The Longest Day

          Several years ago, FOCUS ON THE FAMILY shared this tidbit:

* The Reverend Chris Sterry, vicar of Whalley in Lancashire, UK, has preached his way into the Guinness Book of Records with a sermon lasting 28 hours and 45 minutes. Rev. Sterry could not repeat himself or talk nonsense, and could not pause for any longer than 10 seconds. Because the only rest periods were 15 minutes every eight hours, his listeners were warned that they might have to turn away while he used his "pulpit potty."

            Now your preacher doesn’t seem so long-winded, does he?

Scattered Effort

Scattered Effort

            Here is something I read in the publication, BITS AND PIECES, twenty years ago; Henry Ford is the source of this quote, and it challenges those of us who have embraced the multi-tasking culture—of whom, I am chief.  

“A weakness of all human beings is trying to do too many things at once. That scatters effort and destroys direction. It makes for haste, and haste makes waste. So we do things all the wrong ways possible before we come to the right one. Then we think it is the best way because it works, and it was the only way left that we could see.”

            The psalmist issued a interesting related quote three thousand years ago:

 “Be still, and know that I am God…”

Who Wants a $300,000 Home for $16?

         Kenneth Robinson is smart. He knows how to navigate his way through a very chaotic economy. Recently, he did an extensive amount of study on obscure Texas real estate laws.

         In Flower Mound, Texas, owners of a home valued at over $300,000 abandoned it in early 2010. They could not pay the mortgage and simply walked away.

         The company that possessed the mortgage went out of business while they were in the process of foreclosing. Robinson, seeing an opportunity, moved into the abandoned home on June 17 of this year.

         His study had revealed to him a legal concept known as “adverse possession.” Filing the paperwork and paying the $16.00 fee to Denton County, he now awaits ownership. Chances are, it will be his in a couple of years.

         The original owners could force him out, but not before paying off the entire mortgage. The bank that currently has custody of the property could insist that Robinson leave; however, they would first have to file a convoluted lawsuit that could take years to resolve.

         If Robinson remains in the house for three years without receiving a legal challenge, the house will be his.

         Jesus said his followers should be as wise as serpents and innocent as doves. No, he was not talking about exploiting loopholes in the law; nevertheless, we should possess a knowledge of the world no one else has--just like Kenneth showed us regarding real estate law. Our knowledge is born upon the wisdom of God. This allows us to see the world as it is, and as it will be.

         Consequently, we are able to navigate this life in a way that is magnificent – better than anyone else. We carry with us insider knowledge of the abundant life. Therefore, we—with humility and confidence—approach life with joy.

Source: WORLD MAGAZINE  August 13, 2011 issue

The Parking Ticket

            Here’s a story that has been passed along to me many times through the years by various people, which alerts me to the fact they enjoy the story:

            A preacher parked his car in a no-parking zone in a large city because he was short of time and could not find a space with a meter. Consequently, he placed a note under the windshield wiper that read, “I have circled the block ten times. If I don’t park here, I’ll miss my appointment. Forgive us our trespasses.”

            When he returned, he found a citation from a police officer along with this note, “I’ve circled the block for ten years. If I don’t give you a ticket I’ll lose my job. Lead us not into temptation.”

Stay Out of Those Places

            A story passed around for a few decades now involves the old TV show HEE HAW. A character on the show, Doc Campbell, sees a patient complaining about his arm, “Doc, I broke my arm in two places.”

            Doc Campbell replies, “Well then, stay out of those places!”

            That’s pretty good advice. The best strategy for giving in to temptation is to regularly visit places that tempt us. Maybe that’s why Paul admonished his readers to flee temptation.

The Baron and the Lion

            Rick Atchley told the story of a baron who had a lion, which he kept for a pet. Tragically, the lion one day killed the baron.

            Rick pointed out that some people have pet sins. The lion was not designed to be a pet, and neither are sins—both will kill you.

The Daughter Who Booed Her Father

            Fatherhood can be tough.

            Sparky Anderson was one of Major League Baseball's all-time great managers. He had a nickname, "Captain Hook." He was given that nickname because he so often went out to the mound and pulled his pitchers from the ball game.

            Pitchers hated it. The fans did not like it much either. Most the time, they would boo whenever Sparky would come out of the dugout.

            One night, Sparky removed the pitcher and was booed heavily by the crowd. Later, he found out his own daughter, Shirley, had booed him.

            "Why would you boo your father?" he asked her, surprised.

            "I didn't want them to know you're my father," she honestly replied.

            Fatherhood can be tough.

  

Source: THE LONG BALL by Tom Adelman