The Owner's Manual
The Bible is much like the owner's manual of a car. If the driver doesn't service his automobile according to the instructions in the little book in the glove compartment, he's going to run into trouble. But if he carefully follows that guide, he should enjoy many trouble-free miles.
A Christian All The Time
My nephew James had completed boot camp and had become one of the few and the proud who could say, "I'm a Marine!" His dad was showing me some graduation pictures and pointed to one of a relaxed James smiling for the camera. "I wasn't supposed to take this one," he said. "James told me he could get in trouble for having his picture taken like that while in uniform."
Getting Rid Of The Pastor
A Christian leader told of a group of laymen who came to see him one day for some advice. They wanted to know of a diplomatic way to get rid of their pastor. The man, sensing that they were not being fair, gave them some suggestions:
- Look your pastor straight in the eye while he is preaching and say amen once in a while. He'll preach himself to death.
- Pat him on the back and tell him his good points. Before you know it, he'll work himself to death.
- Rededicate your own life to Christ and ask your minister for a job to do. He'll die of heart failure.
- Get the church to unite in prayer for him. Soon he'll become so effective that a larger church will take him off your hands.
Supermarket Religion
It's amazing how many brands of breakfast cereal are offered by a typical American supermarket. And regardless of the countless ads that extol the virtues of one cereal over another, most brands are comparably nutritious and hunger-satisfying.
Olives On A Fig Tree
When I became a Christian as a young teenager, I remember watching closely the men of our church. Most of them lived solid, consistent lives. They were good examples to a young person saved out of a non-Christian environment, and I owe them a debt of gratitude.
Prayer And Politics
In 1787 a convention was called in the United States to revise the Articles of Confederation. For weeks delegates reviewed ancient history and analyzed modern governments, searching for insights. But nothing suited the infant nation.
Kindness Can't Wait
You know those thoughtful words you want to say to someone who has been especially nice? Or that encouraging note you plan to write to a friend who seems a little down? You might want to do those acts of kindness now, because you never know when it might be too late.
Undercover Christians
According to naturalists, butterflies of the Kallima family are able to pull off a unique disappearing act. Also known as "dead-leaf butterflies," these insects have brilliant colors on the upper sides of their wings, but underneath they bear the lines and markings of a dead leaf and are noticeably drab.
The Highway To Heaven
Under the headline Car Lover Buried In Corvette, the newspaper column opened with: "If there is a highway to heaven, George Swanson may get to the Pearly Gates in style. He was buried in his white Corvette." His wife Carolyn said, "A lot of people say they want to take it with them. Well, he took it with him."
