start. Getting youngsters ready for school can leave parents gasping for breath.

The Encyclopedia Britannica describes Marcus Terentius Varro (116-27 BC) as “Rome’s greatest scholar.” He wrote more than 600 books on many subjects. Among his writings is this statement: “They who first introduced images of the gods removed fear and added error.”

It was a fascinating study in contrasts at the county fair. A rugged rancher led his cattle into the corral with shouts, curses, and beatings. The animals were wild-eyed and hard to manage.

Does the following anonymous poem describe how you feel?

To extinguish a fire, you must remove one of the essential elements needed for combustion. For example, eliminating what is fueling the blaze is a method often employed in fighting a forest fire. A controlled backfire is started from a cleared line ahead of the advancing flames. When the two fires meet, no timber is left to burn.

Communication—everybody’s discussing it, studying it, practicing it. Yet, despite our improved communication skills, we may feel like the author who wrote, “I know that you believe you understand what you think I said, but I am not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant.”

In the United States justice system, it’s important that jurors have an open mind. They can’t have their minds made up before they get into the courtroom. They must always remember that a person is considered innocent until proven guilty.