Straight From Pastor Ey

It seems the cold virus is up in the air. I got sick also these past few days. It reminded me of an article entitled “The Seven Years of the Married Cold.” It talked about the reaction of a husband to his wife’s colds. It went like this: The first year: “Honey, I’m really worried about my baby girl. You’ve got a bad sniffle. I’m putting you in the hospital this afternoon for a general checkup and a good rest. I know the food’s lousy, but I’ll be bringing your meals in from Alfredo’s. I’ve already got it all arranged with the hospital.” The second year: “Listen, darling, I don’t like the sound of that cough. I called Dr. Villanueva to rush over here. Now you go to bed like a good girl, please? Just for papa.” The third year: “Maybe you’d better lie down, honey; nothing like a little rest when you feel bad. I’ll bring you something to eat. Have you got any instant noodles?” The fourth year: “Now look, dear, be sensible. After you’ve fed the kids, washed the dishes, and finished the ...

A lawyer was reading a departed millionaire’s will to the only heir, his nephew John. The lawyer held his two fists out in front of him and said, “According to your uncle’s instructions, your inheritance will depend on choices that you must make. Do you choose my right hand or my left hand?” John decided to choose the right hand. The lawyer opened his left hand to reveal a gold coin and a silver coin. “Had you chosen this hand,” he said, “you would have received a substantial share either in a gold mine or a silver mine in Chile .” Then he opened his right hand to reveal a nut and a coffee bean. “These represent a million dollars’ worth of nuts or coffee from Brazil ,” said the lawyer. “Which do you choose?” John decided on the nuts. John was on a flight to Brazil when a fire destroyed the huge warehouse where the nuts were stored. Since it was uninsured, he lost everything. Then, to top it all, coffee prices doubled. He barely had enough for his airfare home. On his way home...

Life is too short and too precious to stake in trial and error or hit and miss. We must learn to make choices that matters in life. Thus the Bible commands us: “ Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.” (Ephesians 5:15-17, NIV) Here’s what people said about the choices we make... “One’s philosophy is not best expressed in words. It is expressed in the choices one makes. And the choices we make are ultimately our responsibility. ” – Eleanor Roosevelt “He who chooses the beginning of a road chooses the place it leads to. It is the means that determine the end.” – H.E. Fosdick “When you have to make a choice and don’t make it, that is in itself a choice.” – William James “If you don’t make your own decisions, someone else will. Never let people make decisions for you.” – Ronald Reagan “Life is basically a series of choices. We mak...

The kids had talked Mom into getting a hamster. They promised to take care of their pet. Against her better judgment, she agreed. They named the hamster “Danny.” True enough, within two months, Mom ended up taking care of Danny. Mom finally decided enough was enough. She called the kids together to tell them. One child said, “I’ll miss him. He’s been around here a long time.” The other child remarked, “Maybe he could stay if he ate less and wasn’t so messy.” But Mom was firm. “It is time to take him to a new home. Danny has to go!” “Danny?” the kids wailed, “We thought you said Daddy.” [From Sermon Central illustrations] Seriously now, being a father nowadays is much, much more demanding. Pressures at work and challenges at home would make a lesser man to give up. But when God calls, He enables. The Father called us fathers to lead our families. He will empower us to become the leader He intended us to become. He even spelled out our job description, “Husbands, love your wives, just a...