The math teacher saw that little Johnny wasn't paying attention in class. She called on him and said, "Johnny! What are 2 and 4 and 28 and 44?" Little Johnny quickly replied, "NBC, CBS, HBO and the Cartoon Network!" (from Pastor Tim's Sermon Illustration and Inspirations List - http://www.cybers

Be Yourself I read the other day about the American musician George Gershwin. He idolized Irving Berlin. Gershwin was a struggling composer, getting about $35 a week in New York City's tin-pan-alley, and Berlin noticed him. He offered him a job as his musical secretary at three time $35 a week. But

Does that startle you? I have been an avid football fan, but now I've had it. Let me list the reasons for my decision never to attend another football game. 1. I was taken to too many games by my parents when I was growing up. 2. It seems that the games are scheduled when I want to do other things

An item by Sally Cunnech in Leadership magazine illustrates the importance of giving attention to needs, not just to numbers. She wrote, "During World War II, economist E.F. Schumacher, then a young statistician, worked on a farm. Each day he would count the 32 head of cattle, then turn his attentio

Some Parents Say... "We will not influence our children in making choices and decisions in matters of religion!" But why not? The ads will! The press will! The movies will! The neighbors will! The forces of sin will! The politicians will! We use our influence over flowers, vegetables, cat

If every church member in the United States were to suddenly lose his/her job and went on welfare, and yet were willing to tithe from the minimal amount received from public assistance, giving in the nation's churches would immediately increase over 30%! Love of the right use of money is the root o

Expectation Corner A little book, long out of print, called Expectation Corner, tells of a king who prepared a city for some of his poor subjects. Not far away he constructed a large storehouse where everything they needed would be supplied if they would only send him their requests. There was one

In the fourth year of his layoff from his job, Dad gave Mom a dishwasher for Christmas. You have to understand the magnitude of the gift: Our old house had its original wiring and plumbing, and neither could handle the required installation. There was no spot in the small kitchen for such a large

A little girl was on the way home from church when she turned to her mother and said, "Mommy, the preacher's sermon this morning confused me." The mother said, "Oh! Why is that?" The girl replied, "Well, he said that God is bigger than we are. Is that true?" "Yes, that's true," the mother replied

Christian media expert Ted Baehr says that by age 17, the average child has spent between 40,000 and 63,000 hours watching television and movies and playing video games. Parents, he says, need to be informed about what their children and their peers are watching. "That is a tremendous amount of time