UnashamedSermons.com » vision

Sometimes the Solution is Easier than You Think

Darren Ethier — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 14:10:11 +0000

Mensa is an organization whose members have an IQ of 140 or higher. A few years ago, there was a Mensa convention in San Francisco, and several members lunched at a local café. While dining, they discovered that their saltshaker contained pepper and their peppershaker was full of salt. How could they swap the contents of the bottles without spilling, and using only the implements at hand? Clearly this was a job for Mensa! The group debated and presented ideas, and finally came up with a brilliant solution involving a napkin, a straw, and an empty saucer. They called the waitress over to dazzle her with their solution.

“Ma’am,” they said, “we couldn’t help but notice that the peppershaker contains salt and the saltshaker?”

“Oh,” the waitress interrupted. “Sorry about that.” She unscrewed the caps of both bottles and switched them.

—Found on MSN; submitted by Sherman Lee Burford, Tuskegee Institute, Alabama to PreachingToday.com

Drift, Surf, Drown or Sail

Darren Ethier — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 14:34:55 +0000

Mike Metzger, professional mentor and president of Clapham Institute, observes, “You meet four kinds of people on the ocean of life. Those who drift just go with the flow. The wind and the waves control their speed and direction. The drifter quietly floats along and says, ‘Whatever.’ Those who surf are always riding a wave, the next big thing. They stay excited until the wave fades away, then they scan the horizon for something new. Surfers don’t usually get anywhere, but they make a lot of noise and put on a good show. Those who drown seem to stay in the center of a storm. It doesn’t matter how often you rescue them, they’ll soon be in another crisis, crying, ‘Help me, save me, it’s been the worst week of my life. I don’t know what I’m going to do.’ Those who sail are navigating toward a fixed point. They counteract the wind and waves by adjusting the rudder and shifting the sails to stay on course. But without an immovable, fixed point in your life, there can be no sailing. There’s nothing for you but drift, surf or drown.” Everyone, but especially ministry leaders need to have a fixed point in their life and insure their team members establish one as well.
Monday Morning Memo 4/9/07

Discovering new lands…

Darren Ethier — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 14:08:12 +0000

“One doesn’t discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time.” —Andre Gide

“Miracle” product

Darren Ethier — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 13:32:33 +0000

WD-40 is almost a miracle product.? Here is what it says it can do on the back of the package.

Remove black heel marks, scuff marks and crayon from washable surfaces.
Quiet squeaks.
Lubricate drawers, windows, toys, snaps, zippers and more.
Keep things smooth running and corrosion free:? rollerblades, skateboards, ski bindings, bike chains, lube zippers, snaps on tents, sleeping bags and outdoor covers.
Clean electrical contacts
Lube triggers on power tools
Clean spray paint nozzles
Lubricate locks and hinges
Safely remove road tar and grime
Remove gum and grease from vinyl

In fact, the company that makes the produce reports it has thousands of uses.

In 1953, a fledgling company called Rocket Chemical Company and its staff of three set out to create a line of rust-prevention solvents and degreasers for use in the aerospace industry, in a small lab in San Diego, California.? It took them 40 attempts to get the water displacing formula worked out. But they must have been really good, because the original secret formula for WD-40?which stands for Water Displacement perfected on the 40th try?is still in use today.? Convair, an aerospace contractor, first used WD-40 to protect the outer skin of the Atlas Missile from rust and corrosion. The product actually worked so well that several employees snuck some WD-40 cans out of the plant to use at home.

A few years following WD-40′s first industrial use, Rocket Chemical Company founder Norm Larsen experimented with putting WD-40 into aerosol cans, reasoning that consumers might find a use for the product at home as some of the employees had. The product made its first appearance on store shelves in San Diego in 1958.? In 1960 the company nearly doubled in size, growing to seven people, who sold an average of 45 cases per day from the trunk of their cars to hardware and sporting goods stores in the San Diego area.

In 1961 the first full truckload order for WD-40 was filled when employees came in on a Saturday to produce additional concentrate to meet the disaster needs of the victims of hurricane Carla along the U.S. Gulf coast. WD-40 was used to recondition flood and rain damaged vehicles and equipment.

In 1969 the company was renamed after its only product, WD-40.

WD-40 Company, Inc., went public in 1973 and was listed Over-The-Counter. The stock price increased by 61% on the first day of listing.? Since that time, WD-40 has grown by leaps and bounds, and is now virtually a household name, used in numerous consumer and industrial markets such as automotive, manufacturing, sporting goods, aviation, hardware and home improvement, construction, and farming.? In 1993, WD-40 Company celebrated its 40th anniversary by breaking the $100 million sales mark. That year the company was also listed among the Top Ten Most Profitable companies on the NASDAQ exchange. Not bad for a company with only one product!

As an instrument in the Kingdom symphony

Darren Ethier — Thu, 31 May 2007 14:45:50 +0000

“Make no mistake about it, this drama and this Kingdom’s agenda is at the center of the meaning of cosmic history and your own individual story. Like a grand conductor who calls in the flutes at just the right time, your Father has brought you into the Cosmic Symphony at your unique place in time and space so you can be a vibrant outpost in your sphere of influence. In short, you are here to be an apprentice of the Lord Jesus to learn how to live your life well as part of God’s broader purposes. This is your calling, this is your destiny, this is your only chance to have a life of genuine, full human flourishing.” - J.P. Moreland, Kingdom Triangle (Zondervan, 2007)