In 1963, when he was twenty-one, Stephen Hawking (1942-2018) was diagnosed with ALS and given just two years to live. It might be that Hawking’s illness helped him become the noted scientist he became. Before the illness, Hawking had been a lazy student. He still did well because he was so intelligent, but […]
3112) Reduced Expectations Read More »
Last Tuesday Ben Sasse, age 53, wrote a “Letter to America” announcing that he had been diagnosed with stage-four pancreatic cancer. Sasse served as a Republican Senator from Nebraska from 2015-2023. He resigned from the Senate in 2023 to become the president of the University of Florida. The following year, he
3107) “Friends… I Am Going to Die” Read More »
(…continued) Our two kids were getting ready for bed one night, and my daughter was all excited. She wanted to show me her new underwear. It was not just any old underwear; it was Strawberry Shortcake underwear. Strawberry Shortcake was a line of dolls in the 1980’s that grew into a huge marketing
3080) Two Old Sermon Illustrations (2/2) Read More »
One day, many years ago, my grade school son said to me firmly, “Dad, I don’t want you talking about me in your sermons anymore.” My daughter quickly agreed with her brother. “Yeah, me neither,” she said, “I have friends in church. Don’t you remember what it was like when you were our
3079) Two Old Sermon Illustrations (1/2) Read More »
Dennis Prager (1948- ) is a wise man. He has written brilliantly on many subjects– religion, relationships, politics, ethics, economics, science, culture, history, and, the key to happiness– which, he says, is gratitude. In this piece, he describes one of the many obstacles to gratitude, which is what he calls the “Missing Tile Syndrome.” Perhaps
3077) Are You Afflicted With ‘Missing Tile Syndrome’? Read More »
Comic strip above by Lynn Johnston, For Better or Worse, 1993. (Hearing about the lives of others can give us the perspective we need to be thankful.) ******************************** From Both Sides of the Desk, by Tom Melchior, writing about lunchtime at a school in Puerto Rico that he taught at in 1959: Students
3076) Thinking About Being Thankful Read More »
I think that one of the things I’m most thankful for on Thanksgiving Day is that, when the Lord was deciding who would need help at this season and who would be in a position to give help, He permitted me to be among the givers. –Bill Gold in the Washington Post —————————– The trick
3075) Thoughts on Thanksgiving Read More »
James Dobson, Sr. and James Dobson, Jr. (approx. 1956) ———————— James Dobson, Christian psychologist and author, died this past August at the age of 89. In this 2017 post from his website, he describes the last time he visited his father. The visit ended with this prayer of thanks. *********************************** In August 1977,
3074) A Final Prayer of Thanks Read More »
From Your New Money Mindset, by Brad Hewitt and James Moline, 2015, Tyndale House Publishers. My Grandpa Colby was a young teen when he was summoned to a neighbor’s farm to help milk a less-than-cooperative cow. Apparently the farmer was off on a drinking binge and had abandoned the cow for days. She was
3065) No Complaints Read More »
Amy Grant’s 2013 album How Mercy Looks From Here contains the song Greet the Day. This song was inspired a prayer Grant heard years ago. Today’s meditation contains the lyrics to the song, a link to the video, and the simple little prayer the song is based on. GREET THE DAY By Amy Grant and Cindy
3045) Lord, Lead Me… Read More »
