Sermon Central
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Alexander M. Sanders, Jr., Is The Chief Judge Of ... PRO
Contributed by Mary Lewis on Jun 11, 2004 (message contributor)
Alexander M. Sanders, Jr., is the Chief Judge of the South Carolina Court of Appeals. When his daughter Zoe graduated from the Univ. of South Carolina in 1992, he told this story that happened what she was just three years old.
Sanders came home from work one day to find his home – and especially his young daughter – in a state of turmoil. Zoe’s pet turtle had died, and she was crying as if her heart would break. Zoe’s mother had been dealing with the situation all day and declared that it was now Dad’s turn to try and make things better.
Although he was successful both as a lawyer and a politician, who confidently faced all kinds of complex issues and problems every day, this seemed out of his league. The mysteries of life and death are difficult, if not impossible for the mature mind to fathom. The task of explaining them to a three-year-old was completely beyond either his confidence or experience. But he tried.
First, he told Zoe that they could go to the pet store and buy another one just like the one who had died. Even at three years old, Zoe was smart enough to know that a turtle is not a toy. There’s really no such thing as getting another one just like the one who died. And so Zoe’s tears continued.
Desperate to quiet his little girl’s tears, he said, "I tell you what, we’ll have a funeral for the turtle."
Being three years old, she didn’t know what a funeral was.
Scrambling to come up with an explanation – as well as something that would get her mind off the turtle’s demise, he said "A funeral is like a birthday party. We’ll have ice cream and cake and lemonade and balloons, and all the children in the neighborhood will come over to our house to play. All because the turtle died."
Well, the prospect of a turtle funeral did the trick. Instantly, Zoe was her happy, smiling self. The turtle’s death was no longer...
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Last Week I Read In The Advice Column In The ... PRO
Contributed by Larry Thompson on Jun 6, 2002
Last week I read in the advice column in the paper about a couple who was celebrating 50 years of marriage. The husband wrote that someone commented, ¡§Ken, 50 years is a long time.¡¨ He immediately responded: ¡§Not nearly as long as it would have been without her.¡¨ I couldn¡¦t get the man¡¦s ...read more
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Families Are Wonderful. Families Are Challenging. ... PRO
Contributed by Jim Kane on Jun 6, 2002
Families are wonderful. Families are challenging. I am reminded of this every time I see my favorite Cosby Show episode in which Cliff, the father played by Bill Cosby, and Theo, the son played by Malcolm Jamal-Warner, have a chat about Theo’s desire to live like a “regular” person rather than ...read more
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James Reston Was A Syndicated Columnist For The ... PRO
Contributed by Ed Wood on Jun 3, 2002
James Reston was a syndicated columnist for The New York Times for more that thirty years. In his final column for the newspaper, he wrote, “In America, we have learned something about how to deal with adversity since the Great Depression, but not much about how to deal with prosperity. We are very ...read more
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Faith And Works Should Travel Side-By-Side, Step ... PRO
Contributed by Donnie Martin on Jun 6, 2002
Faith and works should travel side-by-side, step answering to step, like the legs of men walking. First faith, and then works; and then faith again, and then works again—until they can scarcely distinguish which is the one and which is the other. William ...read more
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The Prize Is Worth The Challenge Of The Journey PRO
Contributed by William Yates on Jun 12, 2002
THE PRIZE IS WORTH THE CHALLENGE OF THE JOURNEY Volleyball was introduced as an Olympic sport in the 1964 Tokyo games. A Japanese women’s team was chosen to represent their nation for the event. Hirofumi Daimatsu, their coach, put the women through a grueling training program that resembled a ...read more
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