Sermons and Biblical Studies

A Solemn Agreement A solemn agreement, such as the pact between Jacob and Laban (Gen. 31:44). God’s love and grace are shown in the readiness to make covenants with people. When God promised Noah that he would not again destroy the world with a flood, he made a covenant with him (Gen. 6:18; 9:9–17). A … Continue reading “Covenant”

A Definition “Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear—not absence of fear.” – Mark Twain “Signs of the Times,” December 1996, p. 2 Good Quotes •      True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever the … Continue reading “Courage”

Phoney Medical Degrees An estimated 10,000 physicians have phony foreign medical degrees that brought one broker of fraudulent diplomas $1.5 million over three years, a congressional panel was told Friday. Claude Pepper, Democrat-Florida, said many American citizens may be receiving medical treatment from doctors who lied on their medical school loan applications, and used the … Continue reading “Counterfeit, (cf fake)”

Pointers on Have you ever stood by and watched guilt or grief or some other kind of pain eat away at someone you cared about? You may have felt nearly as helpless as that hurting person. What can you do for the friend, family member, co-worker, or neighbor whose life is coming apart from inner … Continue reading “Counseling”

Good Good counsel failing men can give, for why? He that’s aground knows where the shoal doth lie. B. Franklin

Baby Book A young couple who had just witnessed a Bill Cosby performance went backstage hoping to get the comedian’s autograph in their newly born son’s baby book. An aide took the book to Cosby, and when it was returned the couple excitedly looked for his signature. They couldn’t find it, and they left the … Continue reading “Cosby, Bill”

President Coolidge President Calvin Coolidge didn’t like to attend dinners, but he was prevailed upon to attend one function at which he was to be presented with a cane. The man making the presentation went on at great length and finished up by saying, “The mahogany from which this cane is fashioned is as solid … Continue reading “Correction”

Handling Pressure There are two ways of handling pressure. One is illustrated by a bathysphere, the miniature submarine used to explore the ocean in places so deep that the water pressure would crush a conventional submarine like an aluminum can. Bathyspheres compensate with plate steel several inches thick, which keeps the water out but also … Continue reading “Coping”

Business Training Exercise A business training exercise shows how people look at the same task in different ways. Draw an imaginary line on the floor, and put one person on each side. The purpose is to get one person to convince the other, without force, to cross the line. U.S. players almost never convince one … Continue reading “Cooperation”

Make Up Your Mind If you don’t make up your mind, your unmade mind will unmake you. – E. Stanley Jones Preaching Resources, Spring 1996, p. 71. What Kind of Flower? “What kind of flower is that in your buttonhole?” a fellow asked his friend. “Why, that’s a chrysanthemum,” answered the friend. “It looks like … Continue reading “Conviction”