Category Archives: Fundaments of Faith

J. Upton Dickson, who brands himself as a Christian humorist, joked after writing a pamphlet called “Cower Power,” that he was thinking about founding a society called D.O.O.R.M.A.T.S.

It is an acronym for “Dependent Order of Really Meek and Timid Souls.” Their logo would be a yellow caution light. And their motto would be “The meek shall inherit the earth…if that’s okay with everybody.” Of course, Upton quipped, the society didn’t last very long when someone objected! Continue reading →

Several years ago Eric Hulstrand related a story in Leadership magazine illustrating faithfulness.

“While I was preaching one Sunday, an elderly woman, Mary, fainted and struck her head on the end of the pew. Immediately, an EMT in the congregation called an ambulance.” Continue reading →

“Are you a good person?”

According to an online article by Kelly Allen and discussed in detail on Twitter and Reddit, there is an easy way to tell. Continue reading →

A young father in a supermarket was pushing a shopping cart with his little son, who was strapped in the front. The little boy was fussing, irritable, and crying.

The other shoppers gave the pair a wide berth because the child would pull cans off the shelf and throw them out of the cart. The father seemed to be very calm; as he continued down each aisle, he murmured gently: “Easy now, Brian. Keep calm, Brian. Steady, Brian. It’s all right, Brian.” Continue reading →

BBC Correspondent Mark Simpson tells about a city in Northern Ireland that’s so divided its citizens can’t agree on its name. Some call it Londonderry and others call it Derry.

“At the moment, most Protestants live on the east bank of the River Foyle, most Catholics live on the west bank. Some are reluctant to cross to the other side.” Continue reading →

Several years ago I heard a story about a psychology professor who believed that parents should not punish or spank their children. His motto: ”Just love your children.

Although he had no children of his own, whenever he saw a neighbor scolding a child for some wrongdoing, he would say, “You should love your boy, not punish him.”

One hot summer afternoon the professor was pouring a concrete driveway leading to his garage. Worn-out after several hours of work, he laid down the towel, wiped the perspiration from his forehead, and started toward the house. Continue reading →

In an old Bits and Pieces magazine the story is told of an old Texas woman named Mamie Adams. She always went to a branch post office in her town because the postal employees there were kind and friendly.

One year just before Christmas Mamie went there to buy stamps and the lines were particularly long. Someone pointed out that there was no need to wait in line because there was a stamp machine in the lobby. “I know,” said Mamie, ‘but the machine won’t ask me about my arthritis.” Continue reading →

One Sunday on their way home from worship services, little Ella turned to her mother and said, “Mommy, the preacher’s sermon this morning confused me.”

“Oh, why is that?” the mother asked.

“Well,” replied Ella, “He said that God is bigger than we are. Is that true?”

“Yes, Ella, that’s right.”

“But he also said that God lives in us. Is that true, Mommy?” Continue reading →

John Grisham is the one of world’s most commercially successful novelists of the last 35 years. He has well over 100 million books in print in 31 languages. He had authored 50 consecutive #1 best sellers. Yet Grisham was hardly an overnight success in his transition from attorney to writer.

A Time to Kill, Grisham’s first novel, was rejected by 28 agents and publishers. When an agent finally did take him as a client, the book’s first press run was only 5,000 copies. Grisham himself purchased 1,000 and hawked his work to bookstores from the trunk of his car. Continue reading →