Here’s a mind-popping story I found on the internet with two perspectives – one coming from Venus (the feminine perspective) and the other from Mars (the masculine perspective). The story is called The Wife’s Diary and The Husband’s Diary.

The phone rang, and the lady of the house answered. It was a salesman from a mortgage refinance company. “Do you have a second mortgage on your home?” “No,” she replied. “Would you like to consolidate all of your debts?” “I don’t have any,” she replied. “How about freeing up some cash for home improvements?” “I don’t need any. I just recently had some done and paid cash,” she parried. There was a brief silence, and he asked, “Are you looking for a husband?”

As we enter 2023, let’s look at what made the news in 2022. Perhaps the most memorable news people heard about was ‘Fake News.’ To understand fake news, let’s explore the concept of white lies.

I hope you are feeling well and not exhausted or frustrated from the past year or current events. However, if you are tired or frustrated, this short article may bring a little crispness and happy new cheer this holiday season. Let me give a few examples of people looking at real-life situations who may be worn down and need to refocus.

Let’s start this week’s article with a story from Peanuts’ comic strip.

Lucy decides that Linus (her little brother) must grow up and learn to live without his security blanket. So, when Linus falls asleep, she slips the blanket out of his hands, takes it outside, and buries it. Linus wakes up and discovers his missing blanket; he panics and falls to the floor. Linus can’t catch his breath. He gasps and screams, “I’ve got to have that blanket. I can’t live without my blanket.”

The San Francisco Chronicle reported a story about a humpback whale on December 14, 2005. On December 11, 2005, a female humpback whale entangled herself in a spider web of crab traps and lines. She had hundreds of pounds of crab traps and yards of lines wrapped around her body, her tail, her torso, and even a line tugging in her mouth.

Well, the Holiday Season is in full swing, and now comes the capstone of the holidays, Christmas. Soon, Christmas lights, songs, and great expectations will be the norm. After a tumultuous mid-term election, I’m sure most of us “need a little Christmas now.”

This quote by Robert Lintner sums up Thanksgiving perfectly. “Thanksgiving was never meant to be shut up in a single day.” John F. Kennedy said, “We must find time to stop and thank the people who make a difference in our lives.”

Did you know mundane structures communicate real-life lessons to us every day? Here is an example of seeing beyond what you see in the room of an unknown author’s home.

The story is told of a man who lives on a beautiful farm. When he died, the property, which had been in the family for over 200 years, was sold to one of the neighbors. One day, the new owner was walking in a field when he noticed an odd-looking rock sticking out of the dirt. He took it home, washed it, and then took it to the jewelers.

Here’s a story I think you will enjoy. The children lined up in a Catholic elementary school cafeteria for lunch. At the head of the table was a large pile of apples. The nun made a note and posted on the apple tray: “Take only ONE. God is watching.” Moving further along the lunch line, at the other end of the table, was a large pile of chocolate chip cookies. A girl had written a note, “Take all the cookies you want. God is watching the apples.” That girl is probably one of those characters that could use a bit of character.

I learned how to fly a private airplane when I was 27 years old. I loved flying, and flying worked well for the business I owned then, Central Bindery. I learned to fly in a small two-seat airplane, a Cessna 150.

This article is designed to fuel your mental motor so that you can head out on the highway. So let’s start with Ten Fun Facts…

One of the British national newspapers has been asking for comments about what it means to be British. So here is a statement from a chap in Switzerland who lived in Britain for twelve years.

Here’s a short story today for your consideration and application.

One day a biologist observed an ant carrying a piece of straw which seemed to be an enormous burden for it. The ant came to a crack in the earth that was too wide for it to cross. The ant stood for a time as though pondering the situation. Then the ant put the straw across the crack and walked across it as a span. “What a lesson for us!” the impressed biologist said. “The burden can become the bridge for progress.”

Let me introduce you to Bruno if you don’t know him. In the movie Encanto, Bruno is the uncle in a family who no one in his family talks about.

I enjoy playing golf. Now that I think about it, I don’t enjoy it. I tolerate it. Or maybe golf tolerates me.

Most every golfer who plays for real has a handicap. Handicaps are created so everyone comes out, even in a golf tournament. If my handicap is 20, and I play on a par 72 golf course, I could score a 92 and be even par. On the other hand, the golfer with an eight handicap and scores 84 scores 76. I scored lower than the guy who scored an 84 because of my handicap. The better golfers become, the less handicap they have.

Let me introduce you to a couple some of you may have heard about from your Sunday school days. The couple was once the king and queen of Israel. Their names were Ahab and Jezebel.

I recently discovered a principle of life that I knew was working but didn’t understand very well. I have spoken for years now on this principle. Stephen Covey wrote the 90/10 Principle, and I have quoted him in this article with some minor editing.

As I travel the globe speaking at churches and leadership conferences, every once and a while, I meet someone special who brings refreshment, a beyond-the-borders approach to Christianity, and profound but straightforward wisdom.