Counterfeit Happiness
It's easy to fool people about how we really feel. Simply wear a deceptive smile or hum a cheerful song like this one that was very popular during World War I and many years afterward:
Reach Out And Teach
I met Paul, Steve, and Tom when they were each about 14 years old—just a trio of guys who weren't interested in much except basketball. As their coach and English teacher, I taught them what I could about those two things—and about how to live the Christian life.
Where's This Bus Going?
A man who habitually slept as long as he could every morning awoke one day even later than usual. Looking at the clock, he bolted out of bed, threw on some clothes, splashed cold water on his face, quickly combed his hair, gulped down a glass of milk, grabbed his briefcase, gave his wife a kiss as he ran out the door, and raced to catch the bus. He barely got on it as it began to pull away. Dropping a coin in the meter, he lurched down the aisle toward a seat. Suddenly he looked around and breathlessly blurted out, "Where's this bus going anyway?"
For Future Generations
When a team of Christians visited Stavropol, Russia, in 1994 to hand out Bibles, a local citizen said he recalled seeing Bibles in an old warehouse. They had been confiscated in the 1930s when Stalin was sending believers to the gulags. Amazingly, the Bibles were still there.
Costly Rescue
All America waited anxiously. Many of us prayed. Captain Scott O'Grady's F-16 had been shot down as he was flying over Serbia. Had he been killed or captured? Was he seriously injured? The hours ticked by. Five days passed. On the sixth day another pilot picked up a faint message from O'Grady's radio. He was alive, managing somehow to hide from hostile soldiers.
Enjoyment Or Addiction?
With the growing use of computers and on-line services, an increasing number of people are withdrawing into cyberspace. Despite eye and wrist strain, and complaints from their families and employers, they continue to spend hours a day browsing bulletin boards and visiting discussion groups on the Internet.
Ugly Gremlins
In her book Less Stress, More Peace (published by Fleming H. Revell), Verna Birkey refers to a 72-year-old woman named Jo who worried about growing older. Jo called these fears "ugly gremlins." To gain victory over them, she wrote a "Declaration of Commitment and Faith," which I quote in part:
Holiness
Sometimes God seems to overreact. In Leviticus 10 we read about people who dropped dead simply because they didn't worship correctly. Priests were threatened with death if they didn't stay well-groomed or if they wandered away from the tabernacle. To modern readers who like to dress casual and live free, all of this sounds a bit stifling.
What Did You Say?
At the University of Santa Clara, California, a researcher conducted a study of 1,500 business managers that revealed what workers value most in a boss. Employees said they respected a leader who shows competence, has the ability to inspire workers, and is skillful in providing direction.
