July 27
Imperceptible Things Have Real Influence
In the 1920s, a sociology class at John Hopkins University made a study of children in deprived neighborhoods in Baltimore. They identified two hundred children who appeared doomed to spend years in prison. After twenty-five years, another study was made to discover what had happened to those particular children.
Surprisingly, only two were incarcerated. As these men and women were interviewed over and over again came the name of their teacher, "Aunt Hannah." The sociologists were correct in their predictions. By all indications the children would be dregs of society; but there was an intervention, Aunt Hannah, an elementary school teacher who loved them.
Most of the time people criticize in order to forget their own weakness.
An expert is a person who can tell you of your wrong – after you did it.
The best way to lose a friend is to tell him something for his own good.
Some computers are becoming so human they blame their mistakes on each other.
Critics are people who sit on the sidelines and utter snide lines.
Falling in Love Again
The treasure of the kingdom is as new as hearing today the stories of God and God's love for us and falling in love with God again. It is as new as God's power living in our lives this very minute. It is as new as Jesus coming to us in bread and wine.
Using slightly different terms, Jaroslav Pelikan makes a necessary distinction: "Tradition is the living faith of the dead; traditionalism is the dead faith of the living."
The desire of love is to give. The desire of lust is to get!
A police recruit was asked during the exam, "What would you do if you had to arrest your own mother?"
He replied, "Call for backup."
Faith expects from God what is beyond all expectation. --Andrew Murray
• Entertainment via a Computer A new survey by Netpop Research finds that 13- to 34-year-olds now consume 36 percent of all their entertainment via a computer. [pluggedinonline.com]
Every time we say, "I believe in the Holy Spirit," we mean that we believe that there is a living God able and willing to enter human personality and change it. --J. B. Phillips
"To risk nothing is to risk everything. Instead of living fully, I'll be dying slowly. And never will I discover the joy of loving nor the high achievement of becoming all that I was meant and created to be." -- Dick Innes
"The greatest place to live in all the world is where you are loved." -- Unknown
"As a Christian we are to do right regardless of the consequences. It is never the wrong time to do the right thing. And it is never the right time to do the wrong thing." -- Dick Innes
What Christians Want Out of Life
A new study released this week by The Barna Group reveals that different types of Christians want different things out of life. The survey, which was based on a random sample of 1,003 adults in May of this year, asked the participants to rate 19 possible outcomes in life in terms of personal desirability. The preferences were then analyzed according to 12 overlapping but distinct segments of Christians. For example, Evangelical Christians, who are born-again and possess specific theological and social views, were the only group where a high percentage (90%) listed as many as six of the 19 future-life possibilities as being very desirable. The six outcomes this group chose were:
* Having good physical health.
* Having a close personal relationship with God.
* Having a clear purpose for living.
* Living with a high degree of integrity.
* Having just one marriage partner for life.
* Being deeply committed to the Christian faith.
The goals that were chosen by only 1 percent of Evangelicals were "achieving fame and recognition," and "having a comfortable lifestyle."
Other findings of the research:
* Those who see themselves as Christian, but not born again, were less than half as likely to say that being active in a church or being deeply committed to the Christian faith were very desirable.
* Protestants were twice as likely as Catholics to say that working in a high-paying job was highly desirable as a life goal.
* By a margin of between 9 and 16 percent, Protestant Christians who attend a mainline church were less likely than non-mainline Christians to say that being personally active in a church, wanting a close personal relationship with God, or wanting to be deeply committed to the Christian faith were highly desirable. For the complete report, visit www.barna.org
"Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work." -- Stephen King
"You always pass failure on the way to success." – Mickey Rooney
"I do the very best I know how--the very best I can; and mean to keep doing so until the end. If the end brings me out all right, what is said against me won't amount to anything." -- Abraham Lincoln
"We make a living by what we earn, but we make a life by what we give." -- Unknown
"Giving is an attitude of life. As the greatest teacher of all times said, "Give to others and God will give to you. Indeed you will receive a full measure, a generous helping, poured into your hands--all that you can hold." -- Jesus Christ, Luke 6:38 (Good News Bible)
While working for an organization that delivers lunches to elderly shut-ins, I often take my four-year-old daughter on my afternoon rounds.
She was unfailingly intrigued by the various appliances of old age, particularly the canes, walkers and wheelchairs.
One day I found her staring at a pair of false teeth soaking in a glass. As I braced myself for the inevitable barrage of questions, she merely turned and whispered, "The tooth fairy will never believe this!"
God Is Always for Our Good
In all His dispensations God is at work for our good. In prosperity, He tries our gratitude; in mediocrity, our contentment; in misfortune, our submission; in darkness, our faith; under temptation, our steadfastness; and at all times, our obedience and trust in Him. - Unknown
How Badly Do You Want...?
People are always saying, "I'd give anything to be able to ...." There is a basic leadership principle that says, "6x1=6." If you want to write a book, learn to play a musical instrument, become a better tennis player, or do anything else important, then you should devote one hour a day, six days a week, to a project. Sooner than you think, what you desire will become a reality. There are not many things a person cannot accomplish in 312 hours a year! John Mason
Grocery-Store Ethics By Michael Josephson of Character Counts (549.2)
You can tell a lot about a person's character by how he or she acts at the grocery store.
I remember being in a crowded store that had a shortage of shopping carts. A prosperous-looking fellow and his wife were pushing a cart when another man stopped them. "Excuse me," the second man said, "but that's my cart."
The first guy looked annoyed and, instead of apologizing, protested, "But someone took my cart." His wife glared at him, and he reluctantly relinquished his ill-gotten gain.
He had ignored the age-old wisdom: "Two wrongs don't make a right" in favor of a distorted version of the Golden Rule: "Do unto others as others have done unto you."
Then there are the folks who change their mind about buying an item and put it on the nearest shelf, rationalizing that the store hires people to put misplaced things back. Schools employ custodians to clean the halls, but does that mean it's okay for kids to throw their candy wrappers on the floor?
Finally, there are the express-line cheaters who enter the "10 items or less" line with 14 items because they're in a hurry or they love having a competitive edge. They count on the fact that no one will call them on such a moral misdemeanor. And if someone does, they're ready to play lawyer: "It depends on what you call an item. These melons are part of the fruit group so I count them as one."
Being considerate, playing by the rules, and setting a good example are important, even in the grocery store. This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.
© 2007 Josephson Institute of Ethics
Unbeknown to most of the congregation, the new minister enjoyed an occasional bottle of wine. One church member, aware of this, presented the clergyman with a bottle of Bordeaux. But the gift had a string attached. The minister would have to say thank you from the pulpit. At the conclusion of the next service, the minister made the announcements, then said "And I want to thank my friend for giving the fine fruit, and for the
spirit in which it was given."
Overheard at the track: "Horse racing is very romantic. The horse hugs the rail, the jockey puts his arms around the horse, and you kiss your money good-by."
In the 1920s, a sociology class at John Hopkins University made a study of children in deprived neighborhoods in Baltimore. They identified two hundred children who appeared doomed to spend years in prison. After twenty-five years, another study was made to discover what had happened to those particular children.
Surprisingly, only two were incarcerated. As these men and women were interviewed over and over again came the name of their teacher, "Aunt Hannah." The sociologists were correct in their predictions. By all indications the children would be dregs of society; but there was an intervention, Aunt Hannah, an elementary school teacher who loved them.
Most of the time people criticize in order to forget their own weakness.
An expert is a person who can tell you of your wrong – after you did it.
The best way to lose a friend is to tell him something for his own good.
Some computers are becoming so human they blame their mistakes on each other.
Critics are people who sit on the sidelines and utter snide lines.
Falling in Love Again
The treasure of the kingdom is as new as hearing today the stories of God and God's love for us and falling in love with God again. It is as new as God's power living in our lives this very minute. It is as new as Jesus coming to us in bread and wine.
Using slightly different terms, Jaroslav Pelikan makes a necessary distinction: "Tradition is the living faith of the dead; traditionalism is the dead faith of the living."
The desire of love is to give. The desire of lust is to get!
A police recruit was asked during the exam, "What would you do if you had to arrest your own mother?"
He replied, "Call for backup."
Faith expects from God what is beyond all expectation. --Andrew Murray
• Entertainment via a Computer A new survey by Netpop Research finds that 13- to 34-year-olds now consume 36 percent of all their entertainment via a computer. [pluggedinonline.com]
Every time we say, "I believe in the Holy Spirit," we mean that we believe that there is a living God able and willing to enter human personality and change it. --J. B. Phillips
"To risk nothing is to risk everything. Instead of living fully, I'll be dying slowly. And never will I discover the joy of loving nor the high achievement of becoming all that I was meant and created to be." -- Dick Innes
"The greatest place to live in all the world is where you are loved." -- Unknown
"As a Christian we are to do right regardless of the consequences. It is never the wrong time to do the right thing. And it is never the right time to do the wrong thing." -- Dick Innes
What Christians Want Out of Life
A new study released this week by The Barna Group reveals that different types of Christians want different things out of life. The survey, which was based on a random sample of 1,003 adults in May of this year, asked the participants to rate 19 possible outcomes in life in terms of personal desirability. The preferences were then analyzed according to 12 overlapping but distinct segments of Christians. For example, Evangelical Christians, who are born-again and possess specific theological and social views, were the only group where a high percentage (90%) listed as many as six of the 19 future-life possibilities as being very desirable. The six outcomes this group chose were:
* Having good physical health.
* Having a close personal relationship with God.
* Having a clear purpose for living.
* Living with a high degree of integrity.
* Having just one marriage partner for life.
* Being deeply committed to the Christian faith.
The goals that were chosen by only 1 percent of Evangelicals were "achieving fame and recognition," and "having a comfortable lifestyle."
Other findings of the research:
* Those who see themselves as Christian, but not born again, were less than half as likely to say that being active in a church or being deeply committed to the Christian faith were very desirable.
* Protestants were twice as likely as Catholics to say that working in a high-paying job was highly desirable as a life goal.
* By a margin of between 9 and 16 percent, Protestant Christians who attend a mainline church were less likely than non-mainline Christians to say that being personally active in a church, wanting a close personal relationship with God, or wanting to be deeply committed to the Christian faith were highly desirable. For the complete report, visit www.barna.org
"Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work." -- Stephen King
"You always pass failure on the way to success." – Mickey Rooney
"I do the very best I know how--the very best I can; and mean to keep doing so until the end. If the end brings me out all right, what is said against me won't amount to anything." -- Abraham Lincoln
"We make a living by what we earn, but we make a life by what we give." -- Unknown
"Giving is an attitude of life. As the greatest teacher of all times said, "Give to others and God will give to you. Indeed you will receive a full measure, a generous helping, poured into your hands--all that you can hold." -- Jesus Christ, Luke 6:38 (Good News Bible)
While working for an organization that delivers lunches to elderly shut-ins, I often take my four-year-old daughter on my afternoon rounds.
She was unfailingly intrigued by the various appliances of old age, particularly the canes, walkers and wheelchairs.
One day I found her staring at a pair of false teeth soaking in a glass. As I braced myself for the inevitable barrage of questions, she merely turned and whispered, "The tooth fairy will never believe this!"
God Is Always for Our Good
In all His dispensations God is at work for our good. In prosperity, He tries our gratitude; in mediocrity, our contentment; in misfortune, our submission; in darkness, our faith; under temptation, our steadfastness; and at all times, our obedience and trust in Him. - Unknown
How Badly Do You Want...?
People are always saying, "I'd give anything to be able to ...." There is a basic leadership principle that says, "6x1=6." If you want to write a book, learn to play a musical instrument, become a better tennis player, or do anything else important, then you should devote one hour a day, six days a week, to a project. Sooner than you think, what you desire will become a reality. There are not many things a person cannot accomplish in 312 hours a year! John Mason
Grocery-Store Ethics By Michael Josephson of Character Counts (549.2)
You can tell a lot about a person's character by how he or she acts at the grocery store.
I remember being in a crowded store that had a shortage of shopping carts. A prosperous-looking fellow and his wife were pushing a cart when another man stopped them. "Excuse me," the second man said, "but that's my cart."
The first guy looked annoyed and, instead of apologizing, protested, "But someone took my cart." His wife glared at him, and he reluctantly relinquished his ill-gotten gain.
He had ignored the age-old wisdom: "Two wrongs don't make a right" in favor of a distorted version of the Golden Rule: "Do unto others as others have done unto you."
Then there are the folks who change their mind about buying an item and put it on the nearest shelf, rationalizing that the store hires people to put misplaced things back. Schools employ custodians to clean the halls, but does that mean it's okay for kids to throw their candy wrappers on the floor?
Finally, there are the express-line cheaters who enter the "10 items or less" line with 14 items because they're in a hurry or they love having a competitive edge. They count on the fact that no one will call them on such a moral misdemeanor. And if someone does, they're ready to play lawyer: "It depends on what you call an item. These melons are part of the fruit group so I count them as one."
Being considerate, playing by the rules, and setting a good example are important, even in the grocery store. This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.
© 2007 Josephson Institute of Ethics
Unbeknown to most of the congregation, the new minister enjoyed an occasional bottle of wine. One church member, aware of this, presented the clergyman with a bottle of Bordeaux. But the gift had a string attached. The minister would have to say thank you from the pulpit. At the conclusion of the next service, the minister made the announcements, then said "And I want to thank my friend for giving the fine fruit, and for the
spirit in which it was given."
Overheard at the track: "Horse racing is very romantic. The horse hugs the rail, the jockey puts his arms around the horse, and you kiss your money good-by."
posted by joypastordon at 4:43 PM
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