Tuesday, July 5, 2011

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I was ten years old, and I saw a movie I never should have seen. It's about this dinosaur that got thawed out at the North Pole somewhere, and he'd been kept there for several million years. He really should have stayed there. Yeah, because see, he made his way to New York City. Don't ask me how. I didn't think about that at the time. All I know is, I will never forget the scene of this big, old Tyrannosaurus Rex roaming the city, ripping up the roller coaster at Coney Island, knocking down buildings, grabbing a policeman in his hands, and devastating pedestrians.

Monday, May 16, 2011

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Okay, for all too many of us the words diet and failure are synonyms. I guess that's why Weight Watchers was born. There were a lot of people who have never lost weight, or at least been able to keep it off, and suddenly the word diet becomes synonymous with success.

Friday, May 13, 2011

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A number of years ago I was driving for a pretty extended trip with my son. And in that relaxed moment I said, "There's something we need to talk about." He rolled his eyes, and he said, "Dad, is this 'the talk'?" Well, he must have read me pretty well. He was right. It was time for "the talk."

Thursday, April 21, 2011

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Going to Amsterdam for Billy Graham's great conference on evangelism has to be one of the most awesome experiences of my life. Billy Graham brought together about 10,000 evangelists from 174 countries. I mean, these huge meetings were unforgettable! And yet, I would have to say that one of the most special moments involved a crowd of a total of two people. It was me and the bus driver.

Thursday, March 24, 2011

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It was an overflow night some years ago at the Beverly Hills Supper Club in Southgate, Kentucky. Such an overflow night, that they had to move a lot of extra chairs into a ballroom which was supposed to seat 800. And now, somehow they had squeezed in like 1,200 people. There was a famous performer on stage that night, and he had some comedians on to warm up the crowd in advance.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

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I shocked my kids one day. I told them I could remember life without television! Yeah, I know you can't believe the reaction to that. It's inconceivable to them that there was ever life before TV. Well, I was there I'm afraid to say.

Now, I've seen a lot of changes since we got our first TV. I think I was about five or six years old, and my Dad brought home this little box with a seven-inch screen. My Mother and I would like burn out our eyes, sitting next to it trying to find whatever was on in that little box. And if you didn't like what was on, there wasn't a lot of choice; there were like not very many channels.

Monday, March 7, 2011

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We had a home of our own! The ministry I was working with in the New York area that is. We rented a facility for many years, and then God provided this rambling old home that we called our headquarters and the home of our ministry finally. And, it was a great gift, but it took a lot of work to get it in shape, like most old homes do. So, a lot of friends came in to help us with painting, and wallpapering, and electrical work. And then we were in, but one big job remained. See, the outside looked kind of shabby. It very much needed a good paint job. The problem was that our staff didn't have the time, and I'm not sure they really had the ability to do it right. And we for sure didn't have the real equipment to do a big painting job.

Friday, February 11, 2011

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So, did you look in the mirror today before you left the house? What did you think? It's amazing how much damage one night can do, isn't it? Probably when you went to the mirror today you combed something, or you brushed something, or you washed something, or you covered up something. Or if you had a full-length mirror, maybe you decided there's something you need to lose? Or maybe you needed to straighten something. What's the purpose of having a mirror in the first place? I suppose you could be like Fonzie when he looked in the mirror and went, "Whoaaa!" You know? And you really liked what you see. But I think for most of us, the reason we have a mirror is so we can see what needs changing. Did you know you own another mirror besides that one in the bathroom and in the bedroom? Oh, this mirror is made of paper, not glass. It's designed to be looked into, though. And you're supposed to change something when you see yourself.

Thursday, January 27, 2011

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I was speaking in a city out west, and went back to my hotel room and I flipped on the evening news. And I saw the most incredible police chase I think I've ever seen recorded on a camera. It just so happened that after a burglar robbed a local savings and loan that the news helicopter happened to catch sight of him. And as the police were pursuing him, the helicopter was overhead filming this. It was almost like a TV show, but it wasn't fiction; it was really happening.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

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If you're paying attention, a child will often tip you off very early as to what to expect from them later on in life. I've got movies of our daughter, and she was about five or six, seven years old, singing for us using a spoon - a big wooden spoon - as a microphone and standing on something in the living room as a stage. Well, over the years, God used her wonderfully in singing, and musically, and speaking. It was really no great shock; we saw the first hints of that when she was little. When our son was five, he was tying our house together with string very imaginatively. I'd walk in...I'd open the back door, and it would open the drawer of my dresser in the bedroom. He had everything tied together. At the age of 13 he was the technician of the house, who loved to figure out how things work; how to take them apart; how to put them together, I hope - how to solve problems. You know what? Grew up to be a great planner and a very creative technician in ministry. There's a pattern...a connective line from the past into the future in the life of every child; my child and God's child. In fact, that's true of you too.