Illustration: Revenge

Little Johnny was in the garden filling in a large hole when his neighbor peered over the fence. Interested in what the youngster was up to, he politely asked, "What'cha doing, Johnny?"

Illustration: Leadership

Coach Vince Lombardi once observed, "One must not hesitate to innovate and change with the times and the varying formations. The leader who stands still is not progressing, and he will not remain a leader for long."

Illustration: Prayer

"My point is this: One of the best ways to develop your prayer life is to be attentive to the changes and growth that are occurring in your life as a result of prayer. The more you grow, the more you will want to pray."

Illustration: Dependence on God

Dwight L. Moody told this story: "A minister was one day moving his library upstairs. As he was going up with a load of books, his little boy came in, very anxious to help his father. So his father just told him to go and get an armful, and bring them upstairs. When the father came back, he met the little fellow about half-way up, tugging away at the biggest book in the library. He couldn't manage to carry it up. It was too big. So he sat down and cried.

Illustration: Acceptance, Home

People often gravitate to where they are accepted. When we were lost, "having no hope and without God in the world" (Eph. 2:12), it was God who "accepted [us] in the Beloved" (Eph. 1:6). Once accepted by Him, we remain because of the riches of grace He bestows upon us.

Illustration: Hang in There

"In many ways, ministry is like golf. It is so difficult to get it right, but every now and again, we do it the way it should be done and gain the confidence to 'go again.' So keep swinging and praying. In the end, we will win 'for the MASTER.' We will reap a harvest if we do not give up! (see Gal. 6:9)."

Proposed Canadian Law Would Impact Preachers

Writing in his April 12, 2004, column, John Leo notes that Canadian preachers will be among those affected if a proposed law is adopted: "Bill C-250 (is) a repressive, anti-free-speech measure that is on the brink of becoming law in Canada. It would add 'sexual orientation' to the Canadian hate propaganda law, thus making public criticism of homosexuality a crime. It is sometimes called the 'Bible as Hate Literature' bill, or simply 'the chill bill.' It could ban publicly expressed opposition to gay marriage or any other political goal of gay groups. The bill has a loophole for religious opposition to homosexuality, but few scholars think it will offer protection, given the strength of the gay lobby and the trend toward censorship in Canada...

High Tech Worship

In a recent Breakpoint commentary, Chuck Colson cited a couple of examples of ways in which technology is driving churches: "A congregation was faced with a financial dilemma. [It} had just installed a very expensive, high-end audio and video system for the church sanctuary and [was] way over budget. To solve the problem, the congregation decided to lay off one of its two pastors. Technology, they were forced to conclude, had a higher priority than pastoral care.

Illustration: Judging Others

A young couple moves into a new neighborhood. The next morning while they are eating breakfast, the young woman sees her neighbor hanging the wash outside. "That laundry is not very clean," she said. "She doesn't know how to wash correctly. Perhaps she needs better laundry soap." Her husband looked on, but remained silent.