In the 1983 movie “Trading Places”, a snobbish businessman, played by Dan Aykroyd, is forced by his boss, who had made a bet with his brother, to trade places with a homeless man played by Eddy Murphy. The film touched on a variety of social issues such as stereotypes about race, homelessness, and materialism. In…
Two little boys were known “troublemakers” who were stealing everything they could get their hands on, even stealing from a church. One day the pastor stopped one of the boys and asked, “Where is God?” expecting him to know that God is everywhere. Instead, the boy shrugged and the pastor repeated, “Where is God?” The…
Joe picked Jake up for church one Sunday morning. It was a sunny winter day and Joe suggested that instead of going to church maybe they should go ice fishing instead. Jake thought they should go to church first, and then go fishing, but Joe rationalized that Jesus had a soft spot for fishermen, and…
There is a beautiful poem by May Sarton that sums up what we should all wish for ourselves. It reads as follows: “I would like to believe that when I die that I have given myself away like a tree that sows its seeds every spring and never counts the loss, because it is not…
“The Consumer Technology Association hosted their global trade show in Las Vegas and discovered their Achilles’ heel on January 10, 2018. A two-hour power outage completely incapacitated the coolest, newest electronic products from giants like Sony, Samsung, LG, Panasonic, and Intel. Without power, every gadget was worthless. Such experiences are good reminders of who we are…
It depends on what your definition of success is. We traditionally assume that success means having a great career that pays very well. We all want enough income to provide a comfortable present and a secure future. Being free of financial worries seems like a pretty good definition of success to most of us. Some…
“An unidentified man in Tucson, Arizona used a blowtorch to eliminate some unwanted spider webs under his mobile home. The resulting fire on October 15, 2017 required 20 firefighters to fight the blaze that torched his house. Addressing problems proportionately can prevent a lot of unnecessary damage.” World 11/25/17, p.15 Most people have overreacted to situations in…
A cartoon captured a child’s imagination of what she’d no doubt overheard before. Holding her doll while talking with a friend, she said, “Between the time spent going to school and doing my homework it’s hard to spend quality time with my doll.” Chicken Soup for the Mother’s Soul, Canfield & Hansen, 1997, p.213 Quality time to…
A school board was interviewing a person for a job as a high school science teacher. One of the board members asked, “Do you believe the earth is flat or do you believe it is round?” The candidate replied, “I can teach it flat, and I can teach it round.” What the prospective science teacher…
The All India Institute of Medical Sciences has tracked a unique statistic: how many people have died while taking a selfie. Their research confirms at least 259 such deaths around the world in the last six years. Drowning is the leading cause followed by transportation (taking a picture as a train/car approaches). Other causes are…