Monday, December 5, 2011

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The barber shop I used to go to was definitely a man's world, and you got more than a haircut when you went there; you got an ear full. See, something seems to happen when men sit down in that barber chair. It's as if they were administered truth serum, and they start to suddenly talk openly about their relationships, and their marriage, and their kids, and their frustrations, whether you want to hear it or not.

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

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My daughter wanted to put her fingers in the fan. Oh, she was a very little girl at the time. I said, "No." She cried. I think she thought I didn't love her and if I loved her I'd let her put her fingers in the fan. She really wanted to check it out!

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

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Okay, some people might call it a form of insanity, I know that, but I love snow. I guess it began when I was a little kid. I guess kind of you're always a five-year-old kid when it snows, especially some of the first snows of the winter. There's this kind of kid inside of me that maybe has never grown up. Well, I love new fallen snow. That probably should be qualified. Oh, it's so nice to walk through our neighborhood when it's blanketed in white and there are no tracks. Now, when the snow has been around for a while, oh it's not really very beautiful. Yeah, it's gets dirty, and crusty, and slushy, and messy. You know. Untouched snow—oh, that's the best, kind of like untouched love.

Monday, November 28, 2011

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Oh, it happens every year after Thanksgiving and Christmas...leftovers. I cannot believe the infinite possibilities for preparing turkey. You know how it goes: You have turkey crispies for breakfast, and turkey, butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch, etc. I mean, listen, there are so many ways to get rid of that turkey! Actually, any time of the year, it's just hard to get a lot of enthusiasm for dinner when it's leftovers. It's just not fair how many times you and I serve just that to our family. They deserve much better.

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

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Okay. So they won't deliver mail on Thanksgiving. But it still might be a good day for someone you love to get mail. Possibly hand-delivered by you!

Now, in our world, you know rare means something is valuable: antiques, baseball cards, all kinds of collectibles. The less there is of something, the more valuable it is.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

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I just can't get this little four-year-old girl out of my mind. Even as I was preparing this, her story just hits my heart again.

She and her family only had moments to prepare before the F5 tornado that hit Joplin, Missouri not long ago. Now, Mom and Dad battled fierce winds; they were desperately trying to shepherd everyone into the safest corner of the house, but not quite everyone. Somehow this little four-year-old daughter of theirs got separated from them, and these winds were so strong that it was impossible to look for her any more. So, they huddled together as the tornado made a direct hit on their house. When they looked up, it had leveled everything almost instantly.

Monday, November 21, 2011

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We've always been big Winnie the Pooh fans at our house. Our kids always enjoyed having that read to them, and now they read it to their own kids. Now, there is one scene from Winnie the Pooh that I really remember.

Friday, November 18, 2011

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Now, men can handle conflict, and they can handle confrontation, they can handle challenges, but they can't handle tears. You know, most men, tears are like the toughest thing for them to take. But you know something? Tears are a powerful language; they're very powerful. They have a language of their own. Often times when someone is counseling with us and they're crying, I will ask them the question, "Can you tell me what your tears are trying to say?" See, when I see your tears, I know how deeply I may have hurt you. Did you know that we can do that to God?

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

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I think it had to be one of the most like insecure afternoons of my life. Our committee had been meeting for two days at this hotel. Two days straight; I mean two days straight. We had a slave-driving chairman, and finally he said, "All right, guys, how about a couple of hours in the pool?" "All right! The pool! The sauna! We deserve a break today."

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

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When I was in high school, I was a part of Youth For Christ's very active Bible Quiz program. Now, it was a long time ago, but I still remember a lot that I learned in studying books of the Bible in this highly competitive atmosphere.