“So be content with who you are, and don’t put on airs” (1 Peter 5:6, MSG).

     What has four legs, no stomach, and eats shrimp on the barbie? Give up? The Australian Platypus. The platypus is one of the world’s strangest animals. Though it is classified as a mammal, the platypus has features of birds and reptiles.

 “Be careful what you think, because your thoughts run your life” (Proverbs 4:23, NCV).

               What we believe matters. I spoke these words to a congregation in Ashville, Ohio on Sunday, September 16, 2001. Five days earlier, nineteen terrorists murdered 2977 innocent souls. The organizers of the attack defended their actions by citing a fatwa (a legal ruling that upholds Islamic law). Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri believed that Allah approved of the assault as a righteous strike against the Great Satan.

“Peter said to him, ‘You will never wash my feet.’ Jesus answered, ‘Unless I wash you, you have no share with me’” (John 13:8, NRSV).

     Recently, a group of divers were exploring Catalina Island off the coast of California when a giant sea bass swam past them. They noticed the giant sea bass had a smaller fish protruding from its mouth. Kayla Feairheller, the president of Blue World said, “It was moving closer to me…..It would actually move the fish tail up to my hand as if it wanted me to pull it.”

Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:34, NIV).

              I am a planner. My eyes are frequently focused on what lies ahead. Most of the time, this manner of living brings me a sense of control and peace. But there are also instances where my penchant for getting my flight plan in order produces butterflies in my stomach.

“When Pharaoh heard what Moses had done, he tried to have him killed. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and settled in the land of Midian” (Exodus 2:15, GWT).