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Monday Morning Scatter Shooting


Monday morning scatter shooting while wondering why all the gold in California is in a bank in the middle of Beverly Hills. Does this seem like sane finical planning to you?

   I was reading an article this week about how no one mails out bulletins anymore.  It lamented how many good thoughts and idea are no longer spread this way.  I understand that sentiment.  I used to read twenty or thirty different bulletins a week that came into the office. But over the years it dwindled to just four or five.  The Postal service with its rate increase and every changing bulk mail requirement has effectively killed the effort.  My new replacement is Twitter and the blog sphere.  Lots of good preacher will link to their writings. It never ceases to amaze me how many good idea I get from these posts. Sometimes I blatantly use the CASE method (Copy And Steal Everything) other times one line will take me into a totally new direction.  Ideas are like viruses they are catching and every changing.  I hope those that do this don’t quit. The messages you are sending out are helping others, even if you don’t see the result.

   Once when I was in a psychology class, we were studying group influence on the individual. My buddies and I got the idea to see if we could convince someone that they were sick. So for the next several hours, we keep asking a kid “if he felt OK  because he looked kind of sick.”  It was very subtle and none of us did it more than once but about six of us said it to him that morning. He went home sick during 6th period.[1] Peer pressure is a powerful thing.  Maybe we should us it for good. What if Christian people got together to encourage someone to do something great! (Ex. Let all see if we can get the person scared to talk in front of people to do a devo or see if we can get that one class that is struggling to be full by next week)  A little positive nudging can go a long way.[2]

   Have you ever experienced the over curser?  That person that isn't upset or ranting, yet every third word out of their mouth is a swear word.  It is way too common, for me at least. I was filling up the car with gas and the person at the next pump was cursing away to his friend.  All I could think is I am glad that my kids were not with me.  When did this become acceptable?  The concept of decency and respect are slipping away in our society.  But is my language any better? I may not be an over curser but how does my language affect other? It is demeaning, cruel, critical, negative?  I can’t help but think of Ephesians 4:29  Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.

Finally, a group of couples were eating breakfast together. The youngest couple watched as the older couples did little things to show their love for each other.  One husband looked to his wife and asked “Could you pass me the sugar, sugar”  She smiled and passed the bowl. The other husband leaned over to his spouse and said, “Could you pass the honey, honey” She smiled and passed it to him. The youngest wife exclaimed, “I wish my husband would do something like that for me” The youngest husband though for a moment, then spoke, “Could you pass me some bacon, you fat pig!”


[1]  Yes I know this makes me a terrible person. You are just now figuring this out
[2] And it gives you a little bit of a super villain complex, HA HA HA I Can Control the WORLD!

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