Ecclesiastes 12:10

  Bobby Jones was one of the most important men in the history of golf.  His skill, his accomplishments, his course design, his attitude, and sportsmanship are legendary. In its eulogy for Bobby Jones, the New York Times wrote, “ He is the idol for those who love the game for what there is in it, not for what they can get out of it.   I wonder if the same can be said for us in relation to the church.  Do we love what there is in it or what we can get out of it?   Sometimes, it easy to see that attitude. Those that only show up for potlucks or have their hand out at every service.  The church is only a place to provide for my physical needs.   Other times it is more subtle.  Those that come for the ‘entertainment’ factor. Give my kids something to do. Provide emotional support. Make me feel good.   Do we love Christ’s Church or what we get out of it?   Don’t get me wrong there are great benefits for being part ...

  Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen better known as the Red Baron was the top flying ace of the First World War with eighty combat victories.  He was a meticulous and disciplined fighter pilot that established a set of rules to never chase an enemy too long or too far and never go to low into enemy territory.   But the Baron broke those rules on April 21, 1918, when he encountered a rookie Canadian pilot Wilfred May.  May was out on his first mission but had been ordered to keep out of combat but was lured by an enemy triplane that passed close by.  His inexperienced cost him as he jammed his gun by firing them too much and was forced to flee.   That is when the Baron spotted him. May, panicking and losing altitude, tried every wild maneuver he could think of to stay out of the Baron’s sights. It was only the unpredictability of the inexperienced pilot’s maneuvers that kept Richthofen from picking him off quickly. ‘T he only thing ...

  John Archer is a former police officer turned comedy magician.  Though he has had a sterling career, his biggest moment in the spotlight came on January 7 th , 2011.  He appeared on 'Fool Us' a program where magicians from Great Britain and around the world attempted to trick the magic greats, Penn & Teller.  If they do, their prize was to open the Penn and Teller show at the Rio Casino in Las Vegas.  Archer was the first magician on the program to ever fool Penn & Teller.   His presentation is humorous and clever.  The trick consists of giving the audience members a chance to pick from a series of envelopes to try a get one the one that contains a money prize.  It always seems that Archer is one step ahead and they never can pick the right one.  What makes the trick is that each envelope has a word printed on them and that thru  “Carrollian” language, Archer make each choice seem like he knows exactly what choice each...

  J.C. and Rollie Hall ran into a problem during the 1917 holiday season: Business had been too good.   At their Kansas City, Missouri shop they ran out of the white, red, and green tissue papers that were the era’s standard gift dressing.  Poking around the shop, Rollie realized they still had a stack of fancy French paper meant for lining envelopes. On a lark, he placed the lining paper in a showcase and priced it at 10 cents a sheet. The paper sold out instantly.   The next year, the Hall brothers pressed their luck, offering the fancy paper again during the holiday season.  Again, it flew off shelves.  By 1919, the brothers had decided to print their own special paper for concealing presents, and the gift wrap business was born. Today, wrapping paper is a $3.2 billion industry, and you can still buy it by the roll at the Halls’ store, Hallmark. [i]   You can hardly imagine today a gift today not wrapped up in something fan...