Back to School
What do #2 pencils, Elmer’s Glue, Crayola Crayons, and Construction Paper bring to mind? Well, besides the obvious answer of “Tools that MacGyver would use to build a car with;” most would say school supplies. With a first grader in our home, we have certainly been reacquainted with the whole “back to school” scene. You remember it don’t you? If it’s been a while for you, maybe this will help. New blue jeans that are so dark they don’t even look blue, so you make your Mom wash them a few hundred times to give them that faded look; or …
Toy Story
$500 million for Grand Theft Auto. Half a Billion for stealing a car? No, that is not what someone was fined for committing a crime; that my friends, is the amount of money the video game, Grand Theft Auto, made the first weekend it hit the shelves. Tragic. I miss the days when we had toy controversy’s like…was the “magic 8 ball” really magical? I have to admit it was a little disconcerting when I asked the 8 ball what I should strive for in life and the answer it gave me was, “keep striving for mediocrity.” While we are …
Truth be told
“To be honest…..” Don’t you just hate it when someone starts a statement like that? Does that mean that everything they have said prior to “to be honest,” is not honest? I don’t get it. Why not just say what you’re going to say and leave it at that? When did that disclaimer become popular? Can you imagine your Grandparents saying that? I don’t think so. Evidently truth telling has become so scarce that there is even a new TV show called “The moment of Truth.” The contestant can win up to $500,000 not for solving puzzles or picking briefcases….but …
Loser's Limp
November 26, 2007 Happy Thanksgiving! I know…I’m a few days late with that greeting but I had full intentions of getting this out prior to Turkey Day, but two things got in my way. The first was that I suffered from an overdose of Tryptophan….evidently when you eat an entire Turkey you get a chemical reaction…..Butterball should put out a disclaimer!! The second setback was just that…..a “set back.” Due to my “Butterball” belly, I have been unable to reach the keyboard for several days, thus delaying this writing. For me, the perfect Thanksgiving weekend has three components: Family, Food, …
Off the Top Rope
Former professional wrestling champion, Chris Benoit, horrified the nation recently with the murder of his wife, son and himself. After the news broke, the internet quickly filled with statistics showing the untimely deaths of over 60 former professional wrestlers. After reading through the names of the deceased, I was saddened not only for the lives lost, but for the tainting of a once regal sport. Now, you may be one of those who still think that wrestling is fake but for the purist, it will always be “Rasslin’” and it will always be real. Don’t believe me? Comedian Andy Kaufman …
Pop Quiz
I have a question for every teacher that is reading this. Why do you insist on punishing students with the sadistic ritual otherwise known as pop quizzes? Do you actually enjoy seeing the panic on your student’s faces? Or is it that you love seeing the smug looks of your teacher’s pets who just can’t wait to display their readiness for your impromptu examinations? That scent you smell right now…. Yeah, it’s called bitterness. I hated pop quizzes. Why you ask? Because I had no time to come down with a sudden case of bubonic plague or any other ailment …
Game Ball
“Tonight’s game ball goes to……” You could hear a pin drop. It’s not often that 9 and 10 year old boys will sit still for anything, but for the coveted “game ball” ceremony, they sat motionless, waiting for the next words out of the coach’s mouth. The boys weren’t the only ones on pins and needles. I mentally went through the game that had just transpired: “Ok, Tanner went 3 for 3 with 4 runs batted in and played some great D; that has to put him in the running…..Oh, and he scored twice. Surely that got the coach’s attention?!?” …
Circumstantial Evidence
Have you ever noticed how quick we are to console someone else who is in a tough spot and tell him that, “it’s building character,” or “look at it as a growing experience”? Why is it that we can’t take our own advice? The same reason that it’s just “minor surgery” when it’s on you but “major surgery” when it’s on me! If you’re like me, you spend the majority of your prayer time asking God to change your circumstances, and if you build a little character in the process then that’s just gravy. Have you ever considered that God …
Eye of the Storm
I know that when I am in the midst of a storm, I pray for God to stop the wind and the waves. Could it be that God actually sent the storm for my benefit? Think back to a biblical story many of us are familiar with. Jesus had just finished feeding the five thousand and wanted a little time to himself, rightfully so. You try feeding five thousand! So he put his disciples on a boat and sent them on ahead to the next village, directly into the path of a storm. After the disciples had battled the elements …
Ham and Eggs
A couple of weeks ago our church had “commitment” Sunday. We are beginning a new building campaign and on “commitment” Sunday families from all “walks of life,” walked forward with pledge cards indicating the financial commitments they are making toward the campaign. It was a very moving experience. To watch an elderly woman in a wheelchair go forward with her pledge and place it at the altar is certainly humbling and convicting. To think that she may not even be alive when the final bricks are put in place truly shows sacrificial giving. Another thing about the service stood out …
