How To Catch A Monkey In The Jungle If you want to catch a monkey in the jungle, drill a hole in a coconut and put food inside it. The hole must be large enough for the monkey to get his hand in, but small enough that he cannot get it out once he grabs the food. Chain the coconut to a tree. Once the…

From Paul Boatman's sermon on "Purity" @ OCC (can be applied to overcoming any addiction/sin problem). 1. Prayer—Paul challenges the Thessalonians to continual prayer. The beginning of victory over impurity is the recognition that you cannot do it without seeking God’s help. 2. Regret—The hormone driven…

Johnny Cash took his first pill – an amphetamine tablet called Benzedrine – in 1957. He was instantly hooked. “It increased my energy, it sharpened my wit, it banished my shyness, it improved my timing, it turned me on like electricity flowing through a light bulb,” Cash recalled. For the next ten years,…

Background: This is an excerpt from an unpublished book by Brad Berglund. It explores the Christian adage: Wise men still seek him. What would it be like if modern seekers were with the wise men when they worshiped Jesus? Brought-Low was a troubled man with a troubled past. His foolish deeds in his youthful…

The swallow dips his wing into the brook, and then he is up again into the skies, soaring toward the sun. The duck can swim in the pool or dive under the water—it is in its element. So the Christian just sometimes touches with his wing the streams of earth, but then he is up again where he should be.…

In his autobiography, Pat Summerall the former player and broadcaster tells of becoming a born again Christian during his treatment for alcoholism at the Betty Ford rehab clinic. The message of the Gospel is changed lives in the grace God gives in Jesus Christ. --Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell World,…

PORNOGRAPHY Steve Fetrow, a respected spiritual leader, resigned his position as a youth pastor in 1997 due in part to his use of pornography. Fetrow isn't alone. According to a recent study commissioned by Focus on the Family, there is no statistical difference between the number of Christians and the…

In his book On Writing, Stephen King confesses suffering from an alcohol addiction that nearly destroyed him. Thanks to a family intervention, though, he overcame it. Reflecting on the experience, King writes: "It's been almost twelve years since I took a drink, and I'm still struck by disbelief when…

One of the most devoted fan bases in consumer culture history are Nintendo fans. They have anxiously received every piece of hardware and software the gaming company creates. Every five years or so, Nintendo releases a new gaming system This time, the hotly anticipated game system codenamed “Project…

ESPN.com: Baseball Thursday, July 5, 2007 Updated: July 6, 10:21 AM ET *I'm proof that hope is never lost' By Josh Hamilton (as told to Tim Keown) ESPN The Magazine To let you know how far I've come, let me tell you where I've been. Not that long ago, there were nights I went to sleep in strange places…

A new study has found that people who are addicted to their cell phones experience chemical changes in the brain, which can lead to anxiety, depression, and insomnia. In the study researchers examined the brains of 19 internet addicted people and 19 non-addicted people and found the addicted people showed…

Clinicians and researchers continue to debate whether the growing use of cellphones and other technology could be a form of addiction. One of the areas of researcher considers what is called phantom calls or texts. A study found that over 80 percent of college students said they have times when they…

This Guy Needs a Stunt Double, Pronto Even the most hysterical Keanu-phobes would agree that what happened to Kevin Nicolle is just a teensy — and we mean teensy — bit more horrifying than being forced to watch “Speed” again. Nicolle was driving along the highway in his BMW when the accelerator stuck…

It seems as if we are always trying to find ways to answer the question: “What is permissible for me to do?” rather than asking the question, “What would be the wise thing to do?” Pushing the limits of grace may lead us to abnegating our responsibility to make good decisions- and sometimes our families…

According to a new study, 65% of men, 48% of women, 36% of fathers, and 20% of mothers agreed that pornography was an acceptable way for someone to express their sexuality. Pat Trueman of the Alliance Defense Fund says porn gives young men a sense of “entitlement” when it comes to sexual relations in…

Joe Cornell, 52 was working across from his rehab center when he found a bag full of money. The bag, from an armored car, contained $125,000. Cornell said, “Everything was going through my mind—the good devil/bad devil thing.” He finally decided to set an example for his grandkids and he notified police.…

When it comes to their favorite team winning the championship, most Americans don’t think God or the devil pick will pick the winner, but some will pray or perform game-day rituals just in case. A survey released by the Public Religion Research Institute looked at the link between team spirit and fan…

How much is too much? People will have different answers to that question. For some, one TV is plenty, for others they need one in every room. For some, beans and rice will do, for others oversized portions of meat is necessary for every meal For some, a couple of cats are plenty, but not for a woman…

I will never forget Ted Stone

In Leaders Eat Last, Simon Sinek writes, “It is said that if you wake up in the morning and the first thing you crave is a drink, you might be an alcoholic. If you wake up in the morning and the first thing you do is check your phone to read e-mail or scan through your social media before you even get…

Andrew Eberhart lost his mother to cancer when he was 13. To cope with the pain, Eberhart turned down the dark road of drug addiction to cope with the pain he could not understand. 16 years later Revive Ministries helped him change direction and get clean. Eberhart and his wife wanted to help others…

Police in Muncie, Indiana stopped James Jason Buck and discovered him carrying methamphetamine. At the station, Buck gave police a false name. There was one problem with his plan. He has a tattoo on his neck with his real name. He ended up with a possession charge and a charge for false informing. As…

New York Yankee fallen super star Alex Rodriguez is returning to baseball after a yearlong suspension, the longest ever given to an active player for drug use. As he prepares to begin spring training for his comeback year he has issued an apology to the Yankees, their owners, the Players Association…

A study published in the Journal “Psychological Science” says football fan’s eating habits change depending on whether or not their team wins. Researchers found supporters of the winning team tend to eat healthier than fans of a losing team. The day after a loss, a team’s fans tend to eat about 16 percent…

In the Power of Habit, Charles Duhigg writes, “Scientists have studied the brains of alcoholics, smokers, and overeaters and have measured how their neurology—the structures of their brains and the flow of neurochemicals inside their skulls—changes as their cravings became ingrained. Particularly strong…