After the ten-year-old’s first voice lesson, his teacher was adamant: “You can’t sing. You haven’t any voice at all. Your voice sounds like the wind in the shutters.”
Despite this discouragement, the boy’s mother heard greatness in his voice. She believed in him. And encouraged him. “My boy,” she said, “I am going to make every sacrifice to pay for your voice lessons.”
The mother’s faith, encouragement and hard work eventually paid off. Maybe you will recognize the boy’s name. Continue reading
Filed under Great Bible Verses
David DeWitt tells a funny story about Chippie the parakeet. He was simply minding his own business and singing his song one day when his owner decided to clean out his cage with the vacuum cleaner. The phone rang and the lady went to answer it and that was when things began to go horribly wrong for little Chippie. Continue reading
Filed under Great Bible Verses, Love, Uncategorized
Patsy Clairmont, the author of God Uses Cracked Pots, shares a true story about her son, Jason. When he was seven, she sent him off to school one day. After a little while, there was a knock at the door and when Patsy opened the door, it was Jason.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
“I’ve quit school” he said. Continue reading
Filed under Great Bible Verses
Jimmy Chapman tells a story about a preacher going for a meeting and staying in the house of a widow. He and his wife arrived late on Saturday before he was to preach on Sunday. Graciously, the lady had given up her master bedroom for her guests.
The next morning when the preacher awoke, he opened the curtains to a beautiful scene–gentle rolling hills in the distance and a beautiful green pasture in the valley below. Then he noticed these words in the corner of the window pane with a child-like writing scratched in the glass: “This is the day.” Continue reading
Filed under Great Bible Verses, Uncategorized
File this under “I didn’t know that.”
“Every second, the world conducts more than 40,000 Google searches, creates 5 new facebook profiles, and opens YouVersion’s Bible App 112 times.”
I learned this when, as one the 40,000, I Googled “most popular verses in the Bible.” Since I write on a special verse each Wednesday, I was curious what the average internet user considered an important passage. Continue reading
Filed under Great Bible Verses
Bill Crowder tells a story about two salesman who were returning from a business trip. As they traveled they discussed the contacts they made and evaluated the success of the trip.
One man said he thought the trip had been worthwhile because they had developed some meaningful relationships. Continue reading
Filed under Great Bible Verses
“How long does a person pay for their mistake?”
This question was recently raised in a New York Times interview with Paula Broadwell. Remember her? She’s a writer who worked as a biographer for General David Petraeus. In 2012 when he was then serving as CIA director, Broadwell’s life was turned upside down when it was revealed that they had engaged in an extramarital affair. Continue reading
Filed under Great Bible Verses
When you think you’ve experienced more challenges than you can handle and your failures are crying for you to quit, consider this man.
In ‘16 His family was forced out of their home. He had to work to support them.
In ‘18 His mother died.
In ‘31 Failed in business. Continue reading
Filed under Great Bible Verses, Perseverence, Persistence
Several years ago a study was done in Colorado in which 3000 high school seniors were asked about their best teachers. From their responses this four-fold composite was drawn.
The ideal teacher….
(1) is genuinely concerned and interested in students as individuals;
(2) requires students to work; Continue reading
Filed under Great Bible Verses
Several years ago a movie was released called “Pay It Forward,” based on the novel by Catherine Ryan Hyde. It stars Kevin Spacey, Helen Hunt and the adorable Haley Joel Osment, as a 12-year-old boy, Trevor McKinney
In the movie, Trevor is given an assignment by his social studies teacher, Mr. Simonet, to find a way to change the world and put it into action. Trevor conjures up the notion of paying a favor not back, but forward. In other words to repay good deeds not with payback, but with new good deeds done to three new people. Do something good for someone then that person pays it forward. Continue reading
Filed under Great Bible Verses
ThePreachersWord 