Ecclesiastes 12:10

   In November of 1847, a civil engineer named Charles Ellet Jr. was commissioned to build a bridge across the Niagara Gorge. As you can imagine the greatest challenge was the start. How could you get the first cable across an 825-foot chasm with 225-foot cliffs on either side?   The solution came from a local ironworker named Theodore Graves Hulett, who suggested a kite-flying contest. A fifteen-year-old boy named Homan Walsh won the ten-dollar cash prize for flying the first kite across the chasm.   The day after that successful flight, a stronger line was attached to that kite string and pulled across. Then an even stronger line. Then a rope. Then a cable consisting of thirty-six strands of ten-gauge wire. The bridge would eventually become the world’s first railway suspension bridge. It would connect two countries, and it was strong enough to support a 170-ton locomotive. And it all started with a single kite string! " For who has despised the day of s...

   For many of life's endeavors, success is about consistency. Can you do something not just once but over and over again for a prolonged period of time? Everything, all the time without fail.   How about success in pleasing the Lord? What would God’s will be that we do always without quitting in all circumstances?   Well luckily for us we have that answer. In 1st Thessalonians 5:16-18, we read: “ Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus .”      These might not be the things we would have come up with if left to our own thoughts. Yet here in black and white, the Bible says we are to always be rejoicing, never quitting on prayer, and to be thankful in all things.      Are these things our constants? Or are we more consistent in negativity, complaining, and fault-finding? Do we have a steady joyous, thankfully appreciative to God attitude or a steady one of glumness, di...

   As Francois de La Rochefoucauld once remarked, “ When our vices quit us we flatter ourselves with the belief that it is we who quit them .” Many times, our repentance is really nothing more than us trying to escape the consequences of our sin. We are sorry only because we are caught or maybe it caught up with us.   That however isn’t the kind of repentance God wants from us. Consider what is said about the woman Jezebell( probably not her real name but an apt description) in the message to the church at Thyatira found in Revelation 2. Here is a woman who is involved in wickedness and leading others to it. It is said of her “ I gave her time to repent, and she does not want to repent of her immorality.”  God is willing to forgive. He wants us to turn back to him. He will give us chances to do just that. But there comes a point when our sin isn’t ignorance, immaturity or weakness, it is just simple rebelliousness. That kind of sin will be punished by God and we...

  A DEA Agent stopped by the farm of an old rancher. He told the man, “I need to inspect your ranch for illegally grown drugs.” The rancher said, “Okay, but don’t go into that field over there…”, as he pointed out the location. The DEA Agent verbally exploded and said, “Look mister, I have the authority of the federal government with me!” Reaching into his rear back pocket, the arrogant officer removed his badge and proudly displayed it to the rancher. “See this badge?! This badge means I can go wherever I want on any land! No questions asked!   The rancher kindly nodded, apologized, and went about his chores. Moments later the rancher heard screams, he looked up and saw the DEA agent running for his life, being chased by the rancher’s big bull.  With every step, the bull was gaining ground on the officer. The old rancher seeing his predicament moved over to the fence, and yelled at the top of his lungs, ““YOUR BADGE! SHOW HIM YOUR BADGE!”   At times it can be te...