Contributed by Johnny Wilson on Aug 30, 2010
Abraham Lincoln once said, “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a
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Contributed by Johnny Wilson on Aug 30, 2010
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LIFE IN OPPOSITION
When I was young, we used to go camping up at the Lodgepole Campground in Sequoia National Park. I think it was the campground at the highest altitude, and we liked it because it wasn’t always as crowded as the lower campgrounds. Now, I always thought the campground was named
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Contributed by Johnny Wilson on Aug 30, 2010
Here’s a little statistic published in 1998 in The Economist that I use in my Ethics class at DePaul. According to the article, “Superhuman Heroes,” a survey of 198 top athletes conducted in 1995 had more than 50% stating that they would be willing to take a drug that would help them win every
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Contributed by Johnny Wilson on Jul 17, 2010
I love that old saying from the Quaker who said that Americans tend to want everything because we value things too little—implying that what we have is valued so little that we no longer know what is truly valuable and what is not. As Ralph
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Contributed by Johnny Wilson on May 29, 2010
In the film version of Ray Bradbury’s “Something Wicked This Way Comes,” the action starts with a cold October wind blowing through a Midwestern town. Let’s look at the theater film preview of this film and give you an idea of what I’m talking about. The “October People” had come with their
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Contributed by Johnny Wilson on May 29, 2010
The idea of the cloven tongues has always bothered me. At least, that’s the way we usually see this phrase translated. When I was young, that really used to bother me. I’d watched all those old westerns where the Native Americans would say, “White man speak with forked tongue.” I didn’t like the
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Contributed by Johnny Wilson on Jan 16, 2010
My old friend Tom Keller was on sentry duty during his time in the military and he fell asleep, standing on his feet. Something awakened him and as he opened his eyes, he saw spit-shined boots directly opposite his own. He wanted to curse, but instead, he said, “In Jesus’ name, Amen!” and looked up
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Contributed by Johnny Wilson on Jan 16, 2010
The world says, “If it feels good, do it!” and “The ends justify the means.” As a result, we have to be extra alert. It reminds me of God’s message to Sardis in the Book of Revelation. God kept having to tell them to be alert and that must have poured salt into their wounds. You see Sardis was a
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Contributed by Johnny Wilson on Jan 16, 2010
I know this is going to sound surprising to those of us who live near, in, or work and/or play in the City of Chicago, but I once saw a police officer turn down free coffee and doughnuts. Yes, that’s right. I was on a “ride along” with an officer in Redondo Beach, California. It was a graveyard
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Contributed by Johnny Wilson on Nov 23, 2009
EVERYBODY HATES CHRIS: RIGHT DAY, WRONG YEAR
Once there was a covenant with Noah, with Abram, with Moses, and with David, but now there is a NEW covenant written in the blood of Jesus. That promise, that contract, never expires. It is guaranteed by God's action, not our actions. The word often
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Contributed by Johnny Wilson on Nov 23, 2009
Sometimes, the right name will accomplish something for you that you can’t accomplish yourself. I’m reminded of the time I was Editor-in-Chief of Computer Gaming World and we were attending a big convention. Sony’s Psygnosis division was having a big party at a nightclub and my technical editor
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Contributed by Johnny Wilson on Nov 6, 2009
HEATHERS AND GRATITUDE
Some people think being thankful all the time is like going around with a goofy smile on your face all of the time and being insensitive to other people’s feelings. Some think it means to always be happy. We can be grateful, thankful, without being irrationally "happy" in
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Contributed by Johnny Wilson on Oct 26, 2009
TERAH AND THE GODS
There is a Jewish midrash (not Scripture) that tells a funny story about Terah being a merchant who sold idols but had a son named Abram who wasn’t convinced about the validity of the gods because the real God had been speaking to him. Since it isn’t actually Scripture, I’m
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Contributed by Johnny Wilson on Oct 26, 2009
I’ve seen lots of parents who instilled a dream in their children. In fact, Wailam’s (my wife’s) mother gave her the dream of studying in America. But her mother died before she could see that Wailam finished her education at the American School. As a result, Wailam had to go through a long,
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Contributed by Johnny Wilson on Oct 26, 2009
Dr. Cecil Hyatt, former professor of Old Testament at California Baptist University, always used to say that almost anytime God is about to move, there have to be some
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Contributed by Johnny Wilson on Aug 31, 2009
In the Broadway musical, “Guys and Dolls,” there is a line where Sky Masterton (the Marlon Brando role in the film version) shares some advice that his father gave him. Sky is a gambler and the entire play revolves around a certain bet that he makes which pays off in a way he isn’t expecting. But I
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Contributed by Johnny Wilson on Aug 31, 2009
Since Isaiah (and later, the New Testament writers) spoke of God’s "tested" keystone (cornerstone?) or foundation stone in terms of depending upon God rather than what anyone else says or promises, it might be good to look at the importance of "foundations" and Jesus Christ as our "tested"
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Contributed by Johnny Wilson on Aug 24, 2009
Sin separates us from God and from each other. I recently read about an interesting scientific phenomenon with fluorophores. Fluorophores are molecules that glow when they are excited by the right kind of light source. They’re usually found in amino acids and proteins. (There is an illustration at:
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Contributed by Johnny Wilson on Aug 11, 2009
But proffering our physical lives as living sacrifices, we get the benefit of living life to its fullest because we are in agreement with God as to priorities and purpose. We aren’t really giving up our lives. We are learning to stand beside ourselves and see ourselves as God sees us. We see our
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