Category Archives: Anecdotal Stories

A Fatal Flaw Scripture References: 1 Samuel 17:45-46; Matthew 26:51-54 Incredible warriors, the Aztecs intrepidly bludgeoned their enemies into subservience. They were also uncompromisingly bloodthirsty, worshipping stony-faced deities they believed demanded human sacrifices. At the dedication of one temple, a … Continue reading →

Do What You Are Given Scripture References: Jeremiah 36:16-17, 23-24; Acts 16:9-10 Actor Jamie Farr played the high-heeled, cigar-chomping Corporal Klinger in M.A.S.H. About two hundred fans attended the ceremony when he was added to Hollywood’s Walk of Fame. Few … Continue reading →

Missed Opportunities Scripture References: Deuteronomy 18:15, 18-19; John 8:24 Ben Franklin made a speech on the last day of the Constitutional Convention, urging harmony among the delegates. It astonished him, he said, that they had produced a constitution of such … Continue reading →

That One Person Scripture References: 1 Samuel 23:16-17; Ephesians 4:7; Hebrews 2:4 Jessie Owens and Luz Long competed against each other in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. What Owens later called “an act of special grace and special courtesy to a … Continue reading →

That One Person Scripture References: Exodus 19:5; Malachi 3:17; Mark 1:11 Somerset Maugham’s The Social Sense centers on a married couple. Mary Warton had been a concert singer in her day and remained an accomplished musician as a doyen. Her … Continue reading →

It Is Really For God Scripture References: Genesis 12:1-9; Acts 10:34 Like a harvester, God gathers his people on Sundays for worship, to celebrate their common faith. Afterwards, like a sower, God broadcasts those same believers like seeds into the … Continue reading →

To Choose a Horse Scripture References: Ezekiel 21:21; Philippians 4:19 As welders’ arcs showered sparks in the racetrack’s new $80 million grandstand, a middle-aged man walked down an aisle seeking a lucky seat. He had been hired by a public … Continue reading →

An Appropriate Symbol Scripture References: Exodus 22:18; Acts 8:9-13 Could any symbol be more appropriate for an occult practitioner than a Barbie doll? One woman considers herself the channel through whom Barbie speaks in response to inquiries. She appreciates and … Continue reading →

Always Ready, If Not Eager Scripture References: Exodus 3:18; Luke 12:50 Thinking war would be a great adventure, John Gibbon’s Black Hat Brigade went eagerly into battle at Second Bull Run. There they fought well while losing many of their … Continue reading →

Only the Best Scripture References: Psalm 19:11; Acts 20:20-21 The guest on Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show was chauffeured in a limousine from the airport to her suite in the Sheraton Premiere Hotel. Not bad accommodations when you consider the guest … Continue reading →

So Much Owed So Few Scripture References: 1 Samuel 14:1, 6; Mark 3:13-15 Stealth fighters comprised just 2.5 percent of the aircraft in the Persian Gulf War. Yet, on the first day of the air war, they flew 31 percent … Continue reading →

Can’t Hear Each Other Scripture References: Isaiah 7:4; Luke 6:12-13 Prolonged exposure to eighty-five decibels or more can cause damage to the inner ear and result in permanent hearing loss and extensive health problems in related areas including high blood … Continue reading →

In Act and Word Scripture References: Galatians 1:11; 2 Peter 3:15 Gouverneur Morris was one of our most important founding fathers. According to James Madison, the style and arrangement of the Constitution were his. Morris talked voluminously at the Constitutional … Continue reading →

The Need to Negotiate Scripture References: Exodus 18:13-17; 1 Corinthians 6:4 When American recalcitrance to pay taxes motivated the colonies to fight the English Crown, statesman Edmund Burke felt the time had come for accommodation. The American spirit couldn’t be … Continue reading →

Make It Emphatic Scripture References: Genesis 2:16-17; Matthew 7:21-23 In an article written for the New York Times, Pulitzer prize winning composer Gian Carlo Menotti said it took him nearly eighty years to learn the golden word “no.” He had … Continue reading →

Only That Scripture References: Psalm 78:38-39; Matthew 9:2 It happened in Florida. A doctor fell from his golf cart and hit his head so hard he almost bit off his tongue. Rushed to emergency in the hospital where he had … Continue reading →

Map In the Sky Scripture References: Job 37:22; Matthew 16:2 Ancient Polynesian mariners traveled thousands of oceanic miles with only a knowledge of sea currents, sea creatures, and the heavenly bodies to guide them. Columbus’ men knew a large land … Continue reading →

We See Only Ourselves Scripture References: Psalm 89:1-14; Romans 8:20 In Old Topanga Canyon, Southern California, dissimilar groups manage a peaceful coexistence: pot growers, a nudist colony, a sprout farm, and million dollar homeowners. The common factor is their relationship … Continue reading →

A Natural Protection Scripture References: Psalm 68:19; 2 Corinthians 1:9 A record snow melt in the Colorado Rockies in 1983 triggered disastrous flooding the whole length of the 1,400 mile Colorado River system. A potentially deadly encephalitis threat emerged in … Continue reading →

A Study In Contrasts Scripture References: Deuteronomy 30:15; John 16:6, 20-22 The North Pole is in a sea two miles deep—the South Pole is on a plateau two miles high. The North Pole is in a sea, encompassed by lands—the … Continue reading →