As I was growing up, the Ed Sullivan Show was on every Sunday night. From 1948 until its cancellation in 1971, the show ran on CBS  from 8–9 p.m. Ed would always start the show by saying, “Tonight, we have a really big show.” My favorite appearances were by Topo Gigio, Dean Martin, and the Beatles.

Some pastors have, over the years, tried to have a really big show with a similar cast of strange characters. One enterprising pastor promised to lift a tremendous weight with his teeth. The crowd wasn’t disappointed because the weight pulled the front teeth right out of his mouth.

The Apostle Paul didn’t use gimmicks but kept the main thing the main thing.

1 Corinthians 2:1

And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God.

2 Corinthians 4:7

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.

That’s how it was done two thousand years ago and how it should be done today.

Give it some thought, and for the kids out there, Topo Gigio was a talking mouse.

Gary

The pastor said to his wife, “Honey, Mrs. Smith said as she was leaving church, “You are one of the great preachers of our time.” He asked, “Just how many great preachers do you think there are?” She replied with a scowl, “One less than you think.”

Something similar happened to me after I preached a funeral service. I was greeting people as they left the building. A cousin passed before me in the lineup; she stated that I did a wonderful job on the message. Behind her was her brother who then commented, “Don’t tell him that! His head is big enough.” I was always thankful for him because he was a realist and always seemed to know what I needed at the time.

Proverbs 27:17 

“Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.”  

Proverbs 27:9

“Oil and perfume make the heart glad, and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel” 

Philippians 2:4 

‘Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.’ 

Please don’t be cruel, but every once in a while, I need to hear what is good for me even if it is painful.

Give it some thought.

Gary

Some believe that the Charlie Brown character in “Peanuts” was suffering from Avoidant Personality Disorder (APD). Avoidant personality disorder is characterized by feelings of extreme social inhibition, inadequacy, and sensitivity to negative criticism and rejection.

Wow, I didn’t know Charlie and I had so much in common. I always believed that the only things we shared were an extreme dislike for anyone like Lucy and the fact that we were both lousy baseball pitchers. I realize now that we both struggled with negative criticism and rejection.

Now I know how Esau felt:

Hebrews 12:17

For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears.

I’m sure glad I placed my burden on Christ and was able to overcome APD. Charlie and Esau never got away from it. Only in Christ is there a cure for that malady. However, a cure is not available for lousy pitching.

Give it some thought.

Gary

I shouldn’t have jumped off the trunk of a car going that speed, but felt I had no choice. This resulted in my torso being ahead of my legs, and I was trying to convince them that they had to move faster than ever before. Down into the ditch we went and, miraculously, my two extremities saved the day.

When you’re a teenager, things can get out of hand quickly. Youth does not linger long on the consequences of actions. That day could have ended in another ER visit, for sure. My “friends” returned for me and we all had a good laugh.

Proverbs has a lot to say about youth that can make the journey through life easier.

Proverbs 3: 5-8:

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight”.

Wisdom will save one from sitting on the fender of a moving vehicle. Trusting in the wrong things can be detrimental. Where is your understanding coming from these days?

Give it some thought.

Gary

Get Smart was an American comedy television series that was broadcast before most of you were born. There may be some exception of some retired educators who will remember it well.

The comedy was about a secret agent who had a shoe for a cellphone. Whenever he was in a jam, all he needed to do was place the heel of his shoe against his ear and he was in contact with 911. Of course, 911 wasn’t invented yet, but it was something like that.

If anyone saw him talking to his shoe, that person would just think the agent was crazy. He wasn’t crazy; he was a secret agent man.

The Apostle Paul wasn’t crazy either but was accused of that on one occasion:

Acts 26:24

And as he was saying these things in his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, “Paul, you are out of your mind; your great learning is driving you out of your mind.”

Even to the present time, those who serve the risen Savior are considered crazy by many.

The one who was insane was Festus, as demonstrated by that comment to Paul.

Give it some thought.

Gary

Here is an observation I found somewhere, but I can’t acknowledge the author, for I don’t know who it is. I just didn’t want you to think that I am that smart.

Some self-professed athletes can “talk” a great game, but that tells you nothing about their athletic skills. And not everyone who talks about heaven belongs to God’s kingdom. Jesus is more concerned about our walk than our talk.

Matthew 7:21
[ I Never Knew You] “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.

I come from a small town that has a very unique accent, and if any of us hear that intonation anywhere in the world, we can tell the speaker is from home.

Our speech should match our identification with Christ.

 Give it some thought.

Gary

There is a song that I like and it is taken from the Book of Psalms. It expresses the heart of the captive Israelites taken to Babylon.

Psalm 137:1-4 

¹ By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept
when we remembered Zion.
² There on the poplars
we hung our harps,
³ for there our captors asked us for songs,
our tormentors demanded songs of joy;
they said, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”
⁴ How can we sing the songs of the Lord while in a foreign land?

Many times, I stood on top of Mount Katahdin and looked down on the trail that brought me to the summit. It was a hard climb with rough ground, switchbacks, and a few steel bars to get a grip, but what a feeling to be on top.

The opposite kind of view comes into my mind in thinking of sins and failures in my journey through life. I look back through the meandering of the trail that brought me down to that unfortunate disaster and sometimes want to cry.

I think it is all about a constant rearview, examination of the road you’re on, and the destination you have in mind. Israel didn’t do that, and the road led to captivity.

Give it some thought.

Gary