The emblem of the American Baptist Foreign Missionary Society is an ox standing between a plough and an altar, with the motto, “Ready for either”—ready to spend and be spent in labor, or to be a sacrifice; whichever the Lord pleases. Spurgeon, C. (2014). Spurgeon Commentary: Philippians. (E. Ritzema,…

The movie Titanic reveals something about human nature, some people follow the natural tendency to be selfish and others rise above it and are selfless. For example, as the ship was sinking, Cal Hockley, Rose’s selfish fiancé lied to her saying that he would make sure him and Jack, the boy she really…

Culling the Army of God Purpose: To equip saints to be effective soldiers in the Lord's Army. Judges 7:2 And the Lord said to Gideon, “The people who are with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel claim glory for itself against Me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved…

If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep the streets even as Michelangelo painted or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, "Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well."…

BOOKER T. WASHINGTON, THE RENOWNED BLACK EDUCATOR, WAS AN OUTSTANDING EXAMPLE OF THIS TRUTH. SHORTLY AFTER HE TOOK OVER THE PRESIDENCY OF TUSKEGEE INSTITUTE IN ALABAMA, HE WAS WALKING IN AN EXCLUSIVE SECTION OF TOWN WHEN HE WAS STOPPED BY A WEALTHY WHITE WOMAN. NOT KNOWING THE FAMOUS MR. WASHINGTON BY…

In her book The Hiding Place, Corrie Ten Boom tells of the time she and her sister were forced to remove their clothes and stand naked during a typical Nazi inspection. Miss Ten Boom said she stood there felling defiled and forsaken. Then she remembered something. Jesus hung naked on the cross. Suddenly…

In his book Humilitas, pastor John Dickson illustrates the beauty of humility in the life of Sir Edmund Hillary. In 1953 Hillary conquered Mount Everest with his Sherpa friend and guide, Tenzin Norgay. Consequently, in that same year Hillary was knighted; in 1985 he was made New Zealand's highest commissioner…

When an employer mistreats an employee, one possible response is to quit. Another possibly would be to convince the entire staff to quit at the same time. After the manager of a footwear and apparel store in a New York mall was rude to an employee, all three employees of the store quit. They wrote a…

Many years ago a certain prince visited the Spanish galleys, where a large number of convicts were confined, chained to their oars to toil on without relief—I think nearly all of them condemned to a life sentence. Being a great prince, the King of Spain told him that he might in honor of his visit set…

In his book, The Prodigal God, Timothy Keller writes, “When a newspaper posed the question, ‘What’s Wrong with the World?’ the Catholic thinker G. K. Chesterton reputedly wrote a brief letter in response: ‘Dear Sirs: I am. Sincerely Yours, G. K. Chesterton.’ That is the attitude of someone who has grasped…

*/“The Skin Horse had lived longer in the nursery than any of the others. He was so old that his brown coat was bald in patches and showed the seams underneath, and most of the hairs in his tail had been pulled out to string bead necklaces. He was wise, for he had seen a long succession of mechanical…

Don’t ever be like the woodpecker who while pecking away on a pine tree was stunned by a bolt of lightening that struck the tree and split it from top to bottom. Hardly able to believe his eyes, the woodpecker backed off and looked at the damage for a few moments. Then he flew away and came back leading…

We are perplexed to see misfortune falling upon decent, inoffensive, worthy people - on capable, thrifty, little trades-people, on those who have worked so hard, and so honestly, for thier modest stock of happiness and know seem to be entering on the enjoyment of it with the fullest right. . . Let me…

The Breakthrough Company: How Everyday Companies Become Extraordinary Performers by Keith R. McFarland (Crown Business, 2008) As a newcomer to Hollywood, Brad Pitt spent his days in a giant chicken costume, not as an actor, but as an employee of El Pollo Loco. Jerry Seinfeld worked as a light-bulb salesman…

SERVANT LEADERSHIP In his book, "The Top Ten Mistakes Leaders Make", Hans Finzel writes, "...everyone in our organization rests on my shoulders and I am at the bottom of an inverted pyramid. I spend countless hours helping others be effective by providing them the facts, the energy, the resources, the…

James Harrison, a 77-year-old Australian has the blood that saved the lives of 2.4 million new born babies. His blood contains a rare antibody capable of curing Rhesus disease, a severe form of anemia affecting babies whose blood type is incompatible with that of their mother. He has donated blood over…

The Homeless Woman’s Poem A homeless woman once approached a preacher for help, but because he was busy and helpless, he turned her away and offered to pray for her instead. The homeless woman, it is said, wrote this poem as a response too that insensitive minister: "I was hungry, and you formed a humanities…

Getting Your Life Back Books: The Imitation of Christ, Thomas a Kempis The Ladder of Divine Ascent by John climacus Interior Castle by Teresa of Avila The Ascent of Mount Carmel by John of the Cross Spiritual formation is rooted in the virtues. Choosing virtue is choosing to submit our will to God and…

Emptied Philip. 2:5-11 NASB "Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, [6] who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, [7] but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. [8]…

Chan Gailey experienced it. He coached the Yellow Jackets of Georgia Tech, but his lesson came when he was the coach of Alabama’s Troy State and that small college was playing for a National Championship. The week before the big game, he was headed to the practice field when a secretary called him back…

The man who made a huge contribution to the modern world recently passed away, but very few people are aware of what he did. Eugene Polley went to work for the Zenith Corporation in 1935. During his 47 year career with the company’s engineering department, Polley worked on several projects. Most never…

I have known persons try to humble themselves by will-worship. I have stood in the cell of a monk, when he has been out of it, and I have seen the whip with which he flagellated himself every night before he went to bed. I thought that it was quite possible that the man deserved all he suffered, and…

Actor Tommy Lee Jones said, “Kindness and politeness are not overrated at all. They’re underused.” --Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell The Week, October 24, 2014 p. 15. Galatians 5:22 (HCSB) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith,

A Colorado pastor wrote a book describing how he has become disillusioned reading the social media messages of high-profile pastors he respected. Pastor Brady Boyd, says he fears the social media has simply became another venue for hype which is creating a church full of consumers. Boyd says the trend…

I might illustrate the willfulness of many a supplication by that of a little boy who was very diligent in saying his prayers, but was at the same time disobedient, ill-tempered, and the pest of the house. His mother told him that she thought it was mere hypocrisy for him to pretend to pray. He replied,…