He’s Not Our Kid!

            Former Virginia governor and U.S. Senator, George Allen, tells a funny story that illustrates the competitive spirit of his father, for whom he was named. Coach George Allen coached the Los Angeles Rams and Washington Redskins during the 60s and 70s.

            Once, when Allen was coaching the Redskins, they were playing the Philadelphia Eagles in Philadelphia. One of the officials made a terrible call against the Redskins, and the entire Washington bench protested.

            It just so happened that Bruce Allen, the coach's son, was on the sideline that day working as a ball boy. Bruce began screaming at the referee informing him of just how bad a job he was doing. The referee, none too pleased, informed Coach Allen that Washington would receive an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty if “that kid” didn’t shut up.

            Apprehensive that he would receive a penalty, Allen told the official, “That kid is not with us. He must be one those ball boys the Eagles gave us.” Evidently, the line judge accepted that explanation, because he did not call a penalty on the Redskins.

            Now, I doubt if Allen would have ultimately renounced his son, but that humorous story lends itself to ponder the troubling thing that Jesus said to his disciples, “51 Do you think that I came to bring peace to earth? No indeed! I came to make people choose sides. 52 A family of five will be divided, with two of them against the other three. 53 Fathers and sons will turn against one another, and mothers and daughters will do the same. Mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law will also turn against each other” (Luke 12:51-53 CEV.)

            Wow! If the gospel writers had not recorded what Jesus said, it would be easy to place him in a box and package him in an innocuous way that would cause the whole world to love him.

            Strangely enough, God has always seemed more concerned with having himself expressed through the venue of truth rather than of good marketing. 

Take a Quiz!

[From December 26, 2011 through January 1, 2012, I'm going to be running some of my top viewed posts for 2011. I hope you enjoy these once again--or for the first time. ME]

Here’s a fun quiz fromhttp://www.whimsy.org.uk/quiz.html

The answers are at the bottom:

1) How long did the Hundred Years War last?



2) Which country makes Panama hats?



3) From which animal do we get catgut?

 

4) In which month do Russians celebrate the October Revolution?



5) What is a camel's hair brush made of?

 

6) The Canary Islands in the Pacific are named after what animal?



7) What was King George VI's first name?

8) What color is a purple finch?



9) Where are Chinese gooseberries from?

 

10) What is the color of the black box in a commercial airplane?

 

All done? Check your answers below!





 

ANSWERS TO THE QUIZ



1) How long did the Hundred Years War last?
116 years



2) Which country makes Panama hats?
 Ecuador

 

3) From which animal do we get cat gut?
 Sheep and Horses

 

4) In which month do Russians celebrate the October Revolution?
 November



5) What is a camel's hair brush made of?
 Squirrel fur

 

6) The Canary Islands in the Pacific are named after what animal?
 Dogs

 

7) What was King George VI's first name?
Albert

 

8) What color is a purple finch?
Crimson



9) Where are Chinese gooseberries from?
 New Zealand

 

10) What is the color of the black box in a commercial airplane?
Orange.

         Sometimes, what appears to be the obvious answer is not the true answer. Sort of like the world’s solutions for the challenges of life.

Take a Quiz!

Here’s a fun quiz from http://www.whimsy.org.uk/quiz.html

The answers are at the bottom:

1) How long did the Hundred Years War last?



2) Which country makes Panama hats?



3) From which animal do we get catgut?

 

4) In which month do Russians celebrate the October Revolution?



5) What is a camel's hair brush made of?

 

6) The Canary Islands in the Pacific are named after what animal?



7) What was King George VI's first name?

8) What color is a purple finch?



9) Where are Chinese gooseberries from?

 

10) What is the color of the black box in a commercial airplane?

 

All done? Check your answers below!





 

ANSWERS TO THE QUIZ



1) How long did the Hundred Years War last?
116 years



2) Which country makes Panama hats?
 Ecuador

 

3) From which animal do we get cat gut?
 Sheep and Horses

 

4) In which month do Russians celebrate the October Revolution?
 November



5) What is a camel's hair brush made of?
 Squirrel fur

 

6) The Canary Islands in the Pacific are named after what animal?
 Dogs

 

7) What was King George VI's first name?
Albert

 

8) What color is a purple finch?
Crimson



9) Where are Chinese gooseberries from?
 New Zealand

 

10) What is the color of the black box in a commercial airplane?
Orange.

         Sometimes, what appears to be the obvious answer is not the true answer. Sort of like the world’s solutions for the challenges of life.

“Tell Him I’m Out”

            I was touched by a story reported by Moody Bible Institute a few years ago. It concerned the Christian author, Stuart Briscoe.

            Briscoe, as a young man, had gotten a job with a bank. One day, his boss told him, "If Mr. _______ calls for me, tell him I'm out."

            Briscoe replied, "Oh, are you planning to go somewhere?"

            "No, I just don't want to speak to him, so tell him I'm out."

            "Let me make sure I understand--Do you want me to lie for you?"

            The boss erupted in anger.

            Stuart prayed quickly in his mind, and responded in a way, he believed, that would please God, "You should be happy, because if I won't lie for you, isn't it safe to assume that I won't lie to you?"

            James 5:12b, Let your “Yes” be yes, and your “No,” no, or you will be condemned.

Two-Faced

Abraham Lincoln was known for his humor. One story, perhaps apocryphal, speaks of Lincoln during the early period of his political career.

Some critics had accused Lincoln of sometimes lying and being two-faced. Hearing this, Lincoln responded, “If I had another face, do you think I would use this one?”

Abraham Lincoln may not have thought he had the luxury of being two-faced, but a lot of us do. It is imperative we be open, honest, and a people of great integrity.

What Is An Excuse?

Marshall Keeble was a trail-blazing, African-American preacher and one of the truly great preachers of the twentieth century. In one of his sermons, he addressed the flaw of making excuses in a colorful way:

"An excuse is a lie with a suit on. It is a lie dressed up."

To Tell the Truth

I think General George C. Marshall was one of the greatest people of the twentieth century. Early on, he took a risk that could have eliminated his making any impact on the world.

Marshall was a young officer, drilling men in Europe shortly after the U. S. entered World War I. The men were poorly trained and ill equipped. General John J. Pershing, head of the U. S. Expeditionary Force, stopped by the camp where Marshall was located for an inspection.

Pershing was not pleased and gave Marshall’s commanding officer a tongue-lashing. This was unfortunate considering the fault lay with Pershing. Moreover, there was no hope things would get better.

This lack of integrity, coupled with Army’s upper brass refusing to address the real problems, was too much for Marshall. He pointedly told Pershing the truth.

Marshall’s fellow soldiers thought he had ruined his career. They had become so accustomed to ignoring the truth; they believed Marshall had made a mistake from which he could not recover.

Instead, Pershing was favorably impressed. Weeks later, he plucked Marshall from the ranks to become a chief aid. Later, Marshall became Pershing’s Chief of Staff. Pershing had been looking for a man who would be truthful and speak up. No had done so—until Marshall. Marshall rose through the ranks of the U. S. Army for many reasons, chief of which was he was known for frankly telling the unvarnished truth.

The U. S. Army needed people willing to do so. GOD needs people willing to do so.

Wherever you attend school, wherever you work, please tell the truth. Don’t resort to telling people what they want to hear. Be nice about it, be kind about, but tell the truth. To paraphrase Jesus, every time we say “yes” or “no”, people should never beseech us to take an oath. Our word should be enough.