Thursday Thought

What do you like to do on vacation? Our kids call it "lighthouse hopping."  It's when my wife and I visit lighthouses. For us, the more, the merrier (hence the word, "hopping").  One hundred ninety-eight years ago, the U.S. Congress appropriated $5,000 to build the Saint Augustine lighthouse in Jacksonville, Florida.  In1874, an updated lighthouse replaced the original—one that I recently climbed. That lighthouse is 165 feet tall, with 219 spiral steps leading up to an observation deck 140 feet above the ground.  Though the climb will cost you a few minutes (and a few calories!), the views of Matanzas…

Question: What’s worse than losing your keys? Answer: Not knowing that you had them in the first place! I remember the weekend when we went out to our camper…minus the keys.  Since we'd left one of the hatches unlocked, and since that hatch opened into the trailer, we shoved one of our little kids in that hatch (well, in a nice way) and coached them on how to unlock the door. Recently, four-year-old Sade listened as her mother read about China missionary Gladys Aylward.  In one tense scene, Gladys was summoned to a prison and asked to stop the fighting…

Recently, I walked by the St. Johns County Fire Rescue Station where I noticed the doors to all the fire trucks were open and a power cord charged each vehicle’s battery—constantly.  Firemens’ boots were positioned by each door, ready to slip on. Speaking to one of the rescuers I said, “You guys seem really committed to being ready” (I’m sure I came across as Captain Obvious). He explained, “Once the alarm sounds, we have one minute to get into the truck.  In two minutes we need to be out of the station and on the road to rescue.”  Hence the…

Recently, I walked by the St. Johns County Fire Rescue Station where I noticed the doors to all the fire trucks were open and a power cord charged each vehicle’s battery—constantly.  Firemens’ boots were positioned by each door, ready to slip on.   Speaking to one of the rescuers I said, “You guys seem really committed to being ready” (I’m sure I came across as Captain Obvious). He explained, “Once the alarm sounds, we have one minute to get into the truck.  In two minutes we need to be out of the station and on the road to rescue.”  Hence…

Do you ever secretly suspect God might not be interested in your prayers?  You've prayed and prayed, but "nothing happens." I know this feeling. Diana and I pray regularly for our neighborhood.  We do not pray for their prosperity or health, or jobs.  We pray for one thing only: their salvation.  We’ve prayed for years—in many cases, by name—for our neighbors.  Truthfully, we’ve gone for long stretches when there appears to be no discernible spiritual pulse at all up and down our street. Nothing seems to be happening. Then came the week between Christmas and New Year’s. That’s when the…

Misconceptions. They’re all around us. My dad recently sent me an article highlighting just a few of the things we believe—wrongly. Misconception: People use only 10 percent of their brains. The Truth:  PET scans and MRI scans show activity in all parts of the brain, though perhaps not simultaneously.  So it's certainly not accurate to say we utilize only 10% of our brains.   Misconception: The Great Wall of China is the only man-made object visible from the moon.  The Truth:  Standing on the moon, astronauts cannot observe one single man-made object.  In fact, astronauts testify that the Great Wall…

Before you pack away the last of the lights and ornaments… Question: How many lawn decorations does it take to celebrate Christmas? A few blocks away lives a family that graduated from the more-is-better school of Christmas decor.  With the kind assistance of my wife, we tallied the plethora of plastic persons adorning their lawn.  We counted: 13 Frosty the Snowman characters 17 carolers 40 candy canes 39 toy Soldiers 11 giant lollipops 3 giant candles 7 angels 3 camels 5 sheep These were all large-scale plastic pieces.  Wonder where they store them all. Question: How many Santas does it…

The baby. The one in the manger. Just who was He? When He was born, opinions ranged from “the son of a nobody from a nothing town” to “the Son of God come from heaven.”  After a three-and-a-half-year public ministry that included feeding the 5000, giving sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, and raising the dead back to life—opinions changed little.  To many, Jesus was still nothing more than the son of a nobody from a nothing town. Two thousand years later, it’s still the same. We just can’t seem to agree on who Jesus is.  Recently, some…

Star Wars.  Whether you love the iconic movie series or never saw a single film, stay with me.  See, there’s a life lesson or two in a Star Wars video game that has captured the attention of eight-year-old Caleb. I saw him playing the game with his dad.  On the planet Tatooine, his dangerous mission was to destroy an elite enemy platoon. Using his controller, Caleb could maneuver wherever he wanted.  But wander too far, and the screen flashed, "Return to Objective." As I watched Caleb exploring underground tunnels, one of his virtual commanding officers cried out, "We need you…

It was the first walk in the first snow of the season. With the wet white stuff falling, I couldn't resist a hike around the one-mile paved track that arcs around a neighborhood park. The mesmerizing flakes tumbled onto turf not quite chilled enough to sustain much accumulation.  All the more reason to hurry up, get out, and enjoy. A glance at the slushy stuff gave evidence that early as it was, I was not the first to start racking up a daily quota of 10-thousand steps. After a few minutes, I subconsciously began studying the impressions in the snow…