by Inspiration | Aug 11, 2023 | Archives, Attitude, Featured
It’s a Wednesday night and you are at church when somebody runs in from the parking lot yelling, “Turn on a radio, turn on a radio!” And while the church… It’s a Wednesday night and you are at church when somebody runs in from the parking lot yelling, “Turn on a radio, turn on a radio!” And while the church listens to a little transistor radio with a microphone stuck up to it, the announcement is made: “Two women are lying in a Long Island hospital dying from a ‘mystery’ flu.” Within hours, it seems, this thing just sweeps across the country. People are working around the clock trying to find an antidote. Nothing is working! California, Oregon, Arizona, Florida, Massachusetts. It’s as though it’s just sweeping in from the borders. And then, all of a sudden, the news comes out. The code has been broken. A cure can be found. A vaccine can be made but, it’s going to take the blood of somebody who hasn’t been infected, and so, sure enough, all through the Midwest, through all those channels of emergency broadcasting, Everyone is asked to do one simple thing: Go to the nearest hospital and have your blood type taken. That’s all we ask of you. When you hear the sirens go off in your neighborhood, please
;
by Inspiration | Aug 10, 2023 | Archives, Featured, Prayers
The wisdom of a child My son Gilbert was eight years old and had been in Cub Scouts only a short time. During one of his meetings, he was handed… The wisdom of a child My son Gilbert was eight years old and had been in Cub Scouts only a short time. During one of his meetings, he was handed a sheet of paper, a block of wood and four tires and told to return home and give all to “dad”. That was not an easy task for Gilbert to do. Dad was not receptive to doing things with his son. But Gilbert tried. Dad read the paper and scoffed at the idea of making a pinewood derby car with his young, eager son. The block of wood remained untouched as the weeks passed. Finally, mom stepped in to see if I could figure this all out. The project began. Having no carpentry skills, I decided it would be best if I simply read the directions and let Gilbert do the work. And he did. I read aloud the measurements, the rules of what we could do and what we couldn’t do. Within days his block of wood was turning into a pinewood derby car. A little lopsided, but looking great (at least through the eyes of mom). Gilbert had
;
by Inspiration | Aug 9, 2023 | Archives, Featured, Parenting
Some years ago on a hot summer day in south Florida, a little boy decided to go for a swim in the old swimming hole behind his house. In a… Some years ago on a hot summer day in south Florida, a little boy decided to go for a swim in the old swimming hole behind his house. In a hurry to dive into the cool water, he ran out the back door, leaving behind shoes, socks, and shirt as he went. He flew into the water, not realizing that as he swam toward the middle of the lake, an alligator was swimming toward the shore. His mother, in the house, was looking out the window, saw the two as they got closer and closer together. In utter fear, she ran toward the water, yelling to her son as loudly as she could. Hearing her voice, the little boy became alarmed and made a U-turn to swim to his mother. It was too late. Just as he reached her, the alligator reached him. From the dock, the mother grabbed her little boy by the arms just as the alligator snatched his legs. That began an incredible tug-of-war between the two. The alligator was much stronger than the mother, but the mother was much too passionate to let go. A farmer
;
by Inspiration | Aug 8, 2023 | Archives, Featured, Spiritual Growth
Six-year-old Brandon decided one Saturday morning to fix his parents pancakes. He found a big bowl and spoon, pulled a chair to the counter, opened the cupboard and pulled out… Six-year-old Brandon decided one Saturday morning to fix his parents pancakes. He found a big bowl and spoon, pulled a chair to the counter, opened the cupboard and pulled out the heavy flour canister, spilling it on the floor. He scooped some of the flour into the bowl with his hands, mixed in most of a cup of milk and added some sugar, leaving a floury trail on the floor which by now had a few tracks left by his kitten. Brandon was covered with flour and getting frustrated. He wanted this to be something very good for Mom and Dad, but it was getting very bad. He didn’t know what to do next, whether to put it all into the oven or on the stove, and he didn’t know how the stove worked! Suddenly he saw his kitten licking from the bowl of mix and reached to push her away, knocking the egg carton to the floor. Frantically he tried to clean up this monumental mess but slipped on the eggs, getting his pajamas white and sticky. And just then he saw Dad standing at the door. Big crocodile
;
by Inspiration | Aug 7, 2023 | Archives, Attitude, Featured
One act of kindness that befell British writer Bernard Hare in 1982 changed him profoundly. Then a student living just north of London, he tells the story to inspire troubled… One act of kindness that befell British writer Bernard Hare in 1982 changed him profoundly. Then a student living just north of London, he tells the story to inspire troubled young people to help deal with their disrupted lives. The police called at my student hovel early evening, but I didn’t answer as I thought they’d come to evict me. I hadn’t paid my rent in months. But then I got to thinking: my mum hadn’t been too good and what if it was something about her? We had no phone in the hovel and mobiles hadn’t been invented yet, so I had to nip down the phone box. I rang home to Leeds to find my mother was in hospital and not expected to survive the night. “Get home, son,” my dad said. I got to the railway station to find I’d missed the last train. A train was going as far as Peterborough, but I would miss the connecting Leeds train by twenty minutes. I bought a ticket home and got on anyway. I was a struggling student and didn’t have the money for a taxi the whole
;
by Inspiration | Aug 6, 2023 | Archives, Attitude, Featured
One morning there was a message on the answering machine from an irate customer, complaining about her lack of service—service that had been suspended because her check had bounced. Her… One morning there was a message on the answering machine from an irate customer, complaining about her lack of service—service that had been suspended because her check had bounced. Her abusive message included a curse word. As it is my job to handle payments received, it was my duty to collect the check. Everyone responsible for the “missed” service was happy to pass the situation off to me. They were glad there was a bad check involved, making dealing with this woman my job. They told me how difficult the task would be and offered to prepare me by playing the message. I refused saying, “No, I’m afraid it would prejudice me.” As is often the case when a check bounces, I soon found that this woman’s phone number was no longer in service. A check of the caller I.D. told us the call had come from the manager’s office of the apartment building where our customer lived. We left a message with the manager and within the hour our call was returned. I told our customer gently, sympathetically that a check she had written had been returned because of
;
