Journey Of A Lifetime
The two most important transactions in my life happened about 12 years apart. The first was when I prayed to accept Jesus as my Savior. The second was when I stood with my best friend before a church congregation and married her.
Equal Access
Pastor Stuart Silvester told me of a conversation he had with an acquaintance who frequently flew his small private plane in and out of Toronto International Airport. He asked the pilot if he ever encountered problems taking off and landing a small craft at an airport that was dominated by so many large jets. His friend responded, "My plane may be small, but I have the same rights, the same privileges, and the same access to that airport as anyone else—even the jumbo jets!"
A Common Language
A young Russian woman had been sent to a hospital in Japan for a rare, life-saving procedure. After she arrived she couldn't stop crying. The doctors and nurses, who didn't speak Russian, were unable to console her. Finally they decided to call an American missionary in their town to see if he could help her.
Going Up
A few years ago, a TV ad for life insurance showed a businessman walking across a busy city street. He leaped for the curb as a car veered toward him. Somewhat ruffled, he said, "That was close! I didn't think I was going to make it." Suddenly two men in white suits joined him on the busy street, and one of them said, "You didn't!"
Needed: Power To Change
Author Gerald N. Callahan is a professor at Colorado State University. Colorado has long been my home, so I was interested in his recent book River Odyssey, in which he discusses his experiences and thoughts about life. Interesting, for example, is his rueful confession, "I drink too much . . . I eat like myocardial infarctions and colon cancer don't kill middle-aged men, and every morning I swear I'll change, but nothing ever changes."
In His Control
While waiting for a tire to be repaired, I began talking with a man who farmed nearby. "Sure need rain," he said. "Don't know what we're gonna do if it doesn't rain."
Who's Winning?
I had a dog whose favorite game was to play tug-of-war with a rubber pull-toy. She would grip one end of the toy with her teeth, and I would grip the other end with my hand. Because she was a small dog, my effort to win sometimes lifted her off the ground. But she still gripped the toy stubbornly.
He Cares
Former president George Bush visited Honduras soon after Hurricane Mitch devastated that nation in 1998. Television interviewer Larry King asked Bush if natural disasters like this one shook his belief in God. The former president replied by telling of a 73-year-old man who had lost all he owned. Through his tears, the man told Bush with confidence, "Every possession I had is gone, but . . . I have faith in God."
Troubles And Turns
I once heard Warren Wiersbe say that where you turn when you're in trouble reveals your character.
