A manufacturing firm had a breakdown in one of their machines. Staff engineers tried everything they could think of, but they couldn’t fix the problem. Desperate, they contacted a retired engineer with a reputation for repairing all things technical.

The engineer spent a day studying the huge machine. With a piece of chalk he marked the trouble spot with an X.

The part was replaced, and the machine worked perfectly again. But when the company’s accountant received the engineer’s bill for $50,000, they demanded and itemized tally of his charges.

The engineer responded: One chalk mark, $1. Knowing where to put it, $49,999.

When its time to make major decisions, knowing how to make the right ones is invaluable. That’s why we’re told to pray for wisdom.

Tags: decision, humor, wisdom

We’ve had a cat problem at our house. There are two strays that keep coming into our garage and eating cat food for our two cats. We wouldn’t have such a problem feeding them, but they spray all over everything to mark their territory. Our garage stinks, my workbench stinks…they even get up on our cars and spray, so when we turn on the blower, our cars both stink! So we decided to feed our cats all they want once a day, then we shut the doors and keep them shut (our cats inside).

This morning Anita heard a cat outside wailing away, trying to get attention. We ignored it. A little later I noticed the two strays wandering off away from the house, looking quite dejected. I was glad they wandered off, but got to thinking.

Is there a lesson in all that about how we, as a church, treat stinky people trying to get into our church? People who are sinners bring their baggage in with them, and inevitably try to mark “their territory” on the inside. So is the answer to lock them out and not let stinky people become insiders, or is the answer for us to tolerate their stink for awhile and help them get cleaned up by being washed in the blood of the Lamb? I guess that becomes our personal decision, doesn’t it?

Tags: mercy, sin, stink

I love pioneers that think outside the box. There is an adventure about their dreams and hopes.

Thomas Jefferson had lived through the American Revolution and was instrumental in structuring our US Constitution. As third President of the United States, he authorized the Lewis and Clark Expedition in the north, and two similar expeditions across the south. These were wild speculations for their day. Jefferson said, “I am captivated more by dreams of the future than by the history of the past.”

Babe Ruth hit hundreds of home runs in his career, but he was also the strike-out king, striking out 1,330 times. He was willing to take a risk every time the ball looked promising.

Although there is little left open for discovery here on this earth, the pioneering spirit is still active in entrepreneurs both in the business and inventive areas, but also in the church of Jesus Christ. Who would like to join me in this expedition to see if the age-old promises of God, long forgotten by the church, still work in today’s world? I want to give it a shot.

Tags: Babe Ruth, Jefferson, pioneer

Here are a few more differences between winners and losers:

7. A winner says, “I’m good, but not as good as I ought to be”; A loser says, “I’m not as bad as a lot of other people.”

8. A winner listens; A loser just waits until it’s his turn to talk.

9. A winner respects those who are superior to him  and tries to learn from them; A loser resents those who are superior to him, and tries to find chinks in their armor.

10. A winner explains; A loser explains away.

11. A winner feels responsible for more than his job; A loser says, “I only work here.”

12. A winner says, “There ought to be a better way to do it”; A loser says, “That’s the way it’s always been done here.”

13. A winner paces himself; A loser has only two speeds – hysterical and lethargic.

Care to add to the list?

Tags: winning

There is a difference between winners and losers that will follow through every aspect of their lives. Here are some examples:

1. A winner says, “Let’s find out.” A loser says, “Nobody knows.”

2. When a winner makes a mistake, he says, “I was wrong”; when a loser makes a mistake, he says, “It wasn’t my fault.”

3. A winner isn’t nearly as afraid of losing, as a loser is secretly afraid of winning.

4. A winner works harder than a loser and has more time; A loser is always “too busy” to do what is necessary.

5. a winner goes through a problem; A loser goes around it, and never gets passed it.

6. A winner makes commitments; A loser makes promises.

Tags: winning

I preached the Thursday church service at Betz’s Nursing Home this week. Afterwards, I always work my way through the crowd, shaking hands with as many residents as possible before I leave. Although many of these people are a little weak in the memory department, I always treat them with the utmost respect because I think they’ve earned that. Some of them have made this world a better place for the rest of us in days gone by.

This past week a lady was waiting to see me. She used to attend church here and I have befriended her over the years. She was noticeably agitated and worried. She said to me, “I used to be a Christian.” I replied, “Used to be?”

She said, “But I began to swear. I cussed and swore.” And she began to sob.

Not many people believe that swearing will keep a person out of heaven, but she was distraught thinking that her bad language had cause her to lose her salvation. I knew that she was speaking from emotions rather than her head, so logic wasn’t going to change her feelings of condemnation.

So I reminded her of what Jesus did on the cross for her. I asked if she wanted to be forgiven and she immediately grabbed my hand and bowed her head. I led her in a prayer asking the Lord to forgive her bad language and help her to feel forgiven and whole in His presence.

After I said amen, she immediately got a smile on her face and the anxiety left her. Satan had stolen her peace, but God restored it. We can all expect Satan to attempt to steal our peace, but Jesus is our peace (Ephesians 2:14).

Tags: condemnation, forgiveness, sin