At 8:07 on the Saturday morning of January 13, 2018, over a million Hawaii residents and visitors received an emergency text message alert: “BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.” Panic ensued as people realized their lives could end in a matter of minutes. For 38 minutes people huddled in whatever…
A man was late for an important meeting. He was circling the parking lot desperately searching for a parking space. In exasperation he prayed, “Heavenly Father, if you will help me find a place to park, I will start going to church again.” Just then a parking space opened up right in front of him. …
When a reporter asked August Turak what was in his wallet, the well-known entrepreneur and award-winning author replied, “Expired driver’s licenses.” He said, “I keep several in my wallet. Occasionally looking at how I’ve aged in my license photos reminds me to make every day count.” Reader’s Digest, October 2013 Most of us don’t like our…
A little boy was afraid of the dark. His mother asked him to go out to the back porch and bring her the broom. The little boy turned to his mother and said, “Mama, I don’t want to go out there. It’s dark!” The mother smiled and said, “You don’t have to be afraid of…
“A German high school teacher was struggling to rewind a DVD for her class, and in frustration she blurted out, ‘Where’s the fast backwards button?!’ We’ve all had moments where we wish that button existed.” Reader’s Digest, November 2014. Some of us would like a fast backward button to return us to an earlier time…
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…
“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…
“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 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…
It’s easy to confuse gifts and talents. They are often lumped together. Talents are innate abilities such as natural aptitudes passed down and nurtured in families for such things as math, music, mechanics, etc., while gifts are from God, and are by definition “spiritual” because they are transmitted to us by the Holy Spirit once…