Isaiah 10:5-34 (2)
notes
“In Dog We Trust”
Psalms 37:5; 40:4; 56:3–4; Proverbs 3:5; 1 Timothy 6:17
Preaching Themes: Faith, Money, Wealth
The $500 rug in the lobby of the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office in Florida was supposed to say, “In God We Trust,” but the rug manufacturer mistyped the word “God,” rearranging the letters so that the rug said, “In Dog We Trust.” It took a couple of months for someone to discover the typo, but then the rug was quickly removed and later auctioned off; the proceeds went to a nonprofit that serves abandoned and injured dogs.
Having made my share of typos, I understand how mistakes are made. Misspelling a slogan is one thing, but misplacing one’s trust is another.
The Big Business of Anxiety
Proverbs 12:25; Matthew 6:25–34; Philippians 4:6–7; 1 Peter 5:7
Preaching Themes: Stress, Faith
What do you worry about? What is it that makes you anxious? Journalist Eric Sevareid (1912–1992) said, “The biggest business in America is not steel, automobiles, or television. It is the manufacture, refinement, and distribution of anxiety.”
The answer to anxiety, although easier to say than practice, is to replace it with trust. Jesus told us not to worry about tomorrow.
—Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell
Sleepless Girls Encouraged by Police Officer’s Note
Joshua 1:9; Psalms 4:8; 34:4; 121:1–2; Proverbs 3:24; Isaiah 26:3; Jeremiah 29:11; Philippians 4:6; 1 Peter 5:7
Preaching Themes: Encouragement, Fear, Peace, Stress
A special letter written by an Oklahoma police officer helped to calm the fears of two sisters. The girls, aged 11 and 9, were so afraid of what might happen to them at night that they slept with a golf club and baseball bat nearby. Their mother believed that her daughters’ fears stemmed from the violence they saw on television. As a result, the two girls were afraid of everything and needed constant reassurance that every safety measure possible had been taken before they went to bed each night.
A police officer, Lieutenant Paul Barbour, heard about the girls concerns through his wife, who works with the girls’ mother. He decided that since he regularly patrolled the area anyway, he would help. On one of his patrols, he wrote a note to the girls, reassuring them that they were indeed very safe. Barbour taped a note to the family’s front door saying that he worked nights to keep people safe and help them rest in peace. He said that when he drove through their neighborhood everything looked good, and he wanted them to know. Barbour said, “It was nice to be able to write it down and tell somebody that I am out here watching and that we do care about you.”