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In Other Words...

A Research Service Of Facts & Humor For Christian Leaders

September  2025

ADVERSITY: Difficult Campground is five miles southeast of Aspen, Colorado and offers 47 campsites.  You’d think only hardcore campers would head that direction, but the name has nothing to do with harsh conditions.  It’s named after the nearby Difficult Creek, which is known for its challenging whitewater.  Not all that’s billed as difficult is truly hard. Examiner, 7/10/25, p.22B
 
AGING: By the year 2034, there will be more Americans over the age of 65 than those under 18.  This will be the first time that’s ever occurred in U.S. history. The Week, 9/29/23, p.12
 
COMMITMENT: Taylor Swift and Kansas City Chiefs’ tight-end Travis Kelce announced their engagement on August 26, 2025.  The couple’s level of marital commitment is yet to be seen, but Swift’s fans understand what it means to be committed.  In anticipation of her Eras Tour coming to Buenos Aires in November 2023, 240 Argentine fans spent five months camping on the street to secure front-row seats at her concert.  They utilized four large tents and created a spreadsheet for rotating shifts.  Does our commitment to Christ mirror such devotion? The Week, 11/17/23, p.6
 
EVANGELISM: Craig Groeschel is the founding pastor of LifeChurch.tv and the one responsible for launching the YouVersion Bible App, which is on track to hit 1 billion installs in 2025.  His passion for evangelism is summed up in a phrase he’s used for years: “We will do anything short of sin to reach people who don’t know Christ.” Craig Groechel Facebook Post, 1/18/23
 
GOSPEL: George Whitefield (1714-1770) was a key figure in America’s First Great Awakening because of his great confidence in the gospel: “Other men may preach the gospel better than I, but no man can preach a better gospel.” Preaching The Word: Colossians, Kent Hughes, 2013, p.250
 
GRACE: Paul David Tripp has offered these words of comfort to Christians about God’s amazing grace: “There is nothing in you that could ever be exposed that hasn’t already been covered by the precious blood of your Savior, King Jesus.” Dangerous Calling, Paul David Tripp, 2012, p.28
 
MINISTRY: As the war in Ukraine rages on, Pastor Benjamin Morrison has taken advantage of a difficult situation.  He ministers in Svitlovodsk and explains, “Whenever we do head to the bomb shelter, my family and I take the opportunity to share the hope of Christ with our neighbors.  ‘Bomb shelter ministry’ is not a ministry profile I thought I’d ever have.  And yet, we are already seeing how fruitful it’s been.”  He noted that since the war began, those around him have heard more about Christ and the Scriptures than they had previously in their entire lives.  Opportunities for ministry have no bounds, so seek and seize them. Christ Above All, David Jeremiah, 2022, p.202
 
POWER: August 29, 2025 marked twenty years since Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and the Mississippi coast.  Uniquely, another catastrophic storm hit on that same day of the calendar.  Hurricane Ida made landfall at New Orleans on August 29, 2021, sixteen years to the day after Katrina.  Ida was one of the most powerful storms to ever hit the U.S. and its force caused the Mississippi River to flow north rather than south for about four hours.  The Mighty Mississippi was put in reverse by Ida’s great power.  Acts 1:8 speaks of an even greater power that can permanently reverse the trajectory of any wayward life. Beaumont Enterprise, 8/29/25, p.B7
 
SUBMISSION: An ancient prayer of submission states, “Lord, I give You permission to weed my garden.”  Might we all invite God to do just that. Mature Living, February 2023, p.23
 
SUCCESS: Ohio State’s football team defended their status as the 2025 national champions when they defeated the number 1-ranked Texas Longhorns to start the new season on August 30, 2025.  To prepare his team for the year following their championship, coach Ryan Day had his team read, Chop Wood Carry Water: How to Fall in Love With the Process of Becoming Great.  In essence, it teaches that excellence is arduous and requires consistent, tiring work. The coach’s decision was based on the author’s perspective.  Joshua Medcalf said, “One of the biggest challenges whenever you have won is that winning is a great deodorant.  It covers up a lot of stuff but it doesn’t fix it.  So, it’s really important to, every single day, get up and chop the wood and carry the water.”  Success looks more like sweat than swag. Wall Street Journal, 8/16/25, p.A12
 
UNCERTAINTY: On July 14, 2025, Fauja Singh was killed in a hit-and-run accident while crossing the road in his Punjab village near Jalandhar.  He was nicknamed the Turbaned Torpedo because he ran while wearing his Sikh turban.  Singh was believed to be the oldest male marathon runner.  He took up running in 2000 at the age of 89 as a way to deal with the depression of losing his wife and son in close succession in India.  He saw a marathon on television and decided that’s what he’d do.  He ran the 2000 London Marathon as his first of eight marathons and later became the oldest man known to run a full marathon in 2011 at the age of 100.  The following year he was a torchbearer for the 2012 London Olympics.  His last competitive race was at the age of 101 when he ran the 6.25-mile course that accompanied the Hong Kong Marathon in 2013.  Singh ran until he was over 100 and never had a problem, yet he was killed at 114 walking across the street.  Life is filled with uncertainty…all the way to the end. Beaumont Enterprise, 7/16/25, p.B2

EVERYDAY HUMOR

 
COMMUNICATION: Advice columnist Judith Martin stated, “If you can’t be kind, at least be vague.”  Maybe that’s why I couldn’t understand what he told me. The Week, 12/22/23, p.17
 
EFFORT: Actor & comedian Bill Murray said, “Whatever you do, always give 100 percent.  Unless you’re donating blood.” The Week, 9/15/23, p.17
 
FOOTBALL: Columnist George Will is anything but a football fan so he has sarcastically written, “Football combines two of the worst things in American life.  It is violence punctuated by committee meetings.” The Week, 2/24/23, p.17
 
REALITY: Long before the era of Michael Jordan with six NBA titles in the 1990s, the Chicago Bulls faced a few challenges under their very first coach, Johnny Kerr.  They had lost seven games in a row so Kerr decided to give a psychological pep talk.  He looked around the locker room and told Bob Boozer to pretend he was the best scorer in basketball.  He told Jerry Sloan to pretend he was the best defensive guard in the NBA.  Guy Rodgers was to pretend he was the best at running offense and Eric Mueller should pretend he was the best center in the league.  The Bulls lost by 17 points.  While Kerr was trying to figure out what happened after the game, Mueller put his arm around Coach Kerr and said, “Don’t worry about it, coach.  Just pretend we won.” Preaching The Word: Philippians, Colossians & Philemon, Kent Hughes, 2013, p.290
 
SIMPLICITY: There is a tribe in Africa that’s actually translated the word “American” to match their word that means “makes things too complicated.” Unscripted, Jeff Iorg, 2014, p.124

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