Bet You Didn’t Know

Okay, trivia buffs, let’s go. For those of you who live in the USA, can you guess which of our 50 states has the most golf courses per capita? Keep reading for the answer. Here are a few other things you might not already know: You can relapse at any time. If you are 90%…

It Took 43,800

Noah’s ark took 43,800 days to build. It was the length of one and a half football fields, and designed at a ratio of 30:5:3, which designers use to this day. If the average animal had been a sheep, the ark could house 125,000 animals. Have you visited the National Zoo in Washington, D.C.? You…

A 100-Year Lease

From 2010-2015 I served as pastor of First Baptist Church in Conroe, Texas. In looking back over those years, we have much for which we are grateful – membership growth, attendance, baptisms, adding two additional services, record offerings, programs, hiring of new staff, and the renovation of six buildings. But it was something else we…

Four Flights of Stairs

A man climbed four flights of stairs, made his way to the roof of the building, then jumped off. Predictably, he broke both arms and legs, but fortunately survived. They asked him what went wrong. He said, “The problem was that I landed.” Actually, the problem was that he jumped. And that he climbed those…

Try One Thing

If you are trying to design a better future, try this one thing . . . Sow today what you want to see tomorrow. Robert Louis Stevenson said, “Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you sow.” And Scripture says, “Whatever one sows, that will he also reap”…

Stay Fresh

A British historian named Arnold Toynbee spent 30 years (1934-1964) studying the rise and fall of 19 civilizations. He found one constant throughout. The collapse of every civilization never came from outside attacks. They all fell from within. It was when they ceased to create the future that they began to die.  R.T. Kendall wrote,…

Brain Problem

Longitudinal studies show that as we age, the cognitive center of gravity tends to shift from the right brain (imagination) to the left brain (logic). Thus, with time, we begin to live less out of imagination and more from memory. We stop creating the future and start repeating the past. We stop living by faith…

Thirsty

If you are to enjoy lasting recovery, you must stay thirsty for more, every day. In The Pursuit of God, A.W. Tozer wrote, “I thirst to be made more thirsty still.” Jesus said, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink” (John 7:37). There are several ways in which you might stay…

Pray for My Hearing

The local pastor could tell something was bothering one of his church members. After the morning service he pulled the man aside and asked him, “What’s wrong, Robert?” Robert: “I need you to pray for my hearing.” The pastor put his hands on Robert’s ears and prayed for healing. Then he asked, “How’s your hearing…

No Chocolate for 40 Years

Jack Hayford quit chocolate, and he stuck to that commitment for 40 years. Hayford said, “I made a decision against myself,” meaning it required action he’d rather not take.  If you want to get out of debt, you have to make decisions against yourself financially. It’s called budgeting. If you want to lose weight, you…