I want to begin this little meditation with four simple, one-syllable words we hear Jesus speaking in Mark 11:22 – “Have faith in God.” Do you have faith? What do you have faith in? Jesus said, “Have faith in God.” Careful study reveals Jesus is within five days of His death on the cross in […]

What does it take to “get your goat?” The phrase “get your goat,” like the expression that it is “raining cats and dogs,” is an “idiom” – a phrase commonly used but having a meaning not deducible from the literal meanings of the individual words. The common understanding of “get your goat” refers to someone […]

A man saw a friend named Fred. Fred had a bewildered look on his face. When the man asked Fred if he had a problem, Fred said, “I certainly do. I’ve misplaced my dictionary, and now I’m at a loss for words.” Being at a loss for words is not a problem for millions today. […]

An internet search on the phrase “when push comes to shove” led to a website at grammarist.com. That site defined the phase as “an American idiom that describes the critical time when a decision / commitment must be made, when action must be taken to back up words.” That definition reminds me of the Spanish proverb […]

I want to warn you – you may hate this joke. So a man said, “I just bought my first car. I’m now at risk for the Car-owner virus.” What’s that? You hated that joke? I tried to warn you! My subject in this piece is not about the novel coronavirus, Covid-19. Well, sort of […]

Many years ago Basil Overton grabbed me by the ears with this statement about preaching (in the middle of a sermon): “The reason I love what I’m doing is because a I never know what I’m doing.” The apostle Paul loved preaching Christ’s gospel. After rising from the waters of baptism, “Immediately he preached the […]

Trent Shelton, former NFL wide receiver turned inspirational speaker, said, “Control what you can. Pray about what you can’t.” I’m not sure we ought to say that is Biblical advice, for the Bible says in 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18, “Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for […]

Fort Knox is a 109,054 acre army base near Louisville, Kentucky, built during World War I. In 1936 an area within Fort Knox was transferred from the army to the Treasury Department for the purpose of building the United States Bullion Depository. A fascinating online article by Shimon Rosenberg @ zmanmagazine.com describes Fort Knox as […]

Poetic words from the pen of Arthur Guieterman provide food for thought on what we call “progress”: “First, dentistry was painless Then bicycles were chainless And carriages were horseless And many laws enforceless. Next, cookery was fireless, Telegraphy was wireless, Cigars were nicotineless And coffee caffeinless. Soon oranges were seedless, The putting green was weedless, […]

Frank told about seeing his friend Fred one day. Frank said, “Fred had a bewildered look on his face, so I asked him if he had a problem. He looked at me and said, ‘I misplaced my dictionary, and now I’m at a loss for words.’ ” Credit Fred for wanting to think before he […]