“Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.” (Proverbs 22:15) System-wide test scores recently released by local school districts reminded me of a survey I saw several years ago by the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM). NAM reported that half of the employees in U.S. manufacturing plants lacked the basic reading, writing and math skills. Of the 4,500 manufacturers surveyed, 60% said their current workers lack basic math skills, and 55% said their workers have “serious […]

“A wholesome tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.” (Proverbs 15:4) Friendly fire – it’s a term we often hear during wartime. Simply stated, it refers to the discharge of a military weapon that results in the death of an ally or fellow soldier. In fact, we heard it several years ago when it was used to explain the death of former Arizona Cardinal’s football player, Pat Tilman, who gave up his lucrative professional football career to serve his country in the […]

“Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly.” (2 Timothy 2:16) I was in church recently when an old friend of mine came to visit. It was the strangest thing. My wife and I were just talking about him. He was out of work and we felt so sorry for him. As I watched him take his seat, I couldn’t help but wonder how he was handling his crisis. I not only heard about his misfortune, but I also had the […]

“But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry’.” (Luke 15:22-24) The Parable of the Prodigal Son: It is arguably the most “sermonized” parable in the Bible. But all of […]