Thursday, June 5, 2008

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I always thought they were buzzards - but a friend of mine who grew up with them circling overhead told me they're officially turkey vultures. Most of us think of them as nature's garbage collectors, but on our last vacation I developed an appreciation for their grace in flight. Watching them every day I saw them soaring in these graceful circles above me. And, amazingly, they almost never flapped their wings once they were airborne! They ride the warm air currents that rise from the earth as the days temperature gets warmer. They seem to just go where the thermals carry them. And I've got to tell you, it's beautiful.

Tuesday, June 2, 2008

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Of course you know McDonald's - the hamburger people? They have to some of the most brilliant marketers in history. They have advertised McDonald's as such a warm, friendly, fun place. I think every child in America wants to eat there! It seems that you're a lousy parent if you don't take them to Ronald's place - to get a Happy Meal - to pick up the toys or cups or whatever from the hottest new movie and to play under the Golden Arches. The other day I was in a McDonald's - just doing research, of course - and I saw another sign of their marketing genius. They wanted to get donations for their hospital where families of young cancer victims can stay. How did they get people to give? They made it fun! Near the counter, they stationed this brightly colored plastic container - it was funnel-shaped with a hole at the bottom and the money would go down into the bottom and into a bank. But if you threw a coin into it, it went into these wide spirals, around and around, down and down the funnel. It was really neat watching your donation spin, and spin its way to its destination - I mean, according to my research.

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

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Ten seconds can make a man's name known around the world if that ten seconds happens to be in the Olympics and he happens to spend those ten seconds running the hundred meter dash! And if he happens to win the gold medal! Around the world the winner of that event is hailed as the world's fastest human. Most of us have watched that exciting event, but most of us don't realize what ultimately makes a man the winner. The obvious answer is he runs the fastest, but in a sense, the winner is the one who slows down the least.

After our coverage of the Olympics, a well-known magazine included this headline, "He who decelerates least wins!" The concept of deceleration seems pretty odd to us casual observers because it appears that the runners are speeding up continually. In fact, the sprinter usually peaks between 50 and 60 meters. Newsweek says the start can lose a race, but it seldom wins it. The coach of the US men's Olympic track team said, "Nobody kills anybody in the first 50 or 60 meters. The key is not to decelerate as much as the other guy." So, that's the key to winning huh!

Thursday, April 24, 2008

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It seems as if the movie comes around again about once a year on TV, and again we get a chance to see that charming story called "The Wizard of Oz." What a quartet - Dorothy, the little Kansas farm girl blown to the Land of Oz She wants to see the Wizard to get help to get home. Then there's the Scarecrow, he wants to see the Wizard to get some brains. The Tin Woodsman, well, now he's looking for a heart. And last but not least, there's that lovable feline, the Cowardly Lion. Now I know some people who could use some brains, I know some people that could use a little more heart; but we're surrounded by people who could use more of what that Cowardly Lion was looking for - courage.

Thursday, March 6, 2008

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Not long ago, someone told me about a pastor who stood at the pulpit one Sunday and announced this to his people: "Folks, I have some bad news, some good news, and some bad news." He had everyone's attention. "The bad news is that the roof on this church is shot. We have to replace it. But the good news is - we have the money. The bad news is - it's in your wallets!"

Thursday, January 17, 2008

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When historian Stephen Ambrose wrote the bestseller about their amazing adventure, he appropriately titled it Undaunted Courage. It's one of the many accounts of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, the daring group who explored America's new Louisiana Purchase 200 years ago. As they made their way along the Missouri River, traveling from St. Louis all the way to the Pacific Ocean, most every bend in the river revealed many sights and wildlife that no white man had ever seen. One of the many critical moments on their two-year expedition was the point in Montana where they encountered a fork in the Missouri River. There was no map to guide them, and a wrong choice could exhaust their resources on a very long mistake. The river to the right was muddy like the Missouri had been. The crew wanted to go that way. But Captain Lewis and Captain Clark assessed the situation, and led their reluctant men down the left fork. When the expedition reached the massive waterfalls that Indian friends had told them they would find, they all knew they had chosen the right way.

Tuesday, January 1, 2008

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One little light. That's all it took to render our car totally unusable. The little light in the rear of our vehicle was left on one night after we unloaded some things, and it stayed on for several days while we were gone. When we got back, everything in that car said, "I'm not starting, pal!" because that one little light totally drained our battery, of course. But then came the hero - our friend in his pickup truck with his trusty jumper cables. And those cables delivered the energy that my flat old battery needed to run again!

Thursday, December 27, 2007

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When Queen Elizabeth was growing up - then Princess Elizabeth - she always knew that one day she would be queen. It wasn't that way with Queen Victoria. When she was young, she actually was shielded from the fact that she would be the next ruling monarch of England. They didn't want her to grow up spoiled. But finally her teacher did let her discover for herself that she would one day be Queen of England - the most powerful monarch in the world at that time. Victoria's response was simple: "Well, then I will be good!" She understood that she needed to live her life based on her royal position.

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

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Our grandson is loving kindergarten. He loves learning and he loves the friends he's making there. In fact, there've been very, very few bad moments since he started school. But a couple of weeks ago, there was one. His teacher had to leave early that day, so for the afternoon she put him in an art class with older students. He was the only "little kid," you know, in the room. That was okay as long as the art teacher was there, but it suddenly wasn't okay when she left the room for a short time. The older kids started to pick on him verbally and say the mean kinds of things that school kids are all too good at saying. That night, our grandson was in bed and mom was there to sing and pray with him. As he debriefed his day, he talked about the mean things the older kids had said. But amazingly, he didn't seem angry with them. He said, "Mommy, I know why those kids are mean. It's because they don't have Jesus in their heart." The next day he took action on that insight. He took little bags of candy to those kids with a little Gospel booklet inside.

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

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When I travel - which seems to be most of the time - I always try to carry some quarters. I think it started when the kids were growing up. It says in the Dad's Job Description, "must have quarters at all times." Now I carry them partially because you never know when you're going to be needing a vending machine - actually, you're going to want a vending machine. I'm in a hotel, I'm working late, and I want a snack, I want a cold drink, I want today's newspaper. I go through the familiar ritual: put the quarters in, hit the selection button, something good comes out. At least it better. It's pretty annoying if you put your money in and don't get anything back. Why, I probably won't put any more money in that machine!