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Suppose you go to a surgeon because you have some deadly cancer growing upon you. You want to have it removed, and you know there are a great many physicians who will profess to cure such things, but in reality only give temporary ease. You keep clear from all these. You are well aware that if only a…

Following Caron McBride’s wedding she did what many brides do, she took on her husband’s last name. However, when she did, she learned that she had a felony charge on her record. When she investigated, she learned that “The Movie Place,” a movie rental store in Norman, OK that went out of business in…

Matt Herges played parts of 11 seasons in the major leagues. He got off to a rough start in 1994 by crossing the players union picket lines to play as a replacement player during the player strike. Four years later he made it onto the roster of a major league team. In 2007 Herges was one of 89 players…

During the COVID-19 pandemic Pope Francis told the planet’s 1.2 billion Catholics that if they can’t confess in person to a priest during the pandemic, they should “speak directly to God.” That is what protestants have been telling people since the reformation. I am glad the Pope recognizes God can hear…

An Iowa man received an unexpected post card from his sister and was surprised to discover the note had originally been mailed in 1987. Paul Willis said the postcard appeared in his mailbox. It came from his sister and had a picture of her hiking in the Grand Canyon in 1987. He noticed the card a postmark…

This is a Confession to go with the Christmas Eve Communion Service

In his book, Enemies of the Heart: Breaking Free from the Four Emotions That Control You, Andy Stanley writes, "Secrets lose their power when exposed to light. The light that exposes our secrets and frees the heart from the oppressive power of guilt is confession." –Jim L. Wilson Enemies of the Heart,…

For just over two minutes, Chris Gursky held on for dear life because his hang gliding pilot failed to attach his harness on the glider. When he saw his error, the pilot flew with one hand and held onto the unattached harness with the other. He landed the glider as soon as he could in the mountainous…

In China, officials are forgiving the fine for minor driving offenses if the driver confesses to the error on social media and gets 20 likes. —Jim L. Wilson https://www.npr.org/2018/04/19/603844682/avoid-traffic-fines-by-confessing-online The old adage says that “confession is good for the soul,” in…

A few years ago, the productivity expert, Merlin Mann, coined a phrase that is gaining traction more and more—“inbox zero.” It’s all about staying on top of your email inbox in order to reclaim your attention and retake control of your life. An inbox overflowing with unread messages is not only distracting…

The mayor of Northampton, Massachusetts paid one dollar out of his own pocket to settle a dispute with a man who complained after unnecessarily paying for parking. Bill Pharmer, from Pennsylvania, said he paid a dollar to park when he took his wife to dinner. He put money in the parking kiosk, but did…

In “A Portrait of the Christian Life,” Stephen Brucker writes, “The Beatitudes create a portrait of the Christian man and woman. They are to read like a mirror, gazing at the Spirit’s work in a Christian’s life. Starting with the heart, bowing to God in humble submission and sorrowful contrition leads…

According to news reports, Joshua Tackett, a 29-year-old New Hampshire resident crashed his car in front of his local police headquarters. Police later arrested him on the suspicion of drunk driving. In his mug shot, he is wearing a t-shirt that says, “This guy needs a beer.” While many viewing the picture…

Joel Sweeney of River Falls, Wisconsin had a drinking problem. He has eight drunk-driving infractions. He was in near death accidents three times. After spending three years in jail he decided to get sober. Since 2013 he has been the town’s designated driver. He gives free rides to people as they leave…

Ron Webster was thinning his book collection when he discovered a text on human anthropology that he checked out of the Liverpool library in 1953. Webster, 91, took the book into the library and waited with the clerks for the library manager to arrive. The clerks calculated the 61-year fine to be $7,700.…

Recently, Rocky Rasmussen is the owner of the KFC restaurant in North Platte, Nebraska, received a handwritten letter from an anonymous patron of his all you can eat buffet. “I took more on m plate than I could eat,” the woman explained. “So I put it in my purse and took it home. I do love your chicken!”…

Researchers at the University of Miami have found that offering genuine apologies is a vital part of the forgiveness process. The lead researcher who authored the study says this study is one of the largest, longest, and most definitive studies of the effects conciliatory gestures ever conducted. Scientists…

Is it ever too late to admit a mistake? Evidently there is no statute of limitations for the New York Times. After the movie, “12 Years a Slave,” won an Academy Award readers began researching the Author and the original book from over 100 years ago. In the story about the author’s work published in…

On the 150th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s famous Gettysburg Address, the editorial board of Pennsylvania newspaper retracted its predecessor’s famous panning of the speech calling to the address as “silly remarks.” In 1863, the Patriot and Union newspaper, the predecessor of today’s Harrisburg paper…

In Hastings, MN a man found an envelope filled with $1,000 cash. He turned it into the police anonymously, but not before helping himself to 20%. Skimming $200 from the stash, he included a note indicating that he was short on cash and really needed the $200. It is illegal to help yourself to a reward.…

An elderly man who claims he stole money from a Sears cash register sixty years ago recently returned to repay the store with interest. A local TV station reported that the man hand-delivered an envelope addressed to “Sears Manager.” Inside the envelope was a note confessing the theft and a $100 bill.…

A new smart phone app that lets Catholic users confess on their phones is drawing the interest of other believers as well. The app, which sells for about two dollars, turns the user’s phone into a confessional, walking the user through a dry run of what they might encounter in a confessional booth. The…

A new App called Confession is available for the iPhone and iPad. With it, a Roman Catholic can confess their sins remotely, without visiting a confessional or a priest. A Roman Catholic bishop has approved its use. The App allows them to type their sins into a confessional box and receive instructions…

Many years ago, Christian professor Stuart Blackie of the University of Edinburgh was listening to his students as they presented oral readings. When one young man rose to begin his recitation, he held his book in the wrong hand. The professor thundered, "Take your book in your right hand, and be seated!"…

Lloye H. Steffen wrote in The Christian Century how when King Frederick II, an eighteenth-century king of Prussia, was visiting a prison in Berlin, the inmates tried to prove to him how they had been unjustly imprisoned. All except one. That one sat quietly in a corner, while all the rest protested their…