Bug Off !

"Overcome all obstacles. Learn all you can."

"I've got the learning part...but what about overcoming popsicles?"



On a far away planet, they are ready to put a plan in action. The aliens want to learn from the earthlings on how to stop fighting, so they send two of their own, disguised in human form of course, to learn how to get along with one another. This is the premise behind the kids film Bug Off.

If this were a true story, I think it would be us sending our own to another planet to learn from them instead.

One of the aliens is disguised as an old woman named Mrs. Picklenickel, who gets a job on earth as a nanny for a family with two kids who are constantly at each other's throats. The annoying young boy Tyler is always playing tricks on his older sister Krista, especially scaring her with things like plastic spiders, the same one's I used to scare my sisters with.

The kids first realize the strange behavior of Mrs. Picklenickel when she serves them breakfast, corn flakes topped with broccoli. Hmm, that would make me a little suspicious,too.

One day, in the presence of Mrs. Picklenickel, Krista finds herself at her wits end and exclaims,

"I hate my brother! I wish he were a bug!"

Suddenly her wish becomes true as Tyler gets miniaturized as a bug. At first Krista finds it amusing, but then gets frantic when Tyler cannot get back to his original form.

Krista goes to great lengths to get her brother back to his usual self, which in turn leaves

Mrs. Picklenickle in a quandary, "You said you hate your brother, why do you now love him and are trying so hard to have him return as your brother?"

Krista is even surprised herself, realizing that within her effort to help her brother, she discovers she loves him.

Yes, Tyler gets transformed back to his annoying little self, and as for Mrs. Picklenickel?

She returns to her planet with the message she learned from the earthlings,

"When you help each other you start to love them."

Oh my, if only us earthlings could get this right!

Talk to Me

 

 

"Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed

 is always to try just one more time." - Thomas Edison

 

 

I think Thomas Edison knows a thing or two about failing. It is said Edison went through some ten thousand light bulbs before getting it right. Don't you think somewhere in the middle, say around the 3-5,000 range he began feeling inadequate? Maybe losing faith in himself? But...Thomas kept moving forward, probably even when he felt he didn't trust his own wisdom, he kept moving forward.

 

Sometimes we can get like that with God. We may approach God with our prayer or concern for a situation and maybe not feel like we fully trust in Him. But, if you are praying to Him, if you are acknowledging Him, then surely you must trust Him, otherwise why would you even turn to Him for help?

 

When you call somebody on the phone you must want something from them, right?

 

 You don't call anybody without a purpose, right?

 

You don't go up to any random stranger and tell them something personal and try to get an answer of help from them,right? You go to somebody you trust.

Acknowledging God in prayer is the first step in trusting Him. Then, when you begin to earnestly seek Him out, He will not only deliver you, He will also impart wisdom to you which in turn will increase your trust in Him. All you need to do is,

"Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me." - Psalm 50:15








 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How Do You Like Me Now?

"I don't focus on what I'm up against. I focus on my goals and I try to ignore the rest."

- Venus Williams

Kris Silbaugh is a Pennsylvania wide receiver who was born without a left hand; today he is setting records for his high school football team.

My guess is Kris stuck with his dream, worked his butt off and stayed committed to that dream when others said he couldn't. And that's what it takes for all of us to accomplish our dreams, commitment.
You can't get people to believe in your dream unless you do.

You can go out and buy a $500 pair of golf clubs, but that doesn't improve your swing or your game. Trust me, that slice on your drive will still be there! Want to improve your game with those new clubs? You still have to practice. You still have to stay committed to the work in order to see the results.

I am sure somewhere Kris Silbaugh is laughing, having fun, and saying,
"How do you like me now?!"

Don't give up on your dream, it takes a lot of hard work and commitment, but you'll get there.
And remember, with God all things are possible.

The Numbers Game

Ray Kroc was 52 when he first began McDonalds.

Ben Franklin was in his late 40's when he invented bifocals.

Mother Teresa didn't begin her work as a missionary until she was almost 40.

Thomas Edison didn't get his two-way telegraph (telephone) patented until he was almost 60.

John Elway is the oldest quarterback to ever win a Super Bowl, age 38. After failing 3 times before, John would win 2 Super Bowls in a row before choosing to retire.

Ronald Reagan became President at the age of 69.

Noah was 480 years old when God told him to build an ark.

Moses was 80 years old when he led the Israelites out of Egypt.

Sarah bore Abraham's child when she was 90 years old. 
I love Abraham's response on this one, as God told him that his wife will bear a son:

 Then Abraham bowed down to the ground, but he laughed to himself in disbelief. “How could I become a father at the age of 100?” he thought. “And how can Sarah have a baby when she is ninety years old?” (Genesis 17)

Just more proof that no matter what age you are God can do something incredible through you,
all you need is a willing heart accessible to Him.












 

Lesson Learned Sharky

"Courage is knowing what not to fear." - Plato

Just recently a video taken from 2 kayakers in San Diego quickly went viral throughout the world,
 in a matter of minutes. The two men were being circled upon by a hammerhead shark. When first watching this and seeing the shark's fin hovering above the water, naturally the theme from Jaws began to jingle in my head. My second instinct of why these men were not afraid and were literally cracking jokes while taping the footage of this 11 foot monster, was correct.
My vast knowledge of sharks knew that these guys were not in any real danger because most hammerhead sharks are harmless to humans. These two cool cats were calm and collective and
most likely had the same knowledge of sharks.

Imagine if you were out there in the ocean and this creature came swimming by; would you have panicked? Most people would have, and therein lies the importance of knowledge.

The 2 guys in the kayaks were so calm with no wavering of fear because they knew the
 hammerhead shark cannot harm them. Shouldn't we be this way with the enemy?

Most Christians should know the enemy is a defeated foe, and yet we somehow resemble fear when he comes creeping up in our lives. So, just like the 2 guys in the kayak who knew their enemy was harmless and showed no fear, we too should have no fear of the enemy and his tactics.

Knowledge is a wonderous thing!


My victory and honor come from God alone.
 He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me.
-Psalm 62:7