Five kernels of corn. After a delicious lunch, the speaker at our senior adult luncheon placed five kernels of corn at each place and reminded us of the hardships of those pilgrims in 1621. That cold winter, facing starvation and a depleted food supply, their daily allotment was five kernels of corn.

My mom grew up on the farm in Upson County with farm chores galore: fields to work, animals to feed, eggs to gather. They worked hard, but when Sunday came, they ceased work. Sunday was a day of worship and rest. Of course, chickens were fed and cows were milked, but Sunday was God’s day.

Did you read about the two pilots for Hawaii’s Go airlines that slept through their flight’s landing procedure and basically overshot their exit from the friendly skies? The FAA suspended them for the careless and reckless operation of an aircraft. The airline fired them.

I had a moment of awakening the other Sunday. At the end of the service we reminded our youth parents about the student ministry lunch meeting, and it hit me that, for the first time in 14 years, I was no longer a youth parent.

Sunday, May 4, seemed like a normal day. Pretty good attendance. Great spirit. Two new members. After final comments, I asked our minister of music to lead us in singing our closing song, but, instead, he turned things over to our chairman of deacons.

When I have the chance to break away from the office, I enjoy visiting in neighborhoods, meeting people and inviting them to church. I usually say something like:

Stress experts will tell you that there are two kinds of stress: eustress and distress. Eustress is the good stress that motivates us to get tasks underway and completed. Distress is bad stress that occurs when stressors pile up and become too much to bear.

Do you own a cell phone? Seems like we can’t do without this piece of 21st century technology. They’re a great convenience when used appropriately, but can be a safety hazard if we’re not careful. How many wrecks have occurred because the driver was talking on the phone instead of watching the road? Or attempting to text message and drive at the same time?

McKay Hatch’s No Cussing Club was all over the news recently. McKay is now a freshman at South Pasadena High School in South Pasadena, Calif. Last year, McKay got his fill of his peers’ cursing and swearing, and he decided he couldn’t take it any more.

Two ladies in Massachusetts gave new meaning to the term birthday bash recently. A child’s birthday party at a Chuck E. Cheese restaurant was cut short after a fight broke out between two mothers. Police said the mom of the nine-year-old birthday boy apparently became enraged because the other woman’s son was “hogging” an arcade game.

Many preachers dread rainy Sundays. Rain makes the flowers grow and church members disappear. Actually, even the threat of rain often affects Sunday attendance. For some, if the Weather Channel says “rain likely,” then that translates into “church going unlikely.”

This year has gotten off to a bizarre start on some fronts. Along with the grisly Gary Hilton alleged murders, several weird events have made the news.

I know there are two sides to every story, but the way this Bobby Petrino exit from the Atlanta Falcons came across reminds us that, as our mothers told us growing up, honesty is always the best policy.

I know there are two sides to every story, but the way this Bobby Petrino exit from the Atlanta Falcons came across reminds us that, as our mothers told us growing up, honesty is always the best policy. Obviously, I was not within earshot of previous conversations between Petrino and Falcons owner Arthur Blank before his infamous December 11 resignation from the Falcons and subsequent joining the Arkansas Razorbacks as head coach hours later. So I don’t who said what.

I love hearing and singing the music of the Christmas season. Topping my “favorites” are ì”Oh Holy Night,” “Joy to the World,” “Oh Come All Ye Faithful,” “Silent Night,” and most of the traditional carols we grew up with.

A Texas kindergarten teacher was helping one of her students put on his cowboy boots. He had asked for help, and she could see why. Even with her pulling and him pushing, the little boots still didn’t want to go on. By the time they got the second boot on, she had worked up a sweat. She almost cried when the little boy said, “Teacher, they’re on the wrong feet.” She looked, and sure enough, they were.

The upcoming Thanksgiving season prompts me to stop and count my blessings, and many of my blessings are not so much possessions as they are people who have touched my life in a special way. I was reflecting this week about attending Ruth Hinchey’s funeral back in July, and about the impact she and her husband Roy had on my life.

Snoopy is having a hard time these days. In the popular Peanuts cartoon, Snoopy is agonizing over losing his doghouse to the new freeway that’s coming through. In a recent edition, Lucy unloads, “All right, so they run a freeway through here and you lose your doghouse. You think you’re the first one who’s ever lost his home? You think you’re the only one? Huh? Stop feeling sorry for yourself!”

Three preachers were having lunch at the local diner, when one said, “You know, I’m having a lot of trouble with bats in the church attic. I’ve tried everything, but nothing seems to scare them off.”

Want to refresh your spiritual life? Want to benefit from the joy of giving of yourself? Then go on a mission trip. Take time away to serve the Lord in a missions context.

I ran my third Peachtree Road Race Wednesday, July 4th. It was fantastic! You hear a lot about the famous Atlanta tradition, but you donít hear much about the marathon that it takes to get to the race itself. It takes months to prepare for the 10K, but it also takes some gearing up and perseverance to get to the event. Itís worth it!

George Gilbert said, “Marriage is a three ring circus: engagement ring, wedding ring and suffering!”

Milton Berle said, “Marriage is one of the few institutions that allow a man to do as his wife pleases.

Henny Youngman said, “The secret of a happy marriage is a secret.”

Or is it? We live in a day in which the American family is still plagued by the disappointment of divorce, yet one recent study revealed that the national per capita divorce rate has declined steadily since its peak in 1981 and is now at its lowest level since 1970. One reason? More couples are living together without the commitment of marriage. Another is an intentional effort to strengthen marriages and the determination to make marriages work.

Someone suggested that Adam and Eve had a great marriage. Adam couldn’t bring up his mother’s cooking, and Eve couldn’t talk about the man she should have married.
This marriage business does get complicated sometimes. I heard about a man named Bob who went over to visit Joe and was amazed at how well Joe treated his wife. He often told her how attractive she was, complimented her on her cooking and showered her with hugs and kisses.
“Gee whiz,î”Bob remarked later, “you really make a big fuss over your wife.”

Several years ago, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution ran a story about Los Angeles juror number 2386. This man had faithfully reported for jury duty, but had been sitting in the courtroom for two days, waiting to be interviewed by lawyers.

A little boy came home from a birthday party and his mom met him at the door.

“How was it?” she asked.

He showed her all of his candy and souvenirs, and the mom said, “Wow! You hit the jackpot! Did you say 'thank you?'”

Several weeks ago, a University of Georgia student got into a dispute with two other customers over who was next in line at an Athens restaurant. The two customers were in a crowded line as they waited to order breakfast. When a cashier opened a new line and they stepped to the front, another customer nearby became angry. So she waited for the pair in the parking lot, and as the mother and daughter left the restaurant, the student pulled out of her parking place and struck both of them with the passenger side of her car. She was arrested later for allegedly running into the two customers.

Heard any good fishin’ stories lately? I’ve run across two that sound fishy to me, but are supposedly real life happenings in the “truth is stranger than fiction” category.

Heard any good fishin’ stories lately? I’ve run across two that sound fishy to me, but are supposedly real life happenings in the “truth is stranger than fiction” category.

Before the days of email, people used to “clip and file.” People would share clippings with me that would possibly be helpful in sermon preparation. I’m grateful that some still cut poems or stories out of newspapers and magazines and bring them to me. In my “Mother’s Day” file, I found this “clipping” authored by Rex R. Burns:

Has it really been 40 years since 1966? Lyndon Johnson was president. A first class stamp cost five cents. Herb Albert and the Tijuana Brass won a Grammy for their record, A Taste of Honey. The first Star Trek episode aired. Walt Disney died.