Monthly Archives: November 2010

In December 1863, during the height of the Civil War, poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow received news that his son had been wounded in the Battle of New Hope Church. Longfellow had struggled much of his life with depression, and having had lost his wife only two years before, the news of his son’s wounds was … Continue reading »

If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent us an educator; If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist; If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist;  If our greatest need had been pleasure, God would have sent us an … Continue reading »

Another good Connie Mack quote. “No matter what I talk about, I always get back to baseball.” He said this in an interview with the Sporting News magazine in March 1951. He was 88 at the time, retired from the game, but he couldn’t stop talking about baseball. We’ve all known people whose conversations always … Continue reading »

Connie Mack will always be remembered as one of the greatest personalities in baseball. After coaching the Philadelphia A’s for 50 years, he retired in 1950 at the age of 87 as the winningest manager in history. Books could be written, and probably already have been, on the management techniques of Connie Mack. Leaders have … Continue reading »

“If you never ask, the answer is always no.”  What a powerful statement that can be applied to our prayer life. James said, “You do not have because you do not ask God.” (James 4:2) James also said we don’t receive sometimes because we ask with the wrong motives … but I’m beginning to see the first part of … Continue reading »

There’s a scene in the movie Bonnie and Clyde where the couple is holed up somewhere in a hideout, unable to leave because the cops are on their trail. It has become obvious to them that this life of crime isn’t as glamorous as they had once imagined. Bonnie Parker is dreaming of a new … Continue reading »

In 1858 a British physician named Henry Gray wrote a textbook called Anatomy: Descriptive and Surgical. It became the standard text for medical students. It is now in its 40th edition. The book’s title is commonly shortened to the name of the author: Gray’s Anatomy. In 2005, when I heard that ABC would launch a … Continue reading »

Here’s a quote I’ve seen several times recently, worded slightly differently in various places: To many Christians, the Bible is like a software license. They never actually read it. They just scroll to the bottom and click, ‘I agree.’ I think the guy who originally said this was trying to insult Christians, and he probably … Continue reading »

On December 9, 1914, fire swept through the factories owned by Thomas Edison in West Orange, New Jersey. The damage totaled millions of dollars. Practically everything of Edison’s was destroyed, including journals and records of works in progress. Edison was not a young man at the time this happened. Many people sent condolences and notes … Continue reading »

There’s an old saying: Adversity introduces a man to himself. When things are toughest, you find out who you really are, and what you most need to change. Are you willing to give to others when there’s money to spare? Many people are. But when there’s hardly enough to go around, you learn just how … Continue reading »