The Falcon and His Catch
The greedy will be overtaken by their greed. The Falcon and… A falcon circled the cloudless sky. Far below a mouse sat in a meadow, nibbling on seeds. The falcon circled lower. The mouse nibbled. The falcon hovered. And in a blur of feathers, the falcon streaked to the earth. He spread his wings and thrust his feet to pierce sharp talons into the unsuspecting mouse. The mouse gaped at the belly and great flapping wings of its captor. “P-P-Please, falcon,” the mouse squeaked. “L-L-Let me go and I will find you all the seeds you’ll ever need.” “I…
The Eagle and the Sun
The Eagle and the Sun Our striving and God’s grace. The golden eagle circled the sky above the treetops and along a mountainside. Fog drifted lazily down the valley below him, obscuring any small, four legged meals that might be his. But his eyes were not fixed below him. He was looking up, and all he could see was a great, thick mass of clouds that blocked the sun. He had to see the sun. Climbing higher, he flew into a tuft of cloud, then a wisp and another tuft. But above him hung a gray mass. He caught…
Syrup
Recognizing the demonic and the self-centeredness of addictions. Syrup “Get yer Zinger syrup here!” the squealing voice cried. “A special syrup for every need!” Crowds of shoppers gathered around the vendor’s trolley on the street corner to inspect the promising miracle syrup. Some “ooohed” and others grimaced at the high priced bottles. The sharp-nosed, black-capped vendor hustled from one customer to the next, stooping under the trolley then back up again, always with just the right bottle for each desire. Some shoppers crinkled their noses and turned away. Others lingered, glancing furtively over their shoulders, and eventually bought. A…
Sir John Uptown
Pride and being humbled. Sir John Uptown Sir John Upton was an esquire, though the title was unearned. He wasn’t English and he had no hope to be a knight or nobleman. But he felt worthy of the titles “Sir” and “Esquire,” and he added them to his name whenever he wrote it. He practiced—or rather, ruled—law from the Trinitarian pinnacle of the firm, Esquire, Esquire, and Esquire. The name gave proud recognition to his father, himself, and his son, who was actually still in middle school. Sir John—or if you were not well acquainted, it was, “Sir John…
Praying for Rain
We may pray for something but not be happy when we get an answer. Praying for Rain The sky stretched a deep blue from horizon to horizon. Not a cloud. Just blue sky and the sun. Farm fields don’t do well with only sun. The fields of the Smiths, the Joneses, the Andersons, and the McCoys got more dried, cracked, and dusty every day. One night they all got together. “You know,” Smith said in his oversized bib overalls, “we’re goin’ to lose all our crops.” “We gotta do somethin’,” McCoy muttered, his round face contorting behind a handlebar…
