Ecclesiastes 12:10

      If I asked you what the most famous painting in all of history is, you might just say the Mona Lisa, the Renaissance work by Leonardo da Vinci.   But you would be wrong.   You'd be right to say so now.  The Mona Lisa has been described as " the best known, the most visited, the most written about, the most sung about, and the most parodied work of art in the world ". But it wasn’t always that way.   Until 1911, the painting was recognized by art historians but not so much by the general public. It wasn’t until it was stolen from the Louvre that year that it came to popular notice. In fact, it was so unnoticed that it took the museum two days before they even recognized it was gone! The theft became a sensation because of the nationalist sentiment of the time, causing a media frenzy over why and who had stolen it.  That notice made the painting impossible to fence, so eventually the thief tried to convince an Italian museum to buy...

   Even if you are not into guns, you have probably seen an AK-47. The machine gun, also known as a Kalashnikov, are the guns you always see the bad guys carrying. That's probably because it was a Russian-made gun, but also because it seems every nation and terrorist group uses them.   The gun isn’t that accurate. Its ammo is heavy. You can’t customize it with scopes or grips or lights. Yet it is still considered one of the best weapons ever made. Why?    Because it works. Drag it through the mud, bury it in the sand, carry it through a swamp, fire it in a snowstorm, and it will still work. It is simple to use, cheap to make, and does exactly what it is designed to do.   It’s not fancy, but it gets the job done and continues to do it no matter what.   And that is a good thing.   We often judge things on their abilities. The more the better. In reality, the greatest ability is reliability. Those that look great but have no staying ...

    P.T Barnum had a problem. People were hanging around too long at his American Museum. Wanting to move more people out so he could move more in, he posted signs pointing "This Way to the Egress”.   Patrons unsure what that was but fascinated by Barnum’s unusual and varied attractions would follow the sign until they reached a door that said: “Here is the Egress”. After walking through, they were shocked to learn they had just left the building. They didn't know "egress" meant "exit"   Word matters. They have meaning. Mark Twain once said, “ The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter. ’Tis the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning .”   There are words used that we sometimes think we know what they mean, but in reality, we might not be as sure of them as we think. In the religious world, people will co-opt certain phrases and twist them into meaning something the Bible doesn’t. Words li...

  It's funny how two jobs that take the same amount of time, occur in the same conditions, and require the same amount of effort can be felt in two totally different ways. The mental approach will determine if it’s a joy or a burden, if it’s easy or hard, if it’s meaningful or meaningless.   Author John Maxwell described it as the ABCs of energy drain.         A ctivity Without Direction—doing things that don’t seem to matter B urden Without Action—not being able to do things that really matter C onflict Without Resolution—not being able to deal with what’s the matter   In the end, what matters is if it matters to us. We can handle the work, we will accept the burden, power through the problem, IF we can see the purpose to do so. Churches would be wise to consider this in the work they do.   Often, we have programs and activities, and we forget to emphasize and reemphasize the why we do it. As time goes by, the w...

    In 1870, the James Robinson & Co. Circus and Animal Show wanted to drum up some publicity for a performance in Middletown, Missouri. As the clowns, circus performers, and animals paraded through town, the circus band played along while standing on the roof of a cage…that held two hungry lions.   Despite concerns that the roof wasn’t strong enough to support ten grown men, circus bosses ordered the band to keep on playing. So they did…right up until the moment the roof caved in. The musicians plunged into the den of hungry lions, who tore them limb from limb. Ten band members started the parade; only three survived.   You don’t play around with a lion.   In 1 st Peter 5:8, we are warned, “ Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour .” Yet, we often will play alongside the Devil, thinking that we aren’t going to fall into his clutches. The barricades we erected will ...

  Fred and Martha were driving home after a church service. “Fred,” Martha asked, “did you notice that the preacher’s sermon was kind of weak today?” “No, not really,” answered Fred. “Well, did you hear that the song leader was off-key?” “No, I didn’t,” he responded. “Well, you certainly must have noticed that young couple and their children right in front of us, with all the noise and commotion they made the whole service!” “I’m sorry, dear, but no, I didn’t.” Finally, in disgust Martha said, “Honestly, Fred, I don’t know why you even bother to go to church.”   It’s good to be observant, but if all we can do is find fault, maybe it would be better if we didn’t pay attention. Do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door.    James 5:9     Don’t be the person that only bothers to bother others. One of the greatest lies we believe is that our criticism and co...