Posts by John Staiger (Page 49)

There was a cartoon of a professor playing golf while his students were listening to his lecture from a cassette player on his desk. He was so pleased with himself that he decided to pre-record a week’s classes in advance so he could play more golf. The final frame showed the professor’s cassette lecture being played to a room full of…other cassette recorders. I continue to remind my children that they are blessed beyond measure to have a sweet mother…

If I could wish a much-needed gift upon my brethren, it would be that of resilience. Though life’s misfortunes and setbacks afflict all humans, they take on new levels of intensity for the believer. Christians find themselves ever caught in a dilemma. Though godly wisdom teaches them to avoid many of the pitfalls of an ungodly lifestyle, it also teaches them that their new godly ways can get them into trouble. A man who used to use bad language, got…

Like the rain that falls on the just and the unjust, God has showered gifts upon the righteous and the unrighteous alike. Amazingly, God allows his myriad of gifts—talents, abilities, resources, and opportunities—to be used or abused according to the will of the recipient. But the Christian always seeks to utilise the gifts of his generous God as tools for fellowship with God and man alike. Jesus did not leave us without example and instruction. Jesus gifted the apostles with…

When the godly succeed it is time to praise the Lord—Rejoice with those who rejoice! (Rom12:15). Often success brings security to an otherwise precarious existence, and in turn the ability to meet needs that were formerly beyond reach. If such success is born from God’s rich blessings, a Christian need only concern himself with storing up riches in heaven by use of worldly wealth. Scripture does not hold back from warning against the evils of greed. Greed blinds a Christian…

At the turn of the twentieth century, a little peasant boy attended a village Sunday School in Russia. As an incentive, the local priest handed out candy to the children who recited their memory verses. One boy showed exceptional promise and eventually was able to recite all Four Gospels nonstop (3779 verses). That little boy grew up to be the leader of the USSR (1958-1964). He is well remembered for banging his shoe on the table at the UN, building…

Money is a stain on the reputation of Christianity. I do not argue with those who point to the abuses of pastors and church ministries. They are usually right in their condemnation of the mansions, jets, land, gold, and Swiss bank accounts. But let’s not confine ourselves to these easy targets. What about the abuse or hardship that is going on around the world that could easily be alleviated if Christians (including you and me) gave properly? I believe it…

“A time to be silent and a time to speak” (Eccl.3:7). I once heard an interview between a radio host and an endurance coach. The coach had spent many years taking groups of ordinary people on long arduous treks. The interviewer, assuming that everyone must have been vetted by a strict selection process, asked what the profile of an ideal team member looked like. The coach insisted that he had long since given up on such an approach. He said,…

Apparently, in the 1970s certain sectors of the New Zealand population were suffering the effects of too much TV, too much junk food and too little exercise. So, the government started the “Come Alive Campaign.” Citizens of all ages were encouraged to leave their couches and walk, run, bike, swim, or join a club—anything to get them moving. Ads were posted on TV, radio and billboards and they even had a theme song that exhorted: “Come alive…, you better get…

On the “Top 100 list of Stupid Robbers,” McArthur Wheeler would surely be ranked first. Amazingly, the security videos of both banks that he robbed showed him walking into the banks without a mask and smiling at the cameras as he went by. During his arrest, an incredulous McArthur was heard to mutter: “But I wore the juice.” Apparently, Wheeler believed that rubbing lemon juice on his skin would render him invisible to videotape cameras. He reasoned that since lemon…

“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light” (Mt.6:22). Who would ever have believed that the “Drugs and Sex and Rock and Roll” of the 1960s would pale into near insignificance compared to its twenty-first-century counterpart? I know that it’s cold comfort to say so, but we can at least say that the 1960s actually had morals for kids to rail against. It is no secret that…