January 3, 2010
One Sunday at our church, a visitor came who brought his cellular phone and sat in the midst of the congregation. In the middle of the pastor's teaching, the phone began to ring, startling everyone. Without missing a beat, the pastor said, "If that's for me, tell them I'm busy!"
If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?
"If you want to be a holy man, you've got to be committed. When you make a decision you cannot waiver in any way. You'd never see Gandhi during a hunger strike sneaking into the kitchen in the middle of the night.
'Gandhi...what are you doing down there?'
'Umm, I thought I heard a prowler...and I was going to hit him over the head with this big bowl of potato salad.'" -Jim Carrey
The purpose of a great sermon is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. The latter is preferable to the former.
Erma's New Year's Resolutions - The late Erma Bombeck made these New Year's resolutions:
1. I'm going to clean this dump just as soon as the kids grow up.
2. I will go to no doctor whose office plants have died.
3. I'm going to follow my husband's suggestion to put a little excitement into my life by living within our budget.
4. I'm going to apply for a hardship scholarship to Weight Watchers.
5. I will never loan my car to anyone I have given birth to.
6. And just like last year...I am going to remember that my children need love the most when they deserve it the least.
Almost everyone is capable of being a Pharisee from time to time.
Top 10 Stories of 2009
The editors of WORLD Magazine — the nation's most widely-read Christian news magazine — and the U.S. editors and news directors of The Associated Press have released their list of the top 10 stories of 2009.
From WORLD Magazine: 1) Inauguration of President Barack Obama 2) War in Afghanistan and Pakistan 3) War in Iraq 4) Climategate 5) Healthcare debate 6) Recession 7) Nidal Hasan, Fort Hood, and the domestic terror threat 8) Honduras: Triumph of Latin American Democracy 9) Creation of ACNA — Anglican Church in North America 10) U-turn for U.S. pro-life message overseas.
From The Associated Press: 1) The economy 2) Obama inauguration 3) Health care 4) Auto industry 5) Swine flu 6) Afghanistan 7) Michael Jackson dies 8) Fort Hood rampage 9) Edward Kennedy dies 10) Miracle on Hudson.
How Americans Identify Themselves
This Christmas season, 78 percent of Americans identify with some form of Christian religion, a proportion that has been declining in recent decades, says new Gallup® poll data. The major reason for this decline has been an increase in the percentage of Americans claiming no religious identity, now at 13 percent of all adults.
One of the most significant trends documented during a 60-year average of Gallup's religious identity data in America is the substantial increase in the percentage of American adults who don't identify with any specific religion. In 1948, only 2 percent of Americans did not identify with a religion; in 1998, 6 percent; in 2002, 10 percent and this year's average of 13 percent of Americans who claim no religious identity is the highest in Gallup records.
As most of us joyously celebrate the holidays with friends, family and loved ones, 85 percent of nursing-home residents won't receive a single guest — and not just during this season, but year round.
"Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body." -- Joseph Addison
"Your living is determined not so much by what life brings you as by the attitude you bring to life; not so much by what happens to you as by the way your mind looks at what happens." -- Lewis L. Dunnington
"My mother taught me very early to believe I could achieve any accomplishment I wanted to. The first was to walk without braces." -- Wilma Rudolph 1940-1994, Olympic Gold Medalist
Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep
A little girl was about to undergo a dangerous operation. Just before the doctor administered the anesthetic, he said, "Before we can make you well, we must put you to sleep."
The girl responded, "Oh, if you are going to put me to sleep, then I must say my prayers first." And she folded her hands, closed her eyes, and said:" Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake; I pray the Lord my soul to take. And this I ask for Jesus' sake. Amen." Later on the surgeon admitted that he prayed that prayer that night for the first time in thirty years.
NEW YEAR 2010 I look at the new calendar for the coming year. There will be Three Hundred and sixty five days. It is time to reflect back and make new decisions. Have I learned to let God guide my ways?
First, I want a closer walk with Jesus, my Lord. I plan to start and end each day in His care. I will read His Word with new expectancy. I will decide to spend more time in prayer.
Last year, I learned many new lessons. I became more dependent on Him. Those things that I had thought were important, Have now faded away or grown dim. I have more of a desire to be like Him. He is teaching me how to obey. I want less and less of what this world offers. I need to listen closer to what He will say. I need to be more conscious of those in need. I will trust Him for more smiles to give. I want to be more careful of what I say As others will watch how I live. May this New Year be a joyful one. As I allow Him to just lead me along. May I surrender any selfish desires And remember right from wrong. Evelyn D. Putnam
TV TAGLINES
- A fool and his money are the prime-time television target audience.
- An idle mind is television's playground!
- But Daddy, you watched the news on television YESTERDAY.
- Television is a medium - so called because it is neither rare nor well-done
- There's just not enough sax and violins on television!
- Were there "radio dinners" before television?
- You aren't a kid any more when you can't remember the last time you lay on the floor to watch television.
- Television has proved that people will look at anything rather than each other. -- Ann Landers
It’s amusing, isn’t it? Measly human beings puff themselves up to appear grander than they are. But God, who is the source of everything in this universe, humbled himself . . . out of love for you and me.
"May all your troubles last as long as your New Years Resolutions." Joey Adams
I am the new year. I am an unspoiled page in your book of time.
I am your next chance at the art of living.
I am your opportunity to practice what you have learned about life during the last twelve months.
All that you sought and didn’t find is hidden in me, waiting for you to search it but with more determination.
All the good that you tried for and didn’t achieve is mine to grant when you have fewer conflicting desires.
All that you dreamed but didn’t dare to do, all that you hoped but did not will, all the faith that you claimed but did not have -- these slumber lightly, waiting to be awakened by the touch of a strong purpose.
I am your opportunity to renew you allegiance to Him who said, "Behold, I make all things new."
A Year of Time Though even thinking on the subject of time may prove discomforting, it is not a bad idea"especially at the beginning of a new year.
As we look into 2010 we look at a block of time. We see 12 months, 52 weeks, 365 days, 8,760 hours, 525,600 minutes, 31,536,000 seconds. And all is a gift from God. We have done nothing to deserve it, earn it, or purchased it. Like the air we breathe, time comes to us as a part of life.
The gift of time is not ours alone. It is given equally to each person. Rich and poor,
educated and ignorant, strong and weak "every man, woman and child has the same twenty-four hours every day. Another important thing about time is that you cannot stop it. There is no way to slow it down, turn it off, or adjust it. Time marches on.
And you cannot bring back time. Once it is gone, it is gone. Yesterday is lost forever. If yesterday is lost, tomorrow is uncertain. We may look ahead at a full year block of time, but we really have no guarantee that we will experience any of it.
Obviously, time is one of our most precious possessions. We can waste it. We can worry over it. We can spend it on ourselves. Or, as good stewards, we can invest it in the kingdom of God. The new year is full of time. As the seconds tick away, will you be tossing time out the window, or will you make every minute count?
But history will judge you, and as the years pass, you will ultimately judge yourself, in the extent to which you have used your gifts and talents to lighten and enrich the lives of your fellow men. In your hands lies the future of your world and the fulfillment of the best qualities of your own spirit. Robert F. Kennedy
"There are three kinds of givers -- the flint, the sponge and the honeycomb. To get anything out of a flint you must hammer it. And then you get only chips and sparks. To get water out of a sponge you must squeeze it, and the more you use pressure, the more you will get. But the honeycomb just overflows with its own sweetness. Which kind of giver are you?" - Unknown
If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?
"If you want to be a holy man, you've got to be committed. When you make a decision you cannot waiver in any way. You'd never see Gandhi during a hunger strike sneaking into the kitchen in the middle of the night.
'Gandhi...what are you doing down there?'
'Umm, I thought I heard a prowler...and I was going to hit him over the head with this big bowl of potato salad.'" -Jim Carrey
The purpose of a great sermon is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. The latter is preferable to the former.
Erma's New Year's Resolutions - The late Erma Bombeck made these New Year's resolutions:
1. I'm going to clean this dump just as soon as the kids grow up.
2. I will go to no doctor whose office plants have died.
3. I'm going to follow my husband's suggestion to put a little excitement into my life by living within our budget.
4. I'm going to apply for a hardship scholarship to Weight Watchers.
5. I will never loan my car to anyone I have given birth to.
6. And just like last year...I am going to remember that my children need love the most when they deserve it the least.
Almost everyone is capable of being a Pharisee from time to time.
Top 10 Stories of 2009
The editors of WORLD Magazine — the nation's most widely-read Christian news magazine — and the U.S. editors and news directors of The Associated Press have released their list of the top 10 stories of 2009.
From WORLD Magazine: 1) Inauguration of President Barack Obama 2) War in Afghanistan and Pakistan 3) War in Iraq 4) Climategate 5) Healthcare debate 6) Recession 7) Nidal Hasan, Fort Hood, and the domestic terror threat 8) Honduras: Triumph of Latin American Democracy 9) Creation of ACNA — Anglican Church in North America 10) U-turn for U.S. pro-life message overseas.
From The Associated Press: 1) The economy 2) Obama inauguration 3) Health care 4) Auto industry 5) Swine flu 6) Afghanistan 7) Michael Jackson dies 8) Fort Hood rampage 9) Edward Kennedy dies 10) Miracle on Hudson.
How Americans Identify Themselves
This Christmas season, 78 percent of Americans identify with some form of Christian religion, a proportion that has been declining in recent decades, says new Gallup® poll data. The major reason for this decline has been an increase in the percentage of Americans claiming no religious identity, now at 13 percent of all adults.
One of the most significant trends documented during a 60-year average of Gallup's religious identity data in America is the substantial increase in the percentage of American adults who don't identify with any specific religion. In 1948, only 2 percent of Americans did not identify with a religion; in 1998, 6 percent; in 2002, 10 percent and this year's average of 13 percent of Americans who claim no religious identity is the highest in Gallup records.
As most of us joyously celebrate the holidays with friends, family and loved ones, 85 percent of nursing-home residents won't receive a single guest — and not just during this season, but year round.
"Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body." -- Joseph Addison
"Your living is determined not so much by what life brings you as by the attitude you bring to life; not so much by what happens to you as by the way your mind looks at what happens." -- Lewis L. Dunnington
"My mother taught me very early to believe I could achieve any accomplishment I wanted to. The first was to walk without braces." -- Wilma Rudolph 1940-1994, Olympic Gold Medalist
Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep
A little girl was about to undergo a dangerous operation. Just before the doctor administered the anesthetic, he said, "Before we can make you well, we must put you to sleep."
The girl responded, "Oh, if you are going to put me to sleep, then I must say my prayers first." And she folded her hands, closed her eyes, and said:" Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake; I pray the Lord my soul to take. And this I ask for Jesus' sake. Amen." Later on the surgeon admitted that he prayed that prayer that night for the first time in thirty years.
NEW YEAR 2010 I look at the new calendar for the coming year. There will be Three Hundred and sixty five days. It is time to reflect back and make new decisions. Have I learned to let God guide my ways?
First, I want a closer walk with Jesus, my Lord. I plan to start and end each day in His care. I will read His Word with new expectancy. I will decide to spend more time in prayer.
Last year, I learned many new lessons. I became more dependent on Him. Those things that I had thought were important, Have now faded away or grown dim. I have more of a desire to be like Him. He is teaching me how to obey. I want less and less of what this world offers. I need to listen closer to what He will say. I need to be more conscious of those in need. I will trust Him for more smiles to give. I want to be more careful of what I say As others will watch how I live. May this New Year be a joyful one. As I allow Him to just lead me along. May I surrender any selfish desires And remember right from wrong. Evelyn D. Putnam
TV TAGLINES
- A fool and his money are the prime-time television target audience.
- An idle mind is television's playground!
- But Daddy, you watched the news on television YESTERDAY.
- Television is a medium - so called because it is neither rare nor well-done
- There's just not enough sax and violins on television!
- Were there "radio dinners" before television?
- You aren't a kid any more when you can't remember the last time you lay on the floor to watch television.
- Television has proved that people will look at anything rather than each other. -- Ann Landers
It’s amusing, isn’t it? Measly human beings puff themselves up to appear grander than they are. But God, who is the source of everything in this universe, humbled himself . . . out of love for you and me.
"May all your troubles last as long as your New Years Resolutions." Joey Adams
I am the new year. I am an unspoiled page in your book of time.
I am your next chance at the art of living.
I am your opportunity to practice what you have learned about life during the last twelve months.
All that you sought and didn’t find is hidden in me, waiting for you to search it but with more determination.
All the good that you tried for and didn’t achieve is mine to grant when you have fewer conflicting desires.
All that you dreamed but didn’t dare to do, all that you hoped but did not will, all the faith that you claimed but did not have -- these slumber lightly, waiting to be awakened by the touch of a strong purpose.
I am your opportunity to renew you allegiance to Him who said, "Behold, I make all things new."
A Year of Time Though even thinking on the subject of time may prove discomforting, it is not a bad idea"especially at the beginning of a new year.
As we look into 2010 we look at a block of time. We see 12 months, 52 weeks, 365 days, 8,760 hours, 525,600 minutes, 31,536,000 seconds. And all is a gift from God. We have done nothing to deserve it, earn it, or purchased it. Like the air we breathe, time comes to us as a part of life.
The gift of time is not ours alone. It is given equally to each person. Rich and poor,
educated and ignorant, strong and weak "every man, woman and child has the same twenty-four hours every day. Another important thing about time is that you cannot stop it. There is no way to slow it down, turn it off, or adjust it. Time marches on.
And you cannot bring back time. Once it is gone, it is gone. Yesterday is lost forever. If yesterday is lost, tomorrow is uncertain. We may look ahead at a full year block of time, but we really have no guarantee that we will experience any of it.
Obviously, time is one of our most precious possessions. We can waste it. We can worry over it. We can spend it on ourselves. Or, as good stewards, we can invest it in the kingdom of God. The new year is full of time. As the seconds tick away, will you be tossing time out the window, or will you make every minute count?
But history will judge you, and as the years pass, you will ultimately judge yourself, in the extent to which you have used your gifts and talents to lighten and enrich the lives of your fellow men. In your hands lies the future of your world and the fulfillment of the best qualities of your own spirit. Robert F. Kennedy
"There are three kinds of givers -- the flint, the sponge and the honeycomb. To get anything out of a flint you must hammer it. And then you get only chips and sparks. To get water out of a sponge you must squeeze it, and the more you use pressure, the more you will get. But the honeycomb just overflows with its own sweetness. Which kind of giver are you?" - Unknown
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