Our weakest moment is God’s greatest.

Faith

How many times have you heard the phrase, “God won’t put more on you than you can bear?” It’s always meant to be helpful and encouraging and is usually said to someone in great pain, to help them cope. It sounds good, and it sounds helpful, and it certainly sounds Biblical, but unfortunately, it isn’t any of those things. No where in the Bible is this statement found.

Pastor David Dykes, of Green Acres Baptist Church, in Tyler, Texas, has a great sermon series entitled, “NO! That’s not in the Bible.” It takes on a lot of quotes people say that sound Biblical, but aren’t. I encourage you to follow this link to search for those sermons in both audio and readable formats.
Continue reading Our weakest moment is God’s greatest. →

Interesting Trivia

Fun

In the 1400’s a law was set forth that a man was not allowed to beat his wife with a stick no thicker than his thumb. Hence we have “the rule of thumb”

The first couple to be shown in bed together on prime time TV were Fred and Wilma Flintstone.

Every day more money is printed for Monopoly than the US Treasury.

A duck’s quack won’t echo, and scientists do not know why.

There is no word that rhymes with silver or orange.

Can you name three words that end in “GRY”?
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The Fallacy of “Fairness”

Politics

Thomas Sowell
Tuesday, February 09, 2010
From TownHall.com

If there is ever a contest to pick which word has done the most damage to people’s thinking, and to actions to carry out that thinking, my nomination would be the word “fair.” It is a word thrown around by far more people than have ever bothered to even try to define it.


This mushy vagueness may be a big handicap in logic but it is a big advantage in politics. All sorts of people, with very different notions about what is or is not fair, can be mobilized behind this nice-sounding word, in utter disregard of the fact that they mean very different things when they use that word.


Some years ago, for example, there was a big outcry that various mental tests used for college admissions or for employment were biased and “unfair” to many individuals or groups. Fortunately there was one voice of sanity– David Riesman, I believe– who said: “The tests are not unfair. LIFE is unfair and the tests measure the results.”
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The checks keep coming!

Aviation

It seems like training never ends at work. I had a sim check in September, then a line check in January, and now another sim check in March. Because we take a simulator check ever six months and because my annual line check falls right in-between them, I get a stressful and hectic six months, from September to March. But, now that I’ve passed my most recent sim check, I’m free until September again. Yay!

My sim partner captain was a really good guy and we had flown together before, and our check captain was very nice as well. We learned a lot this time around and the checkride went very smoothly. They are always stressful, but in a strange way, it’s actually good that they are because it forces me to study hard. I always over prepare and that helps me sleep well at night. However, I aways learn something new, because no one ever has a perfect checkride — there is always something that could be done better. Most of the time, checkrides are humbling experiences where we make lots of mistakes, but learn from them. Part of the reason for that is because we almost never have emergencies in the real world, so dealing with them twice in six months helps to knock off the rust. Also, because it’s a check, I always make dumb, nervous mistakes that I normally wouldn’t do, simply because of the stress. However, the checkers know this and take that into account.

All in all, it feels good to be be able to pay the mortgage for six more months and have that behind me. That is, until September, and I get to start it all over again.

TobyLaura.com

Record Snow

Family

In February 1910, Columbus Ohio got the most snow it was ever going to receive, at 29.3 inches in the short 28 day month. That was, until global warming set in (wink) and 2010 arrived. This year, we set a record for snow fall, at just over 30 inches of snow! I heard on the news that all this snow was evidence for global “climate change,” which is no longer called warming, for obvious marketing and political reasons. The theory goes that with warming, more water is absorbed into the atmosphere so there is more snow in the winter. However, the problem with this, is that a few years ago, the warming alarmists were predicting LESS snow, not more. Now, after the fact, the “science” was revised to say that yes, indeed there will be more snow. Pretty convenient to have both more AND less snow prove one’s theory. It just goes to show that the wisdom of God the creator can make our human “wisdom” look quite foolish.

I’m from Texas, so I love to see snow. I love the way it transforms the landscape, I love the cold, I love the white, and I love the reminder of “fresh beginnings.” The Bible reminds us that Jesus can wipe away our sin and make us as white as snow. Snow covers the dirty nastiness below, and makes the landscape beautiful, like Jesus does to our dirty, rotten lives. Just as a rainbow is a reminder to us that God will never flood the Earth again, snow is a reminder that His love covers all sin. If you don’t like snow, maybe the next time the sky dumps 10 inches of “global warming” in your driveway, let it be a reminder of God’s love for you and that putting him in a leadership role in your life means your sin is no more!

TobyLaura.com

First line check

Aviation

I passed my first line check at Cathay Pacific, and am good to go for another year. Airline pilots have lots of recurrent checks and training during their career. At Cathay, we have two simulator checkrides a year (every six months) and an annual line check. These three checks are the cause of many sleepless nights, heartburn, stress, and angst amongst most pilots. Especially at Cathay, the checks are taken quite seriously. At other airlines, sometimes the checks aren’t too stressful as there isn’t much jeopardy in the grading of the recurrent checkrides. At my last job, I knew the aircraft and the operation quite well, and the checkrides were no big deal, but since I’ve moved on to Cathay, it’s a whole other story. I’m newer, don’t fly as much, and have a lot more to think about compared to my last job.
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I am second

Faith

I am second is a website that tells the stories of famous people who give credit to God for their success. It’s really neat to see people like Colt McCoy, Jason Witten, and Tony Dungy talk about how God is first, and they are second. Click on Jason’ picture above to see his video.

It’s hard to be happy in this world without God. Many can be successful without Him, but even with all the success in the world, people without Christ in their life will always be trying to fill a void in their heart. With a void, people will always be looking for more happiness, success, money, and fame to make their life complete. The trouble is, without God, there will never be a complete life and that hole will always linger, gnaw, and grind away like a rock in one’s shoe.

Personally, I don’t know how anyone can get through the troubles this life brings without God in their lives. When life really gets tough is when people usually wonder whether there really is a God and why He’d let their life get so low. Ultimately, He wants us to worship Him, through the good and the bad, and until Heaven, we can’t know what God spared us from, even when our life is at it’s lowest point.

In a culture that worships the almighty “ME” out of selfishness, it is nice to see people say that they are second, not first. They acknowledge that their success comes from God, and that the accolades from men last but only a moment. How about you — are you first . . . or second?

TobyLaura.com