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In Other Words...

A Research Service Of Facts & Humor For Christian Leaders

October  2025

BIBLE: Apophenia is a psychological condition where a person tends to connect dots that don’t actually connect (thinking the weather dictates how the stock market will move), and don’t connect dots that do go together (a thermostat really does control the room temperature).  Scripture helps us avoid spiritual apophenia by guiding us with truth so we can connect the right dots. Google AI
 
EVANGELISM: Cedric Figures was making an Amazon delivery in Portage, Michigan when he heard a man screaming for help inside.  He saw flames coming from the kitchen window so he grabbed a fire extinguisher and ran in to put out the fire and rescue the resident.  Just as he was finishing up his heroics, fire fighters arrived to take it from there.  Figures got back in his Amazon truck and finished his route of deliveries.  Evangelism works much the same way.  In the course of our days, we avail ourselves for rescue and then return to our routine.  God doesn’t call us to quit our job, but to be about Kingdom work wherever we go. The Week, 9/29/2023, p.4
 
FORGIVENESS: At Charlie Kirk’s memorial service on September 21, 2025, his widow declared her forgiveness to the assassin.  Erika Kirk’s deliberate act of forgiveness, which was heard by millions of people, inspired actor Tim Allen to forgive the drunk driver who killed his father in 1964.  Allen was just 11 when his dad died and he carried unforgiveness for six decades.  He wrote on X, “That moment (Erika Kirk’s forgiveness) deeply affected me.  I have struggled for over 60 years to forgive the man who killed my Dad.  I will say those words now as I type: ‘I forgive the man who killed my father.’”  Forgiveness has a ripple effect. ABCNews.go.com, 9/26/2025
 
GENEROSITY: In December of 2022, Nick Castro was called to a home in Santa Rosa, California.  The homeowner was concerned about worms coming out of the wall so he set up an appointment with Nick’s Extreme Pest Control.  Castro made a discovery that’s rather amazing to watch on YouTube.  He cut a hole in the wall and acorns started pouring out like a slot machine jackpot.  Two acorn woodpeckers had stashed about 700 pounds of acorns over a two-to-five-year period.  Castro estimated that the cache rose some twenty feet in the chimney and required 8 large garbage bags to haul away.  The exterminator joked on social media, “Bird was a bit of a hoarder.”  A response on Instagram stated, “Those woodpeckers are more prepared for retirement than I am.”  It’s a fun story about hoarding birds…but we should be more about giving. NPR.org, 2/8/2023
 
INFLUENCE: In 1982, China outlawed religious teaching to children under the age of 18.  In recent years it has increased that restriction and ramped up its punishment of those who violate this law.  Communist officials understand enormous power lies in how children are influenced so they control that process.  As Christians, we need to learn from China and seize the opportunity to influence children and youth toward Christ. Voice of the Martyrs, September 2022, p.9
 
LEGACY: Eleanor Roosevelt summarized our options for legacy like this: “Some people are going to leave a mark on this world, while others will leave a stain.” The Week, 1/6/2023, p.19
 
LORDSHIP: C.S. Lewis noted that nobody ever encountered Jesus and categorized Him as “a mere moral teacher.”  He wrote, “He did not produce that effect on any of the people who actually met Him.  He produced mainly three effects: Hatred, Terror or Adoration.  There was no trace of people expressing mild approval.”  Looking into the mirror of these words should compel us to ask if we’re giving Him mild approval or Lordship. The Joyful Christian, C.S. Lewis, 1977, p.74
 
PRAYER: Just two days after her husband was assassinated, Erika Kirk made her first public statement.  The transcript captures four words that she whispered before she read her formal remarks.  Under the strain of that moment in the throes of grief and shock, she took a deep breath and said, “Jesus, fill this room.”  That prayer is the very essence of prayer. Rev.com, 9/12/2025
 
SANCTIFICATION: Renee Zou works in corporate law and made this astute observation in an article about faithfulness.  She wrote, “Our walk with the Lord is very much like breathing.  We are sustained by a steady, long-term process, rather than short bursts of hyperventilation.”  It’s tempting to believe our greatest growth will come from quick gasp of accelerated activity or important events.  But sanctification occurs more like breathing. TheGospelCoalition.org, 5/21/19
 
SIN: One of sin’s great deceptions is the lie that it usually remains a secret (Numbers 32:23).  Tyler Robinson thought he’d never get caught for killing Charlie Kirk on September 10, 2025.  In a text released by prosecutors he stated, “To be honest I hoped to keep this secret till I died of old age.”  We may hope for secrecy but it seldom materializes. Wall Street Journal, 9/17/2025, p.A16
 
STRESS: The South China Morning Post reported on a new stress-reliever craze…pacifiers for adults.  They’re larger than infant models and come in a variety of colors.  One buyer commented, “It’s high quality, soft, and I feel comfortable sucking it.”  The binkies are marketed as a way to ease stress, improve sleep and stop smoking, and thus far sales are exceeding 2,000 pacifiers per month.  You’d think it’d be more stressful to acknowledge doing this. Examiner, 8/28/2025, p.21B
 
TEMPTATION: Strategies for reducing screen time have proliferated as people seek to disconnect from continuous distractions.  One plan calls for changing the display on your phone to grayscale.  An expert explained, “It makes a phone a little less attractive.  We’re conditioned to click these notifications, and when they’re black and white, they’re a bit less salient to us.”  The same could be done for all temptations – reduce their technicolor appeal. Time, 10/31/2022, p.18
 

EVERYDAY HUMOR

 
COMMUNICATION: A wife stormed into the room and shouted at her husband, “We need to talk so don’t interrupt me!” Beaumont Enterprise, 3/11/2025, p.SC4
 
DETAILS: A painting by Dutch artist Piet Mondrian was discovered to be hanging upside down for over 75 years at a German museum.  “New York City I” went on exhibit in 1945 and the error was caught in 2022…but experts decided to not correct the mistake. AARP, January 2023, p.50
 
FOCUS: As Cathy thought about the day ahead with her two young grandsons, she said, “The more I think about it, the more I think you both need to take showers this morning.”  Six-year-old Charlie replied, “Then please stop thinking about it.” Mature Living, March 2018, p.56
 
HEAVEN: A boy in Canada answered for many when he was asked in his confirmation if he wanted to go to heaven.  He replied, “Not yet.” Reader’s Digest, September 2021, p.111
 
SELF: A 10-year-old boy ran away from home in frustration, but returned by the end of the day.  His dad asked if he learned anything while being gone and the boy hung his head as he replied, “I learned that everywhere I go, I take me with me.” Help Is Here, Max Lucado, 2022, p.31
 
TOLERANCE: Ethel couldn’t find the type of card she needed so she asked the store clerk and he explained their new product line: “We now only carry generic greeting cards that say, ‘Wishing you an appropriate sentiment for your particular situation.’” Houston Chronicle, 6/21/25, p.A10

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