A Texas kindergarten teacher was helping one of her students put on his cowboy boots. He had asked for help, and she could see why. Even with her pulling and him pushing, the little boots still didn’t want to go on. By the time they got the second boot on, she had worked up a sweat. She almost cried when the little boy said, “Teacher, they’re on the wrong feet.” She looked, and sure enough, they were.

The upcoming Thanksgiving season prompts me to stop and count my blessings, and many of my blessings are not so much possessions as they are people who have touched my life in a special way. I was reflecting this week about attending Ruth Hinchey’s funeral back in July, and about the impact she and her husband Roy had on my life.

Snoopy is having a hard time these days. In the popular Peanuts cartoon, Snoopy is agonizing over losing his doghouse to the new freeway that’s coming through. In a recent edition, Lucy unloads, “All right, so they run a freeway through here and you lose your doghouse. You think you’re the first one who’s ever lost his home? You think you’re the only one? Huh? Stop feeling sorry for yourself!”

Three preachers were having lunch at the local diner, when one said, “You know, I’m having a lot of trouble with bats in the church attic. I’ve tried everything, but nothing seems to scare them off.”

Want to refresh your spiritual life? Want to benefit from the joy of giving of yourself? Then go on a mission trip. Take time away to serve the Lord in a missions context.

I ran my third Peachtree Road Race Wednesday, July 4th. It was fantastic! You hear a lot about the famous Atlanta tradition, but you donít hear much about the marathon that it takes to get to the race itself. It takes months to prepare for the 10K, but it also takes some gearing up and perseverance to get to the event. Itís worth it!

George Gilbert said, “Marriage is a three ring circus: engagement ring, wedding ring and suffering!”

Milton Berle said, “Marriage is one of the few institutions that allow a man to do as his wife pleases.

Henny Youngman said, “The secret of a happy marriage is a secret.”

Or is it? We live in a day in which the American family is still plagued by the disappointment of divorce, yet one recent study revealed that the national per capita divorce rate has declined steadily since its peak in 1981 and is now at its lowest level since 1970. One reason? More couples are living together without the commitment of marriage. Another is an intentional effort to strengthen marriages and the determination to make marriages work.

Someone suggested that Adam and Eve had a great marriage. Adam couldn’t bring up his mother’s cooking, and Eve couldn’t talk about the man she should have married.
This marriage business does get complicated sometimes. I heard about a man named Bob who went over to visit Joe and was amazed at how well Joe treated his wife. He often told her how attractive she was, complimented her on her cooking and showered her with hugs and kisses.
“Gee whiz,î”Bob remarked later, “you really make a big fuss over your wife.”

Several years ago, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution ran a story about Los Angeles juror number 2386. This man had faithfully reported for jury duty, but had been sitting in the courtroom for two days, waiting to be interviewed by lawyers.

A little boy came home from a birthday party and his mom met him at the door.

“How was it?” she asked.

He showed her all of his candy and souvenirs, and the mom said, “Wow! You hit the jackpot! Did you say 'thank you?'”

Several weeks ago, a University of Georgia student got into a dispute with two other customers over who was next in line at an Athens restaurant. The two customers were in a crowded line as they waited to order breakfast. When a cashier opened a new line and they stepped to the front, another customer nearby became angry. So she waited for the pair in the parking lot, and as the mother and daughter left the restaurant, the student pulled out of her parking place and struck both of them with the passenger side of her car. She was arrested later for allegedly running into the two customers.

Heard any good fishin’ stories lately? I’ve run across two that sound fishy to me, but are supposedly real life happenings in the “truth is stranger than fiction” category.

Heard any good fishin’ stories lately? I’ve run across two that sound fishy to me, but are supposedly real life happenings in the “truth is stranger than fiction” category.

Before the days of email, people used to “clip and file.” People would share clippings with me that would possibly be helpful in sermon preparation. I’m grateful that some still cut poems or stories out of newspapers and magazines and bring them to me. In my “Mother’s Day” file, I found this “clipping” authored by Rex R. Burns:

Has it really been 40 years since 1966? Lyndon Johnson was president. A first class stamp cost five cents. Herb Albert and the Tijuana Brass won a Grammy for their record, A Taste of Honey. The first Star Trek episode aired. Walt Disney died.

I love this time of year! Spring means warmer temperatures, baseball season, pretty flowers and the celebration of Easter. Easter is a big time for us pastors! I love to see a pew-packing Sunday.

Several years ago, Clarence Harshaw was recovering from a car accident that broke his back in four places and left him unable to move his neck. He wasn't supposed to swim because of the strain it placed on him. But Harshaw wasn't thinking about his disability when one of his fishing companions, 8-year-old Shawn Copeland, fell into a lake during a fishing outing. He jumped into the lake and rescued Shawn, the son of a friend, and then drowned.

During Winter break, we ventured to the suburbs of Denver to visit my wife's sister and family. For five years, they have been trying to get us out there, and now that they may be moving back this way, we made a last minute decision to head West.

I heard about a man who is having a cold January. He asked his wife what she wanted for Christmas, and she replied, “Something that goes from zero to 200 in six seconds.”

Sociologists are reporting they see a trend that a number of church goers are regularly attending multiple churches in the course of a week or month. According to the Jan. 16 edition of “Monday Morning Insight” (www.mmiblog.com), an article attributed to The New York Times stated that more Christians are picking and choosing among programs and ministries that satisfy their personal needs. These folks are fine with floating from church to church.

Have you made your New Year's resolutions? Are they realistic? What are you undertaking that will enrich your life?

I heard about a woman who walked into her bathroom and found her husband weighing himself on the bathroom scales, sucking in his stomach.

I heard recently that Christmas lists have grown so long that Santa's having to delegate this year. Taking the Southeastern U.S. is Santa's cousin from the South Pole named “Bubba Claus.” Bubba's mission is to deliver toys, but there are a few differences.

Amid the joy of Christmas, there is another side of the Christmas story that is often overlooked. Not everyone was thrilled to learn of the coming of the long-awaited Messiah. Jesus especially was not welcomed by King Herod, who could not stand the thought of anyone competing for his royal position.

Playing softball is one of my favorite activities, but this Fall softball began to reveal the sad fact that I'm slowing down. Julio Franco I'm not.

One of the easiest things for some people to find is fault. There's a lot of criticism and fault-finding out there. In fact, criticism is the one thing many think is more blessed to give than to receive.