The slang term, “epic fail” means a truly spectacular failure—one from which a comeback is virtually impossible. It is the kind of event that people can’t seem to resist telling others about. It yields a form of schadenfreude (perverse pleasure) to record it on cell phones and share it on social media. People who fail publicly and on a grand scale are rarely given a second chance. Often, they become the butt of jokes. No one wants to get too close to them, for fear…
“May I help you?” asked the officer behind the desk, in a bored but polite tone. “I hope so,” answered the man standing before him. “I’d like to report a missing person.” “Name?” “Bill. Bill Jones.” “How long has Mr. Jones been missing?” asked the policeman. “Oh, sorry officer. That’s my name. I’m Bill, er, William. William Jones. It’s my boss who’s missing.” “What’s your boss’ name, Mr. Jones?” “You’ll find it right there on the form. I started filling it out while I was waiting, but didn’t…
According to published reports, serious plans are being made for public and private (governmental and commercial) missions to Mars, as milestones of manned space exploration in the 21stcentury. Not so long ago, this was purely the stuff of fiction. H. G. Wells’ novel War of the Worlds, appearing around the turn of the 20thcentury, was instrumental in sparking imagination concerning all things Martian. Then came the famous radio dramatization of October 30, 1938 by Orson Welles and his Mercury Theater Company—a live broadcast…
I admit that I am not a huge fan of the Gospel of John. As eyewitness accounts go, his is among the strangest. Some commentators say that John’s command of Greek (the language of the New Testament) is fairly basic, his vocabulary, grammar and syntax unimpressive. This is hardly a shock, since John was a fisherman by trade, who, along with his brother James, learned the family business from dear old dad. John was also the youngest of the twelve apostles. His telling of Jesus’…
The Bible book of Acts tells the story of a man in his forties who had been crippled from birth. He was being carried to a place of prayer, when he saw two of Jesus’ disciples, Peter and John. The crippled man begged them for something small and temporary. He asked them for money. But as He so often does, God had a much better gift in mind for this disabled man—faith to be saved and, healing for his body. “Then Peter said, Silver…