Be Prepared!
The story is told of a nobleman who died very suddenly. Immediately his personal servant ran to tell the other servants of the household that their master was dead. He asked with gravity, "Where has he gone?" The servants replied, "Why, to heaven, to be sure." "No," said the man, "I am certain he has not gone to heaven."
On Creaky Knees
Meet Margaret the battler. More than 90 years of memories and faith are her legacy, but she's not ready to surrender. Her life is full of the physical pain that often accompanies old age, and even though she's too weak to walk anymore, Margaret is not done with her ministry.
How Do You Know?
An early evening thunderstorm provided the setting for the most beautiful rainbow I had ever seen. But when I tried to describe it to my wife, I was thoroughly frustrated, for its beauty defied words. In an attempt to understand what I had observed, I read an article in the encyclopedia. The article increased my understanding, but it offered only cold facts. It didn't capture the rainbow's glory. Abstract knowledge about a rainbow is one thing; experiencing its beauty is another.
Good Medicine
As I was growing up, my wise Christian mother often quoted Proverbs 17:22, "A merry heart does good, like medicine." Usually she did this when I needed to change my attitude. Would I allow a negative spirit to poison my thinking, or would I embrace an outlook of thankfulness and its resulting joy?
The Cure
A man with a nagging cough tried all the over-the-counter remedies he could find, but none worked. Finally he went to a doctor, who quickly discovered that he was suffering from pneumonia. The man was trying to ease the symptoms when what he needed was a cure. The doctor treated the deeper, more serious problem and in a short time the cough was gone.
What The Law Can't Do
Evangelist Fred Brown used three illustrations to explain the proper use of God's law. First, he likened the law to a dentist's mirror. With that little mirror he can spot cavities. But the dentist doesn't drill with the mirror. The mirror can reveal a cavity, but it can never repair it.
Now We Know
When he was only 13 years old, violinist Yehudi Menuhin was invited to perform with the Berlin Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra. With distinguished musicians in the audience listening to him, the youthful genius played some of the most difficult compositions by Beethoven, Bach, and Brahms.
Paid In Full
With credit-card debt going through the roof and offers of new cards coming every week, many people have adopted a risky practice known as "rolling over" or "flipping." They routinely transfer their debt to a new card offering a temporary low interest rate. When the introductory period expires, they "flip" their debt to a new card. The danger, according to one analyst, is getting into a mode "where you move your debt around rather than paying it down. It's a lot easier to switch credit cards than to tackle your debt."
Fast Food
An item in the National Geographic magazine carried this caption: "New Spin on Fast Food." The article was about the phalarope, "a wading shorebird that has a unique way of dining on creatures too deep for it to reach." Spinning in the water at breakneck speed—a full spin per second—it creates a vortex that "pumps up" shrimp from a depth of 3 feet.
