Current Issue Below - Next Issue Available April 4th

In Other Words...

A Research Service Of Facts & Humor For Christian Leaders

March  2025

ADVERSITY: Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (1918-2008) was a Russian author who brought to light the wicked oppression of his country’s government.  He was imprisoned as a dissident and suffered barbaric treatment in a Soviet gulag labor camp.  Under such harsh conditions he not only survived, but found renewal as well.  He later wrote, “I nourished my soul there, and I say without hesitation: ‘Bless you, prison, for having been in my life!’”  Patty Lane encountered a similar conviction from Pastor Solomon Beraki, who had immigrated to the U.S. from his homeland of Eritrea in East Africa.  He was brutally tortured and incarcerated because he wouldn’t stop preaching about Jesus.  He chose violent abuse and inhumane treatment over recanting Christ.  Along with other prisoners, he was hung upside down and beaten, placed in a tiny cell where he couldn’t stand or lie down, forced into spaces so crowded that if anyone passed-out they wouldn’t fall, food was scarce and hygiene didn’t exist.  Injustice, misery and fear were constant, yet Pastor Beraki told Lane, “It was a great blessing to be there.  God let me be there to tell so many people about Jesus, and for some, I could share just minutes before they died.”  With that same fervor and passion, Solomon pastors immigrants in Dallas, Texas and his testimony can guide each of us into a deeper understanding of Christ and adversity. Wall Street Journal, 5/6/23, p.C14; CommonCall, Fall 2020, p.38
 
CHARACTER: A writer to Dear Abby bemoaned his brother’s marital choice and noted how nobody in the family can stand her and they don’t see one redeemable quality.  This fiancée was referred to as the WOAT (Worst of All Time) in contrast to the common acronym GOAT (Greatest of All Time).  Abby’s answer isn’t going to resolve anything but the query should give us pause to ask if our own character is more like a GOAT or a WOAT. Houston Chronicle, 2/24/25, p.A9
 
CONTENTMENT: Elisabeth Elliot (1926-2015) wrote, “The secret is Christ in me, not me in a different set of circumstances.” I Surrender All, Priscilla Shirer, 2024, p.183
 
GRIEF: On February 23, 2025, Mikaela Shiffrin became the first skier to win 100 World Cup races.  No other skier, male or female, has ever won more than 86.  It was a historic milestone, and an amazing comeback after a severe crash on November 30, 2024, which led to surgery.  Shiffrin was gracious as always after notching that triple-digit win, but the absence of her father took a little shine off the moment.  Jeff Shiffrin died suddenly from a fall in 2020 and left an enormous void in his princess.  She was devastated and spoke very transparently about the process of grief.  In a 2022 essay about her loss, Shiffrin noted that grief isn’t linear: “It’s not a climb up a mountain.  It’s more like a maze.”  Her visual insight helps us see that grief takes us through a process rather than to a certain destination. USA Today, 4/29/22, p.3C; Wall Street Journal, 2/25/25, p.A14
 
IRONY: Each March 2nd provides a lesson in irony and perception.  Theodore Geisel, aka Dr. Suess, was born on March 2, 1904 and died in 1991.  The famed author of more than 60 children’s books is celebrated each year on his birthday with a giant book giveaway.  Dr. Suess Enterprises offers a copy of The Cat In The Hat to anyone born on March 2nd.  Originally, it was just for newborns but in 2025 it expanded to anyone born on his birthday.  An ironic secret surfaced when his widow, Audrey Geisel, died at 97 in 2018.  She was 17 years younger than her husband and was the guardian of his whimsical work and beloved characters.  Prior to her death she explained how they married in 1968 after an affair.  That resulted in the couple sending Audrey’s two daughters from her first marriage to a boarding school.  She noted that Geisel wasn’t particularly fond of kids and stated, “He was afraid of children to a degree.”  A whole literary empire designed for children was created by a man who never had kids and wasn’t even fond of them.  Things aren’t always as they seem. Beaumont Enterprise, 2/19/25, p.A2 & 12/22/18, p.A4
 
LEADERSHIP: Tara-Leigh Cobble has made a great observation about Christian leadership: “The leader is just the first follower.”  True leaders follow Christ first. TheBibleRecap.com
 
PURPOSE: Research has revealed that spending 20% more time accomplishing things you find personally rewarding leads to satisfaction levels that rival a 50% increase in pay.  Fulfilling your God-given purpose is like getting a huge promotion. TheBriefing.net, 3/15/24
 
RELATIONSHIPS: Dick Foth has stated, “There are two things we deal with our whole lives, relationships and money.  One of them will make you rich.”  Make sure you understand which one leads to true wealth. National Community Church, Dick Foth, 2/16/25
 
SANCTIFICATION: Michelangelo (1475-1564) only signed one of his artistic pieces and that was his first commissioned work in Rome.  Pieta is carved marble depicting Mary holding the body of her crucified son.  He completed it at the age of 25 and it was first displayed in 1500.  For centuries the masterpiece has been housed in St. Peter’s Basilica.  The young sculptor, who would become one of history’s most famous and gifted artists, carved these words on the ribbon across Mary’s chest: “Michelangelo the Florentine was making.”  He’d heard that ancient Greek artists signed their work in that manner to communicate that a work of art is never truly finished.  The masterpiece that God creates in His children functions in similar fashion.  We’re a work in progress until our perfection is complete in heaven. Who Was Michelangelo?, Kirsten Anderson, 2022, p.3

EVERYDAY HUMOR

 
AGING: Comedienne Joan Rivers (1933-2014) said, “You know you’ve reached middle age when you’re cautioned to slow down by your doctor instead of by the police.” The Week, 3/15/24, p.17
 
EGO: A ruckus was brewing at an airport gate when a man arrived too late to board the plane.  After being repeatedly denied entrance, he angrily yelled, “Do you know who I am?”  The airline personnel immediately got on the intercom system and stated, “We have a medical emergency at Gate A21…a man doesn’t know who he is.” National Community Church, Dick Foth, 9/29/24
 
LENT: Doug remarked to his friends, “For Lent, I gave up ice cream, fast food, and pizza, but obviously not lying.”  Kind of missed the point. Reader’s Digest, March 2021, p.109
 
MEMORY: In February 2025, Bill Gates released the first of his three planned autobiographical books.  During an interview about Source Code: My Beginnings, Gates talked about the process of writing his memoir and how tricky memories can be.  He stated, “It’s fascinating what you misremember.”  It’s a common problem we all share. Houston Chronicle, 2/23/25, p.G4
 
TECHNOLOGY: During an evening power outage, Dave suddenly found himself lost without his technology.  All of his devices were dead and he didn’t have a way to charge anything.  After 30 minutes of trying to figure out any possible solution, he gave up and walked into the kitchen where his wife was sitting by a candle.  He talked to her until the electricity came back on and then said, “This was good, you seem like a very nice person.” Houston Chronicle, 8/25/14, p.G14
 
TRAINING: Wayne Graham (1936-2024) was the legendary coach of Rice University’s baseball team and his passing earned a front-page story.  During his 26 seasons as head coach, Rice went to the College World Series seven times and won in 2003.  In the MLB Draft for 2004, three Rice players were selected in the first round – a record to this day.  In 2002, an observer commented on the exceptional fielding of the Rice squad after they beat perennial powerhouse LSU in the NCAA tournament.  Graham responded with a grin, “Well, they’re not trained to let ‘em fall.  They’re trained to catch ‘em.”  Train for the right outcome. Houston Chronicle, 9/5/24, p.A1

IN OTHER WORDS... began in 1991 and is a research service produced by Dr. Raymond McHenry, Pastor of the Westgate Memorial Baptist Church in Beaumont, Texas.  Subscribers receive access to over 7,000 illustrations on our website PLUS one emailed issue per month filled with intriguing facts, quotes, humor, and spiritual illustrations from a wide variety of sources.  All content is copyrighted.  Visit www.iows.net to start a new subscription or send inquiries to: 

IN OTHER WORDS...  6130 Barrington ~ Beaumont, Texas 77706   (409) 866-2111  www.iows.net