In a cartoon from Forbes magazine, a tycoon is sitting in a lush office explaining to his granddaughter where he got his vast wealth. He says, “It was really quite simple. I bought a pencil for a penny, sharpened it, and sold it for two cents. With this I bought two pencils, sharpened them, and sold them for four cents. …
Preaching
When the local doctor began attending church services the pastor was delighted, and it wasn’t long before they were helping each other in their work – the minister referring people to the doctor, and vice versa. One person who received a referral from the doctor called at the church office with a note prescribing the pastor’s last four sermons. The …
Easter
The Call to Worship had just been pronounced starting the Easter Sunday service in an East Texas church. The choir started its processional, singing “Up from the Grave He Arose” as they marched in perfect step down the center aisle to the front of the church. The last lady was wearing shoes with very slender heels. Without a thought for …
Taxes
The IRS auditor looked sternly at the man across the desk and said, “It is your duty as a citizen to pay taxes, and we expect you to pay them with a smile.” The man immediately broke into a wide grin and said, “That’s great! I was afraid you expected me to pay them with cash!”
Jesus the Door
In his Turning Point daily devotional, David Jeremiah writes: “When Lucy cracks open the wardrobe door in C. S. Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, she symbolically encounters a spiritual world. Through that door she meets the King of Beasts, Aslan, who Lewis uses to represent Jesus, the King of kings. “Twice in the Book of Revelation, we …
Forgiveness
In his book Taking The Risk Out of Dying, Les Griess reminds us of the cartoon strip, Calvin and Hobbes. Calvin is a little boy with an overactive imagination and a stuffed tiger, Hobbes, who comes to life as his imaginary friend. In one cartoon strip, Calvin turns to his friend Hobbes and says, “I feel bad I called Susie …
Home, House, Family
A little boy named Danny lived with his family in a trailer. One day someone asked him, “Don’t you wish you had a real home?” Danny’s reply was wise beyond his years. He said, “We have a real home. We just don’t have a house to put it in.” A house and a home are very different. A house is …
Motivation
An older man is on the operating table awaiting surgery. He has insisted that his son, a renowned surgeon, perform the operation. He is about to receive the anesthesia when he asks to speak to his son. “Yes, Dad, what is it?” “Don’t be nervous, do your best, and just remember, if it doesn’t go well, if something happens to …
Conflict; Misunderstandings
Early in their careers, Audrey Hepburn and Marlon Brando were seated next to each other at an Actor’s Guild gathering. When they sat down, Hepburn uttered a shy “Hello,” but Brando didn’t say a word throughout the entire meal. For the next 40 years Hepburn believed Brando shunned her. Her son, Ted Kreiter, explained how Brando learned of the hurt and sent …
Skill, Exaggeration
A guy sees a sign in front of a house: “Talking Dog for Sale.” He rings the bell and the owner tells him the dog is in the backyard. The guy goes into the backyard and sees a black mutt just sitting there. “You talk?” he asks. “Yep,” the mutt replies. “So, what’s your story?” The mutt looks up and …