Senior Pastor Sid Batts' Just a Thought weekday messages, from First Presbyterian Church in Greensboro. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/index.html Our life is full of tour guides, people who help us understand the significance of something. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Mar_2010/0310_10.html I like to think that in our own lives, what we say and do can spark a passion for faith, for love, for compassion in our children, our neighbors and our world. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Mar_2010/0309_10.html Years ago a golf-teaching guru suggested that golfers should create a mantra of sorts, stating how we would like to perform and what kind of golfers we'd like to become. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Mar_2010/0308_10.html Next week, 12 basketball teams will be in Greensboro ready to begin the ACC Tournament. Their fans will be here, too, ready to make noise. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Mar_2010/0305_10.html So how much money do we need in order to be happy? Daniel Kahneman, a psychologist at Princeton University and a winner of the Nobel prize in economics, studied this very question. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Mar_2010/0304_10.html In January 1986, the space shuttle Challenger launched from Cape Canaveral. Seconds later, observers saw the shuttle explode in a plume of smoke and fire. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Mar_2010/0303_10.html Sometimes a good idea can overcome flaws or deceit, but it often requires a spiritual maturity to see a bigger picture. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Mar_2010/0302_10.html After the cold winter months, it takes but a few warm days in March to jump-start our senses. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Mar_2010/0301_10.html Critics say the key to playwright Neil Simon’s success is the humor woven into the lives of everyday people. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Feb_2010/0226_10.html If each of us were invited to give the talk of our lives, to think about all the things that have inspired us, frustrated us, fascinated us, and challenged us, what would we say? http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Feb_2010/0225_10.html Thirty years ago a scrappy bunch of U.S. hockey players lifted a nation's spirits by winning perhaps the biggest upset in Olympic history. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Feb_2010/0224_10.html Seventy years ago, songwriter Woody Guthrie composed his well-known song “This Land Is Your Land.” http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Feb_2010/0223_10.html In a study, researchers determined that the pessimists had a significantly greater likelihood of dying sooner and that optimism was associated with living longer. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Feb_2010/0222_10.html An elementary teacher asked her students to bring in an object as they shared with the class their particular religion. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Feb_2010/0219_10.html Relationships are complicated within marriages and among friends and family. But the divorce rate among those who are a part of a faith community is three times less than the general population. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Feb_2010/0218_10.html Schopenhauer recommended that we approach human relationships with caution so that we don’t hurt ourselves or others. Jesus took a different approach. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Feb_2010/0217_10.html When we’re at our best we work to help others, whether we receive credit or not and whether it’s for a polio vaccine or just helping a colleague meet a deadline. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Feb_2010/0216_10.html Jesus knew the power of pictures, and he drew pictures of God with his stories. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Feb_2010/0215_10.html Amid the loss and tragedy of last month's devastating earthquake in Haiti, there were miracles. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Feb_2010/0212_10.html Jacqueline got a second chance, but often that doesn’t happen. Where second chances do happen is with God – God is a God of many second chances. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Feb_2010/0211_10.html Researchers are beginning to pay attention to the importance of friendship in overall health. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Feb_2010/0210_10.html Sometimes, someone becomes famous just for saying what everybody else is thinking. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Feb_2010/0209_10.html Telling the truth about our fouls is not only honorable, but in doing so, we establish a trust that is critical for great relationships. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Feb_2010/0208_10.html When Meryl Streep accepted the Golden Globe, she said, “I've made it clear that I am the vessel for telling other women's stories and other women's lives.” http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Feb_2010/0205_10.html Lee and Laura are newlyweds. They met three years ago and found that they had many things in common. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Feb_2010/0203_10.html Golf can be a great teacher for such things as our embarrassing mistakes. What God helps us do is to learn from our mistakes so that we can tee it up again. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Feb_2010/0202_10.html In 1493, as Christopher Columbus explored the Caribbean, he spied what he thought were three disappointingly unattractive mermaids. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Feb_2010/0201_10.html At the height of the Great Depression, billionaire John D. Rockefeller constructed Radio City Music Hall in a run-down neighborhood in Manhattan. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Jan_2010/0129_10.html Elvis Presley would have turned 75 years old this month. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Jan_2010/0128_10.html One morning in 1905, Frederick Wells spotted what he later called "a flash of starlight in the wall." It turned out to be a 3,000-plus-carat diamond. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Jan_2010/0127_10.html When something as awful as that earthquake happens, people sometimes ask, "Where is God in all of this?" http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Jan_2010/0126_10.html Children! You’ve got to love them. They ask profoundly basic questions. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Jan_2010/0125_10.html A recent poll found that less than half of American workers are satisfied with their jobs. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Jan_2010/0122_10.html If we are always looking in the mirror – or seeing our own reflection – the obstacle is self-evident. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Jan_2010/0121_10.html Seems we Americans are easily bored, but Christian writer Fred Buechner believes that to be bored is to turn our back on what life is offering us at that moment. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Jan_2010/0120_10.html When the Loretto Chapel in Santa Fe was completed in 1878, carpenters couldn’t figure out how to build a staircase to the choir loft 22 feet above the small chapel. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Jan_2010/0119_10.html Today we celebrate Martin Luther King Day, the Christian preacher and Civil Rights reformer. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Jan_2010/0118_10.html If we are looking for some good ideas for how to live and love, we know where to find them. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Jan_2010/0115_10.html If we’ve ever stepped onto the rim of the Grand Canyon and seen its beauty and majesty, then we can’t help but feel gratitude for Roosevelt’s vision, but especially to God, the Grand Creator. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Jan_2010/0114_10.html Psychologist Edward Hallowell offers several suggestions in dealing with excessive worry. But he finally said this: “Talk to God when you feel worried." http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Jan_2010/0113_10.html OK, it’s all in our head, but what else is life except what’s all in our head -- our attitudes, and how we think about the steep hills that are the obstacles of life? http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Jan_2010/0112_10.html We do take much for granted. And unfortunately, it often takes a crisis to wake us up to our blessings and what’s important. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Jan_2010/0111_10.html In 2001, Islamic militants released journalist Terry Anderson after holding him in a Beirut dungeon for 2,454 days. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Jan_2010/0108_10.html They believed they could change people’s lives. Which sounds a lot like those who call themselves God’s people. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Jan_2010/0107_10.html Focusing on what we're capable of and what God is capable of doing through us, is a healing way to live. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Jan_2010/0106_10.html Defining our role so that we can help and serve others is the core of the spiritual journey. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Jan_2010/0105_10.html So what is your bathroom scale telling you? Many of us are probably getting the same story: We overdid it during the holidays. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Jan_2010/0104_10.html Today is the first day of the New Year. In our own way, each of us will be called to navigate turbulent waters. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Jan_2010/0101_10.html What if someone walked up to us today and said we had one last chance, and then walked away? http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Dec_2009/1231_09.html This month marked anniversary number 70 of the premiere of Gone with the Wind. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Dec_2009/1230_09.html Our words are powerful, and what we say can harm those around us, even people we call our friends. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Dec_2009/1229_09.html Perhaps we might gather up all those Christmas cards we received and keep them someplace important, like in our prayers. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Dec_2009/1228_09.html Well, that’s God’s thought on Christmas Day long ago. Merry Christmas! http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Dec_2009/1225_09.html Late one night, the king left the palace and appeared before the humble maid dressed in the garb of a servant. That’s Christmas. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Dec_2009/1224_09.html She could contain her frustration no longer and said: “Whoever started this whole Christmas thing should be found, strung up and shot.” http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Dec_2009/1223_09.html It is often in the waiting rooms of our life that God helps us discover our purpose. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Dec_2009/1222_09.html Do you remember the Andy Griffith episode in which Andy has been elected chairman of the “needy children” charity drive? http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Dec_2009/1221_09.html The study confirms that values and attitudes learned in younger years persist throughout life. So where does one learn honesty, fairness, responsibility, and integrity? http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Dec_2009/1218_09.html It's often our own inner demons that keep us down – but God is a God of many second chances. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Dec_2009/1217_09.html Sometimes what matters isn’t how fast we go, but how we're guided along the way. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Dec_2009/1216_09.html Authenticity comes from matching who we are on the inside with who we are on the outside. Both our words and our actions say who we are. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Dec_2009/1215_09.html We can tame the lions of our world when someone is standing with us. Which is why I carry a little pocket token with the inscription, “Lo, I am with you always.” http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Dec_2009/1214_09.html Alexander Fleming claimed he discovered penicillin by coincidence when a stray mold spore landed on a bacterial culture in his lab.  http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Dec_2009/1211_09.html The Twilight vampires are back, continuing to ask the big questions in life, or undeath, or whatever. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Dec_2009/1210_09.html In 1929, 18-year-old Ginger Rogers first appeared on Broadway. Four years later, she was cast opposite Fred Astaire in the first of 10 classic movies they would make together. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Dec_2009/1209_09.html President Abraham Lincoln knew that after the bloodshed the nation had suffered, only forgiveness, not retribution, would truly reunite the country. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Dec_2009/1208_09.html Sometimes the darkest times are merely a prelude to victory. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Dec_2009/1207_09.html After a short tutorial on how to give the shots and watch the monitors, I put on the scrubs and went to work. I was scared, fearful and doubtful. But I knew I was not alone. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Dec_2009/1204_09.html Oberlin Institute chose Jesus as its model, who was always on the forefront of change when it came to opening the door wider to including and accepting others. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Dec_2009/1203_09.html I think there are similarities in putting and praying, although I agree with Billy Graham who said, “The only time my prayers are not answered is on the golf course!” http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Dec_2009/1202_09.html God uses creative ways to connect with us. A sunbeam, a child's laughter, a hug from an old friend, a church – these are God's connectors. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Dec_2009/1201_09.html Research shows people who forgive have better health, fewer episodes of clinical depression, longer marriages and better social support. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Nov_2009/1130_09.html God always believes in us, and when someone really, really believes in us, we are able to meet challenges that would otherwise seem insurmountable.  http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Nov_2009/1127_09.html Spiritual people give thanks daily to God – realizing saying “thank you” is probably life’s most important lesson. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Nov_2009/1126_09.html Max Gordon and his bride-to-be, Mollie Levy, got a bit of a shock when they tried to get a marriage license. Instead, the clerk handed them a book. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Nov_2009/1125_09.html Michelangelo is perhaps the greatest sculptor the world has ever known, but his art began in a dusty quarry. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Nov_2009/1124_09.html We often hide from ourselves. And getting to know God better always means getting to know ourselves better and not hiding. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Nov_2009/1123_09.html Without a global revolution in the sphere of human consciousness, nothing will change for the better. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Nov_2009/1120_09.html So when life throws you and me our next surprise, remember that we always know what we are “gonna get” from God. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Nov_2009/1119_09.html Some things – like believing in God – are more complicated to download and install. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Nov_2009/1118_09.html Things do fall apart, and our hope is that God will always find us and that we will always find God. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Nov_2009/1117_09.html If you could send a letter back through time to your younger self, what would the letter say?  http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Nov_2009/1116_09.html I have the feeling that what we judge as success and what God judges as success are often very different. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Nov_2009/1113_09.html When I was a teenager, an old baseball coach said to me, “All we really have is our name and reputation.” http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Nov_2009/1112_09.html Throughout history, a table has been the center of many important occasions. Around a table, peace treaties have been signed, novels have been written and deals have been made. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Nov_2009/1111_09.html Psychologist Robert Leahy, in his recent book, tells readers how to “unravel” their fears before their fears “unravel” them. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Nov_2009/1110_09.html "The Wizard of Oz" tells us that home is wherever those who love us are, whether it's Kansas, the Emerald City, Greensboro, or alone in communion with God. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Nov_2009/1109_09.html Jesus demanded that his followers practice extravagant forgiveness with one another. And everywhere Jesus went, he said, “Your sins are forgiven.” http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Nov_2009/1106_09.html I am intrigued with Thomas Edison, whose inventions were many and included such things as electricity and the incandescent light bulb. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Nov_2009/1105_09.html There is a line in Scripture where God says: “My power is made perfect in your weakness.” http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Nov_2009/1104_09.html God uses our disappointments. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Nov_2009/1103_09.html Ignorance is dangerous. Theologian John Calvin once said our mind is in service to God. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Nov_2009/1102_09.html Our God-given talents are neutral, and we can use them for bomb making or to send people to the moon. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Oct_2009/1030_09.html Our hearts serve as our relationship engine. It is where we find compassion and connect with God. I wonder what kind of spiritual workout we need to keep this heart healthy? http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Oct_2009/1029_09.html What if, today, each of us received a phone call with this message: “You are doing good work in the world. Keep it up. We are with you.”? http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Oct_2009/1028_09.html We all want to be winners, but sometimes it’s hard to feel that way when we seem to be on a losing streak. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Oct_2009/1027_09.html While we connect in new ways, the reasons why we connect remain the same. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Oct_2009/1026_09.html My guess is that most of us would like to travel back in time and give ourselves a second chance at something that went wrong. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Oct_2009/1023_09.html Jesus despised inequality, prejudice and oppression, and he constanly spoke up for the hurt, the lost and the least of society. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Oct_2009/1022_09.html Even if we are considered an expert, being reminded of our humility grounds us in things spiritual. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Oct_2009/1021_09.html Whether we are Jewish or Christian, Muslim, Hindu or Buddhist, atonement – being at one – is the place we seek and certainly the place God wants us to seek. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Oct_2009/1020_09.html On this day in 1781, the British General Cornwallis surrendered his army to American and French forces at Yorktown, Va. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Oct_2009/1019_09.html For more than a decade, a researcher at Microsoft has been recording his every move. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Oct_2009/1016_09.html I wonder, where do we find the patience and strength to keep going when life knocks us down? http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Oct_2009/1015_09.html The next time our little hut seems to be burning to the ground, perhaps it could possibly be the smoke signal that summons the grace of God. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Oct_2009/1014_09.html Practicing our faith is often simple kindness. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Oct_2009/1013_09.html Maybe faith, like a really good cup of joe, needs some time to brew. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Oct_2009/1012_09.html In a way, bridge construction is a metaphor for living. We can build relationships or we can tear them down. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Oct_2009/1009_09.html Jesus often reminded us not to judge – and that's particularly important when we have only rumors and hearsay. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Oct_2009/1008_09.html Public civility seems to be in a recession, don’t you think? http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Oct_2009/1007_09.html Sports psychologist Richard Keefe describes getting in The Zone as a state of mind and body in which action and reaction seem to happen automatically. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Oct_2009/1006_09.html Back in the Depression of the 1930s, a government agency had the task of traveling through backward mountain areas in search of poor farmers. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Oct_2009/1005_09.html Rita was amazed and grateful that Tom wanted to give her a kidney. But Tom said he talked to God, and God thought it was a good idea. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Oct_2009/1002_09.html Sometimes spiritually ethical words can be as effective as troops carrying rifles. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Oct_2009/1001_09.html God wants us to discover our gifts and then take our gifts on the road, using them to make our world a better place. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Sept_2009/0930_09.html I have a Blues Brothers tie! It sports the faces of Jake and Elwood, along with the words "On a Mission from God." http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Sept_2009/0929_09.html One of the spiritual messages we hear is that it's foolish to store up treasures on earth while there are people around us who could use our stored treasures. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Sept_2009/0928_09.html In early October the world's biggest band, U2, will play in Raleigh. Which raises the question: "Big" in what way? http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Sept_2009/0925_09.html Sometimes love strikes like lightning, and sometimes it slips comfortably into our lives. And like love, faith doesn't always come with a blinding light. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Sept_2009/0924_09.html We all must make difficult personal decisions about right and wrong. Making judgments, using God’s guiding principles, is not the same as being judgmental. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Sept_2009/0923_09.html Sometimes when we do the right thing just because it's right, practical benefits come with it. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Sept_2009/0922_09.html Benedict Arnold didn't set out to be a traitor. Indeed, he so distinguished himself in the American Revolution that he was given command of the colonials' fort at West Point. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Sept_2009/0921_09.html At a meeting where business professionals gathered and introduced themselves by describing their company or business, a Christian minister introduced himself this way. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Sept_2009/0918_09.html There once was “Fernandomania.” It swept the nation when America experienced one of the greatest rookie seasons in baseball history. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Sept_2009/0917_09.html In the Old West, a wise settler had a beautiful ranch with good neighbors. One day a traveler was looking to put down roots, so he asked the settler, “What kind of neighbors do you have?” http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Sept_2009/0916_09.html Two of life’s biggest questions are, “Who am I” and “Where do I fit in?” These are spiritual questions. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Sept_2009/0915_09.html Peggy Adkins observed that she had better training and follow-up with her cat than she had had when adopting her two children. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Sept_2009/0914_09.html One cancer survivor says that during her illness, she had a vague feeling that it had a purpose, but she didn’t know what. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Sept_2009/0911_09.html We’ve all had wake-up calls, such as being OK after a car accident. So what will be our wake-up call so that grace becomes amazing in our life? http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Sept_2009/0910_09.html It often takes courage to do what we know is right even when it’s not popular. And the spiritual life helps us to determine what is right. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Sept_2009/0909_09.html It may be that, personally, we are in the midst of a losing season. And the question for us is not “what” will give us hope for the next season, but “who”? http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Sept_2009/0908_09.html Regardless of whether we are at work, on a sports team or in the context of family, working together produces the best results. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Sept_2009/0907_09.html Like a faithful parent, God loves and supports us whether we are starting at quarterback or sitting on the bench. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Sept_2009/0904_09.html Looks like this will be the year of quarterback comebacks in the National Football League. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Sept_2009/0903_09.html Here is some fun science. The smartest part of our brain is also where our willpower comes from. It turns out, however, that this part isn’t very good at multi-tasking. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Sept_2009/0902_09.html Eunice Kennedy Shriver died recently. She was a passionate champion of people with intellectual disabilities. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Sept_2009/0901_09.html A couple’s small business was struggling, and they were worried. Then, they heard about Abu Sayed, an Egyptian whose financial situation made theirs seem insignificant. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Aug_2009/0831_09.html A woman discovered a butterfly struggling to escape its cocoon. Certain that the creature couldn’t make it without help, she enlarged the opening. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Aug_2009/0828_09.html Sometimes our greatest testimony is just being kind enough to deliver a Sports Illustrated. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Aug_2009/0827_09.html In "Terminator" Schwarzenegger says famously at the end, “I’ll be back.” He is back in the sequel, but has been re-programmed to protect the woman and child he once pursued. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Aug_2009/0826_09.html C.S. Lewis was a great religious thinker of the 20th century. He was not a Christian in his early life. He was agnostic, sometimes even atheistic. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Aug_2009/0825_09.html Compromise is often a negative word. And folks who do compromise are sometimes characterized as spineless, or people without convictions. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Aug_2009/0824_09.html If we want to have a healthy spirit, the right balance is important, and we will need to practice the right balance of head, heart and hands. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Aug_2009/0821_09.html Losing patience is sometimes a humbling experience, even if we don’t end up with an airbag in our face. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Aug_2009/0820_09.html In July, 59-year-old Tom Watson came within one stroke of being the oldest golfer ever to win the British Open. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Aug_2009/0819_09.html In December, 2005, Susan and Monty Scales traveled from Indiana to the Gulf Coast to help Hurricane Katrina victims. They’re still there. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Aug_2009/0818_09.html At the tender age of 29, TV and film star Michael J. Fox was diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson’s disease. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Aug_2009/0817_09.html The recent death of Walter Cronkite prompted many observations about the changing nature of journalistic ethics. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Aug_2009/0814_09.html BlackBerrys and iPhones were designed to make us more productive. But when and how they're used can become a hindrance to business and life. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Aug_2009/0813_09.html More shares change hands on the New York Stock Exchange than anywhere else, in part because computers have made trading almost as swift as thinking. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Aug_2009/0812_09.html Michael Jackson's "Man in the Mirror" echoes a theme from Jesus, because Jesus challenged people to look inward before looking outward. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Aug_2009/0811_09.html It’s hard to believe that it’s been 32 years since Elvis died. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Aug_2009/0810_09.html In "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People," Steven Covey talks about the importance of seeing life as win-win, rather than win-lose. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Aug_2009/0807_09.html God has given us an astonishing view. And it's up to us to open our eyes and see its marvelous splendor. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Aug_2009/0806_09.html On his 85th birthday, former president George H. W. Bush went skydiving. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Aug_2009/0805_09.html On a flight from Johannesburg a white South African woman found herself sitting next to a black man. She called the flight attendant over to complain. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Aug_2009/0804_09.html She had experienced the help of Good Samaritans, and now she expressed her gratitude. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/Aug_2009/0803_09.html When was the last time we expressed our gratitude by something other than words? http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/July_2009/0731_09.html I have been to several Chicago Cubs games in Wrigley Field, and every time I am struck by the irrepressible spirit of the fans. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/July_2009/0730_09.html The chairperson of the United Way campaign discovered that the fund had never received a donation from the most successful lawyer in town. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/July_2009/0729_09.html At 26, Nick Vujicic likes golf, fishing, and swimming. What makes Nick different is that he was born without arms or legs. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/July_2009/0728_09.html What if you could use good deeds and special skills as currency to deposit and withdraw in a bank?  http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/July_2009/0727_09.html Can you name the five wealthiest people in the world? Or the last two Heisman trophy winers? Probably not. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/July_2009/0724_09.html We crave more appreciation and more happiness. We yearn to be smarter, prettier, thinner and richer. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/July_2009/0723_09.html Everyone knew whom Kirby was trusting and why he would not hate someone who had injured him. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/July_2009/0722_09.html In Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell writes about super achievers ranging from Bill Gates to the Beatles. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/July_2009/0721_09.html This month is the 40th anniversary of one of the great human accomplishments in history. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/July_2009/0720_09.html Wouldn’t it be great if we had a road map for our lives, if there were written instructions, or a voice telling us what to do? http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/July_2009/0717_09.html A New York Times writer notes that kids today just don't relate to The Catcher in the Rye's teenage searcher, Holden Caulfield, the way they used to. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/July_2009/0716_09.html I am inspired by the USBGA -- that's the United States Blind Golfer's Association. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/July_2009/0715_09.html Writer Leo Buscaglia says, too often we underestimate the power of touch: a smile, kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/July_2009/0714_09.html This summer I hope you'll have the chance to drink in the beauty and wonders of God's creation and examine what's really important in life. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/July_2009/0713_09.html We know all about economic stimulus packages. What would a spiritual stimulus package look like? http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/July_2009/0710_09.html The apostle Paul was on to something when he produced his list of the fruit of the Spirit. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/July_2009/0709_09.html Actually Ted Turner was right. Christianity is a religion for losers. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/July_2009/0708_09.html Do you know about malicious joy? It means a mischeivous delight in the misfortune of others. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/July_2009/0707_09.html I’m a believer in positive thinking. But positive thinking alone can be shallow and superficial. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/July_2009/0706_09.html As we get ready to celebrate our nation’s independence this weekend, an image from another nation keeps coming to mind. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/July_2009/0703_09.html Lyndon Johnson knew his party would pay a high price for the Civil Rights Law. He reportedly told an aide as he signed the bill, “We have lost the South for a generation.” http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/July_2009/0702_09.html The Economist magazine says that businesses founded during recessions do better in the long term than businesses that open in good times. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/July_2009/0701_09.html As you approach Venice's new contemporary art museum, the first work you see is a sculpture by an American artist named Charles Ray. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/June_2009/0630_09.html C.S. Lewis says that God cannot be explained; God can only be experienced. Maybe one of the ways we experience God is through laughter. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/June_2009/0629_09.html TV's Keifer Sutherland knew he wanted to become an actor at 14 when he saw his actress mother playing Martha in "Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/June_2009/0626_09.html The first thing legendary UCLA men's basketball coach John Wooden taught new players was how to put their shoes and socks on. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/June_2009/0625_09.html Every day you and I judge people. That crook should go to prison, we say. Or, that kid is an arrogant jerk. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/June_2009/0624_09.html Taking the time to reach out to one another can restore a friendship or even save the world. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/June_2009/0623_09.html Soccer fans may know the name of Diego Maradona. In 1986 he scored two goals to lead Argentina past England in the World Cup. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/June_2009/0622_09.html This Sunday is Father's Day, and what you might not know is that Father's Day was started by a woman. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/June_2009/0619_09.html In 1776 the second Continental Congress authorized some of its members to draft a Declaration of Independence from Britain. It was a huge risk for them all. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/June_2009/0618_09.html Secretariat was a racehorse with a lot of heart. Thirty-one years ago he won the Belmont Stakes to capture the Triple Crown. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/June_2009/0617_09.html In May the Tonight Show said farewell to Jay Leno, who had hosted the late-night program since 1992. http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/June_2009/0616_09.html Someone once said, "If you don't know where you're going, any road will take you there." http://www.fpcgreensboro.org/justathought/June_2009/0615_09.html