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Occasionally one meets with an illiterate working man who will say to those whose occupation is mental, “I work hard for my living,” insinuating that the mind worker does not work at all. Yet I ask any man who is engaged in a mental pursuit whether he does not know that mental work is quite as real work—and…

John Bunyan beautifully portrays Christiana and Mercy coming up out of the bath of the interpreter’s house. They have had jewels put upon them, and when they are both washed, Mercy says to Christiana, “How comely and beautiful you look!” “No,” Christiana said, “My sister, I see no beauty in myself, but…

All of us have trouble appreciating our parents until we grow a little older and realize all they have done for us. But one man in India has gone a little farther in his lack of appreciation. Raphael Samuel has announced he is suing his parents for the awful way they have treated him selfishly. They…

Resident of the Dutch village of Jelsum said the idea of using a rumble strips in the highway to sound out the anthem of the Friesland region sounded like a good idea at first, but it quickly became an annoyance. As a novelty, authorities had strips placed in the road, so that when a vehicle drove over…

In The Return of the Prodigal Son, Henri Nouwen writes, "Complaining is self-perpetuating and counterproductive. Whenever I express my complaints in the hope of evoking pity and receiving the satisfaction I so much desire, the result is always the opposite of what I tried to get. A complainer is hard…

Paul only gave a two star TripAdvisor review for his stay at the four-star Beech Hill Hotel, which overlooks Lake Windermere in Cumbria, UK. He wasn’t happy. As it turns out, his room didn’t have the view he thought it should have. Fair enough. Vacationers staying at a nice lakeside hotel want a room…

Mindy Belz, writing in World Magazine says “Our present day ingratitude may have taken root during the 1950s, when we thanked ourselves for our new prosperity instead of God.” Somewhere along the way, our National day of Thanksgiving has changed. History teaches that we find Thanksgivings beginnings…

When a Pennsylvania town was forced to use a backup Christmas tree for the civic lighting ceremony, resident complained, demanding the city replace the tree. The city had planned to use a Christmas tree from a tree farm for the tree in the town center, but when crews went to get it, the owners would…

A 4-year-old pre-K student in Oklahoma was forced to use his right hand while making his letters. The teacher sent a note home to the parents advising them of the reason. “There are numerous instances of left-handedness being associated with wickedness,” read the astounded parents. —Jim L. Wilson and…

You may have more in common with Priscilla Presley, who married Elvis in 1967 than you think. As she reflected on her marriage to the King, she said “I was hated for marrying him, hated for getting a divorce,” she said. “Having people being critical but not knowing what your life was and not knowing…

Researchers at the Mayo Clinic say they have cracked the code to being happy. They have been studying this for decades, working with tens of thousands of patients. Now they think they have found it. They key parts of the code are 1) focus on the right things. 2) Learn to compartmentalize your life and…

Los Angeles Clippers Forward Josh Smith will be taking a pay cut this year. “I do have a family, so it’s going to be a little harder on me this year. But I’m going to push through it.” You would find it difficult too, I am sure, if you had to get by on only $6.9 million this year. It doesn’t matter how…

Anything good that has come into your life has come from God. A long time ago, in a land unknown by many, a king was known for his kind and gracious ways. He was a spiritual man who believed the Bible and tried to live after its precepts. He treated everyone fairly, showed mercy, and loved even his enemies.…

Attitude Adjustment "Here you go, son. Here's the fries you wanted." The father handed his son a super sized container of french fries and a coke. He sat across the table from his son to sip his coffee and read his newspaper. His son was becoming quite the young man. It seems like just yesterday that…

Rumblings "But as the believers rapidly multiplied, there were rumblings of discontent. . ." (Acts 6:1a NLT) After the church I was pastoring completed a building program in 1985, our attendance began to pick up and we became effective at reaching people in our community. That didn't surprise me. I knew…

COMPLAINING Nancy Singer and her sister, who did not want to be identified, say they have been loyal customers of Filene’s Basement for years but recently received a letter from the chain of stores asking them not to return. They acknowledge they have returned many items and occasionally complained about…

CRITICISM Rotten Reviews, a book edited by Bill Henderson, contains some negative reviews some works of art including Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities and F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. Henderson reports that “Children’s Books” called Alice in Wonderland…

GRASS "Dad, your grass needs mowing, let me do it for you." Dan said. Dan just wanted to make his Dad's life more comfortable in the final days of his life, but he wanted more than that, he wanted his father's affirmation. "No son, I'll hire someone to do it, you never did know how to mow a lawn." Once…

God cares about how people treat those who are in authority. The Bible exhorts us not only to obey, but to honor our rulers (Rom. 13:7; 1 Peter 2:17). When Paul, for example, realized he had spoken rudely to the high priest, Ananias, he apologized by saying, “I was not aware, brethren, that he was high…

Our natural tendency is to take our leaders for granted, forget what they have done for us, complain rather than be thankful, accentuate the bad, and disregard the good. For example, God gave Israel some of the greatest leaders in human history – men like Moses and David. Yet during difficult times,…

3 John Piper Desiring God Minneapolis, Minnesota 4 For Your Joy FOR YOUR JOY Published by Desiring God © 2005 Desiring God International Standard Book Number: 0-9773286-0-0 Edited for Desiring God Cover design by Edd Blott All scripture quotations are taken from: The Holy Bible: English Standard Version,…

John Newton CHOICE EXCERPTS I am not what I once was! In his old age, when he could no longer see to read, John Newton heard someone recite this text, "By the grace of God—I am what I am." He remained silent a short time and then, as if speaking to himself, he said: "I am not what I ought to be—ah, how…

I believe that the real difference in the American church is not between conservatives and liberals, fundamentalists and charismatics, nor between Republicans and Democrats. The real difference is between the aware and the unaware. When somebody is aware of that love—the same love that the Father has…

able border=0 cellpadding=0 width="100%" style='width:100.0%;mso-cellspacing: 1.5pt'> ! The Two Babylons or The Papal Worship Proved to be the Worship of Nimrod and His Wife By the Late Rev. Alexander Hislop First published as a pamphlet in 1853--greatly expanded in 1858 Contents Introduction Chapter…