Write Your Epitaph
A famous epitaph that doubles as a pun can be found in the Boothill Graveyard in Tombstone, Arizona (US). It reads, “HERE LIES LESTER MOORE, FOUR SLUGS FROM A 44, NO LES NO MORE.” The Wells, Fargo & Co. station agent died in an Old-West gun battle with another man in the late 1800s.
Oddly Honest
Do you have a problem with spicy food?” the owner asked as we entered his small neighborhood restaurant.
Purpose
T he Purpose Driven Life has been on the New York Times advice book bestseller list for one of the longest periods in history. With more than 30 million copies sold, it’s obvious many readers have turned to it as a source for living with meaning.
your mission statement
Deep down, each of us longs to know what we’re here on earth to do—to have some sense of purpose and mission. Some people have a “life verse” from the Bible that gives them succinct focus. If you don’t have one of those, perhaps today’s passage is a good one to adopt.
the good life
On the occasion of billionaire Ted Turner’s 75th birthday last year, a CNN profile opened with these poignant words: “What will matter most about Ted Turner’s life story when they roll the final credits? That he started the first 24-hour news network? Built a fortune once worth $10 billion? Was Time magazine’s Man of the Year? Received a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame? Made The New York Times best-seller list? Maybe it was that time he raced a sailboat faster than anyone else. Or the year his baseball team won the World Series. Impressed yet?”
YOLO
Who wrote the oldest lyrics for a #1 Billboard hit song? In 1965, the folk rock band The Byrds covered Pete Seeger’s song “Turn! Turn! Turn!” That song made it to #1. Almost all the lyrics are straight out of Ecclesiastes 3, making them 3,000 years old. King Solomon, Ecclesiastes’ author, should get royalties!
life . . . with God
Every month, more than 500,000 people Google “meaning of life.” Why am I here? They find answers ranging from “Life has no meaning” to “The meaning of life is whatever you make it.”
more
Tom Brady has model-like good looks, is married to supermodel Gisele Bundchen, and has led his football team to three championships. But it’s still not enough. Brady confessed during an interview, “Why do I have three Super Bowl rings and still think there’s something greater out there for me? I mean, maybe a lot of people would say, ‘Hey, man, this is what is.’ I reached my goal, my dream, my life. Me, I think, ‘God, it’s got to be more than this.’ I mean this isn’t—this can’t be what it’s all cracked up to be.” The interviewer asked, “What’s the answer?” Brady responded, “I wish I knew. I wish I knew.”
food that satisfies
Why do you work? This question was part of a lifestyle survey used to determine the happiness of workers. If you think my answer reflected a grandiose, altruistic perspective on how my labor improves the economic betterment of society, you’ll be sorely disappointed. The answer I gave was that I work for survival—so that I can have food on my family’s table. Whether you’re a CEO or a student working part-time, you essentially work for your next meal. It’s raw, but real. Hunger comes in repeated waves. It doesn’t matter how well you ate today, you’ll be hungry again tomorrow. It’s an empty stomach that drives us on in our labors (Proverbs 16:26).
felt presence
Hearing an infant cry at bedtime can be one of the most unnerving situations for young parents to handle. When my wife and I first encountered this phenomenon, we struggled to resist the urge to go into our baby’s room and console her little heart. We would peek through the door from time to time—making sure she wasn’t actually hurt or in danger—but we refrained from going in.
a destructive god
There are two essential spiritual truths that we ignore at our peril. The first is that a variety of “gods” seek our allegiance. The second is that we take on the qualities of the gods we worship. Jesus described money as one of these alternative gods, and the secular world is now telling us how worshiping this god affects us.…
patience
I’ve figured out that secondary school boys are part of God’s plan to increase patience in my life. In my job I go from one extreme of teaching sixth form students to the corridors of insanity in teaching year 8 English. I enjoy most of my students, but there’s something unmistakably stretching about working with young men who totter uncertainly…
troubles and comfort
Several years ago when my follicular lymphoma (cancer) was first diagnosed, I participated in a cancer clinical trial. It included the best of the standard (protocol) chemo treatment along with a special agent—a monoclonal antibody called Rituxin.
Recently a friend who is also battling follicular lymphoma received Rituxin as part of her standard treatment. In some small way my clinical trial…
seasons
Last summer brought unrelenting temperatures of more than 100 degrees to my part of the country. So when a day arrived when the sky brought overcast clouds and rain, I began to think about autumn and cooler weather. I love certain aspects of summer, but the too hot days stir my anticipation for what comes next.
The same is true…
