Spiritual Decay
Recently, I heard a sermon that touched on the second law of thermodynamics. I now understand a scientific principle and have been reminded of an important spiritual one!
the waiting game
In 2006, Trevor Thompson surveyed 1,003 adults and determined the following: While waiting in line at an office or store, most people take an average of 17 minutes to lose their cool. When placed on hold during a phone call, most people lose their patience in 9 minutes. Women lose their patience after waiting in line for about 18 minutes. Men lose it after 15 minutes. People with a college education and a higher income lose their patience quicker than those with lower income less and education.
grow up
A couple in their late 50s recently decided to divorce, but they both refused to move out of their home. To resolve the impasse, a judge ordered that they halve the urban complex. This included the building of a wall to divide the living room on the first floor and sealing of the door that splits the living space on the second. The husband had construction workers build a spiral staircase, allowing him to get more easily from his living room to his dining room. He’s also made his ex-wife’s life a nightmare by yelling and banging on the walls. They each vow to stay in the house until the other moves out.
for a lifetime
David Brooks, in his book The Social Animal, details how Gary McPherson studied 157 randomly selected children who had chosen to play a musical instrument. McPherson wanted to know why some students went on to become really good musicians and why others faltered. He believed there was one factor. Even before the kids picked up their instruments, McPherson asked: “How long do you think you will play?” The students who planned to play for a short while did not become very proficient. The students who planned to practice and play their whole lives became very good musicians.
criticism
One Sunday morning a pastor got up in the pulpit and apologized for the Band-Aid on his face. He said, “I was thinking about my sermon while shaving, and I cut my face.” Afterward he found a note in a collection plate, “Next time, think about your face and cut the sermon.” That critique of the pastor’s sermon may have…
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…
personality or precept?
Twitter. Facebook. Podcasts. In mere seconds, we can receive biblical truths from around the globe. We can worship with our favorite worship bands and gain insight into life’s toughest problems from the latest speakers and writers. Never has the Word been so accessible at any given moment. While this level of information offers ever-expanding opportunities for spiritual growth, our hope…
life in the vine
Most people say I look like my father. When I was in the third or fourth grade, a young girl looked at my dad and me and exclaimed, “Look, twins!” Like most sons, I was eager to grow taller and gain some muscle. I wanted to grow up and be like my dad. There wasn’t much I could do to…
