I weigh nothing, but you can still see me. If you put me in a bucket, I make the bucket lighter. What am I?

Answer: A hole!

You will find them in every organization and workplace. They are in government, industry, wall street and, yes, even in churches. They never add anything beneficial but are always a drain on time, energy, and other resources.

1 Corinthians 5:13

 God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.”

The government doesn’t deal with it and neither does business or the church. All we can seem to do is accept the loss they cause. We should be doing a whole lot better.

Give it some thought.

Gary

I loved the dress that I bought at a flea market. It fit perfectly, and the skirt was a swirl of intricate pleats. I wore it confidently to an evening party and glowed when a woman exclaimed, “Oh, how stunning!”

Yes, I was grinning from ear to ear, until she added cheerfully, “Hang on to it, honey. Pleats will come back someday.”

 —Mary Lou Wickham

Words can stab you like a sword.  They can come out of nowhere when least expected and penetrate the soul. Always remember you are not the one wielding the sword, and the day will come when that person has to answer for what he or she did with the tongue.

Matthew 12:36

I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak,

Give it some thought.

Gary

I tried having my mother’s phone disconnected, but the customer-service rep told me that since the account was in my dad’s name, he’d have to be the one to put in the request. The fact that he’d been dead for 40 years didn’t sway her. Then a solution hit me: “If I stop paying the bill, you can turn off the service, right?”

 “Well, yes,” she said reluctantly. “But that would ruin his credit.”

—Jeannie Gibbs

Where has common sense gone? What bothers me is the fact that so few seem to miss its absence. Some are striving to have it return, but there are so many protesters in the way.  How is it that good is evil and evil is good?

Isaiah 5:20

“Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!”

Think about it.

Gary

The German Shepherd or Alsatian is a German breed of working dog of medium to large size. The breed was developed by Max von Stephanitz, using various traditional German herding dogs from 1899. It was originally bred as a herding dog, for herding sheep.

I saw a picture of one sitting on a hill overlooking hundreds of sheep in a valley below. He was on the job, watching over his charges. He reminded me of the fact we all have been given an area of responsibility. There are things we need to guard and protect.

1 Peter 5:1-4

So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.

 Give it some thought and be on guard.

Gary

At a nursing home in Florida, a resident group was discussing ailments:

“My arms are so weak I can hardly lift this cup of coffee,” said one.

“Yes, I know, my cataracts are so bad I can’t even see my coffee,” replied another.

“I can’t turn my head because of the arthritis in my neck,” said a third, at which several others nodded weakly.

“My blood pressure pills make me very dizzy,” another went on.

“I guess that’s the price we pay for getting old,” winced an old man.

There was general agreement and a short moment of silence ensued. “Well, it’s not that bad,” said one woman cheerfully. “Thank God we can all still drive!”

Ecclesiastes 4:13

Better a poor but wise youth than an old but foolish king who no longer knows how to heed a warning.

Careful out there. Never know whom you’ll run into.

Give it some thought.

Gary

A small storeowner was being pressured to sell his store to the owners of a large department store who had bought every building on the block, except his. Frustrated by the man’s refusal to sell, they eventually opened their huge store on either side of the small one, with a big banner running from one side to the other, proclaiming in huge letters, “GRAND OPENING.”

Feeling equally frustrated, the small storeowner did finally outsmart the large department store owners. Below the grand opening sign, across the front of his small store, the man put up a small banner over his door: “MAIN ENTRANCE.”

There are a great number of Christian cults just like that. The sad part is you won’t know until you’re in there that it is the wrong place.

Acts 4:12

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”

 Give it some thought before you step in.

Gary

If we tell people the brain is an app, maybe they’ll start using it.

–       Louise Myers

Proverbs 18:2

A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion.

Proverbs 1:7

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

 Proverbs 18:6

A fool’s lips walk into a fight, and his mouth invites a beating.

Like the President says so often, “Come on, man.”

Give it some thought.

Gary