An IRS office was keeping a close eye on a small company with only a few employees.  The income reported by the small business on its annual income tax form seemed to the IRS to be more than could be expected by the company’s limited number of employees, unless there was a lot of overtime.  The problem was that the small business reported no overtime being paid to its employees.  Hence, an IRS agent was sent to look into the matter.

When he arrived, he introduced himself and explained to the owner that he wanted to take a look at his books.  The owner responded by laying out his books on his desk and inviting the agent to spend as much time as he wanted looking over all the figures.  The agent confirmed that no overtime was being paid, yet the income was more than seemed reasonable for the number of employees.  He decided to interview the owner. Read more…

The Parable of the Wedding Feast (Matthew 22:1-14) starts out by these intriguing words: ?The kingdom of heaven is like . . .?? In the Gospels there are several parables that start with these words.? Most people are interested in these parables regardless of what they think the hereafter holds in store for them personally.? Just think?learning what heaven is really like!? This parable does just that. Read more…

When I was a young boy growing up in the Ozarks of southern Missouri, one of my favorite times was when my grandmother would take my brother and me in her old, blue four-door 1929 Chevrolet sedan to Woolworth?s on what we called main street, although its real name was ?Commercial Street.?? She would usually give each of us a nickel–occasionally it would be ten cents each–and we were allowed to buy anything we wanted, except no candy.? On the occasions she gave us ten cents, we usually bought some kind of a toy or play gun for five cents and spent the other nickel for a cherry coke sitting on the stools at the counter of the store?s soda fountain.? One time, instead of a toy, my brother, who was two and a half years older than I, spent his entire ten cents on a bottle of red ?hair oil.? Read more…

When Mr. Obama campaigned for President of the United States in 2008, he assured voters that he would bring the county together and especially quell the gridlock in Washington that had made it difficult for the United States Congress to pass important legislation.? But, instead, the discord in Washington is greater than ever and has spread throughout our country.? How did this happen??

I realize that I am not a political science major and as just a regular citizen who has never run for office I may be guilty of being na?ve and oversimplifying politics.? That being said, it appears to me that President Obama almost goes out of his way at sowing discord rather than negotiating agreement.? For example, as recently as his State of the Union address earlier this week, the President started out on a very conciliatory note, but before too long he began to make threats of what he would do with his pen if the Republicans failed to pass certain legislation.? And the next day he began making campaign-type speeches in different states degrading Republicans, and especially the Republican held United States House of Representatives.? Such verbiage may please his Democratic base.? It certainly does not, however, bring about any type of unity, but further fuels discord in Washington. Read more…

In times past, most people heated their houses using fireplaces, stoves and coal furnaces. Some people still do. It makes no difference which of these forms of heating one uses, there are always ashes or clinkers to get out of the house and hauled away without leaving a mess behind.

As a boy growing up, it was my job to take out the leftovers from the furnace. I had to put the ashes and clinkers in a large trash can and lug them up the basement stairs and out to the back alley, whether it was raining or snowing, where someone came by and hauled them away. And my mother and father always reminded me not to make dust that went throughout the house. It was a tedious and tiresome job.

The point I’m making here is that it is not always easy to get rid of the useless remnants of living, in this case, the left-over ashes. Read more…