Month: September 2007

Making A Masterpiece

One of my earliest memories of my dad is that he loved doing paint-by-number pictures. The canvas was large, but the numbered segments where a predetermined color would go were very small. Dad would sit in his chair in our basement for hours, working meticulously with his painting in front of him and a cup of coffee at his side.

Lead Them To The Cross

Many heart-touching stories were circulated after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. None seems more spiritually significant than that of ironworker Frank Silecchia. As he was helping to recover bodies, Frank noticed two steel beams in the shape of a cross standing upright in the middle of all the debris.

Job’s Birthday

Death, divorce, and disease could be called the three Ds of misery. They slice through life like a tsunami of sorrow, raising doubts and destroying dreams.

Anywhere With Jesus

When our son Brian was small, I took him with me to pick up our babysitter. As I approached the house, I noticed that her dog, usually penned in the backyard, was lying on the front porch. At first glance, the dog looked benign. But to my alarm he sprang to his feet and attacked Brian, who leaped for my leg, shinnied up to my waist, and somehow ended up wrapped around my neck and shoulders.

Doing What’s Right

Bruce Weinstein is known as “The Ethics Guy.” His books and seminars challenge people to make choices based on principle rather than convenience or self-interest. In his business workshops, he often asks the participants, “Why should we be ethical?” He says that most responses center on the benefits of honesty and morality—avoiding punishment and having a clear conscience. While acknowledging that there are long-term benefits, Weinstein emphasizes doing the right thing because it’s the right thing to do.

Common Sense

Voltaire said, “Common sense is not so common.” He was right! In a society that has grown increasingly litigious, we are inundated with warnings on products, mostly because some people lack common sense. Just read the following instructions.

The Planting

An 8-year-old boy, who was learning in school about the way plants grow, was intrigued when told how a tiny seed that germinates in the ground could later burst through the soil as a plant.

Getting Through

Gone are the days when a real person greets you on the other end of a phone call. It seems as though whenever we try to “reach out and touch someone,” we are greeted with a computerized voice.

My Prince

People around the world reacted with shock in September 2006 when news broke that Steve Irwin, the “Crocodile Hunter,” had died. His enthusiasm for life and for God’s creatures was contagious, making him a favorite personality worldwide.