Archive — Temptation
9 Sep
Temptation Killer Cat
As a die-hard cat person, one of my small joys is randomly coming across a cat or kitten. One day a beautiful Siamese-looking cat wandered into my yard. I caught my breath. Would it let me pet it? Did it live nearby so that it could visit more often? Most importantly, would my self-proclaimed guard cat be in sight range? In the past, if by chance another cat came within Ypsie’s boundaries, there would be a cat fight to raise the dead.
8 Jul
An Unpleasant Reunion
August 31, 2007. The day I look forward to all summer: the last day of my summer job. While driving home, I suddenly realized that in my haste I had neglected to pick up my insulated lunch bag from the refrigerator. The thought of going back to get it briefly occurred to me, but I dismissed the idea and continued on my way. I assumed I would never see that bag again. I was wrong.
25 Jun
The Ice Pack Attack
It was a lonely and painful day of baby-sitting and the only thing I could think to do with my sister was to watch TV. She was getting bored because, of course, me being a guy, I’m not the best baby-sitter. I just watched ESPN for three hours. My sister, desperate for some fun, decided to play a game called “ice pack attack.” She thought it would be funny to nail me in the face with a frigid, freezing cold ice pack.
23 Jun
To Nap, Or Not To Nap…Is There Really A Question?
Throughout history there have been many dynamic duos: Batman/Robin, Pinkie/The Brain, Brad Pitt/Angelina Jolie. But the most deadly duo of all? My buddy Robbie and I. That’s deadly as in, “from the perspective of our camp counselors.” Oh yes, Rob and I terrorized many youth camps in our day. That is until the unthinkable happened, we got old.
20 Jun
Wake Up
I am currently in a hotel in Malaysia, but I clearly remember the talk my father gave me the night before we left for the airport. Like most international flights, they know you have plenty of time to sleep on the airplane (despite being sandwiched between two extremely large people, having no leg room, and being assaulted by the sound of four crying babies), so they always make the departure time as early as possible. On this particular flight, that time was 6:45 a.m.
12 Mar
An Illustration from the “Throne”
I have an embarrassing confession to make. Sometimes those of us who are in preparation for ministry have some weird quirks. As an example, I sometimes like to challenge myself to find sermon illustrations in situations where I have nothing better to do. For instance, when I am sitting in traffic or studying at the library or shopping at the grocery store, I like to keep my “preacher senses” sharp by trying to observe and find sermon illustrations in that particular situation.
One of the more embarrassing and dorky situations is trying to find illustrations in the restroom.
28 Feb
Stand in the Gap
How often do we stand in the gap and fight for our faith? Or how many times do we stand behind the wall, almost silently squeaking out our praises to the Lord, and hope the enemy doesn’t see, attack, and bludgeon us?
