Off the coast of Florida, long-lost Spanish treasure, over $1 million dollars’ worth, was recently pulled from the depths of the sea, a reminder of a sunken fleet lost in a hurricane over 300 years ago. Though hidden beneath waves for centuries, the treasure waited, untouched by time, until the right moment and the right […]
The artist Chuck Close once said, “Inspiration is for amateurs — the rest of us just show up and get to work.” Along the same lines, Tchaikovsky said, “A self-respecting artist must not fold his hands on the pretext that he is not in the mood.” E.B. White said it this way: “A writer who […]
Gordon, one of the founders of Gordon Conwell Divinity School, told of being out walking and looking across a field at a house. There beside the house was what looked like a man pumping furiously on one of those hand pumps. As Gordon watched, the man continued to pump at a tremendous rate; he seemed […]
The administrator of a large mental health clinic once described what he called the BYMF factor. A BYMF is a Beautiful Young Male or Female. This administrator noted that whenever an attractive-looking young adult entered the clinic, the receptionist immediately gave that person attention and was more detailed than usual in giving directions. In the […]
Leslie Weatherhead tells of a little boy who was admitted to an orphanage after his parents were killed. One of the first items on the agenda was to find a new set of clothes for him. He was given a new pair of pants, a new shirt, and a pair of shiny new shoes. Lastly, […]
In the classic historical drama, Braveheart, William Wallace was the Scottish hero who led the fight against British rule in Scotland. Alongside Wallace stood Robert the Bruce, a Scottish nobleman who betrayed Wallace, but later—after Wallace’s execution—rose up to lead Scotland to freedom and was known as Robert the First, King of Scotland. Before Robert […]
In the Ken Burns PBS series on jazz music, Duke Ellington was asked how it felt to be unable, due to segregation, to stay in the guest rooms of the very hotels where he and his band performed. Duke said, “I took the energy it takes to pout and wrote some blues.” I’m a big […]
The new minister was filling in for a boys’ bible class and opened with what he thought was a simple question: “Who knocked down the walls of Jericho?” The boys looked puzzled. One said, “Wasn’t us.” Another chimed in, “We didn’t even know there was a wall.” Later, the preacher brought it up at a […]
One thing that pains me to see is well-meaning people trying to support others with theology that isn’t accurate. For example, a dear woman watched her husband suffer from a serious illness. Throughout his struggle, her friends told her, “If you pray the right way, God will heal him.” When he passed away, these same […]
Have you ever hunted for treasure? Van Morris is a treasure hunter of sorts. He started hunting for treasure with a metal detector as a hobby more than 20 years ago, and he has been at it ever since. When Van began treasurer hunting, he received two pieces of valuable advice: First, he was told, […]
