Welcome to the Blog page! I will use this page to share brief messages, which I hope will be informative, inspirational, and challenging. I will post several messages a month on this page. I also will share some experiences in my ministry opportunities. I would invite any responses to the things posted here. That response could be sent by e-mail at johned@johnedmathison.org. For more information about John Ed Mathison Leadership Ministries, visit our website at www.johnedmathison.org.
An interesting phenomena is occurring in the United States. We are getting smarter, but at the same time we are declining in creative thinking. IQ (intelligence quotient) test scores in the U.S. have increased by an average of three points per decade during the 20th century. The current generation should have IQ’s of more than [...]
I recently visited two different institutions where people live. One was a prison and the other was a monastery. I was visiting the prison as a part of a prison ministry. I greatly admire people who are constantly reaching out to those who are behind bars. I also visited a monastery. That is a place [...]
Thanksgiving is a time for genuine reflection and thankful expression for the many good gifts that God has given to us. It is time to count our blessings. David said, “I will praise God’s name with singing, and I will honor Him with thanksgiving. For this will please the Lord.” Psalms 69:30,31 NLT I heard [...]
I remember watching the NBA All Star game in 1979. As the teams were going through their pre-game warm up, the commentator mentioned one player that he didn’t recognize. He began to attract attention. The player was actually taking some practice shots with the All Star team. Upon closer scrutiny it was discovered that the [...]
The 2011 World Series was tied 2-2 between the St. Louis Cardinals and Texas Rangers. In that pivotal game, the score was tied 2-2. It was a critical time for each team. At this point a bazaar thing happened. Tommy La Russa, manager for the St. Louis Cardinals, phoned the bullpen to have the right [...]
He may have had a part in saving your life – or the life of one of your family members. Or he is playing a part in possibly saving your life in the future. His name is George Kirchoff. I met him when I was preaching at the Fairhope United Methodist Church. He helped develop [...]
John records an interesting incident in the life of Jesus. It reflects two vastly different attitudes and viewpoints on life. Jesus is speaking to a huge crowd and the people have had nothing to eat. He presents the food issue to Philip. Philip’s response is, “Eight months’ salary would not buy enough bread for each [...]
What is the driving force in your life? Landry Jones, quarterback for the No. 1 Oklahoma Sooners, was asked that question. His answer was quick, “faith and football.” Since Landry Jones stepped into the picture as quarterback when Sam Bradford was injured, he has started 27 games, won 22, including two bowls, and he has [...]
During the summer everyone wondered if there would be a professional football season. We had strikes, lockouts, endless negotiations, etc. It seemed that the NFL players and the owners could never get together on a solution. The whole season was threatened. A similar situation exists right now with the NBA. I have heard many people [...]
Every day we make choices concerning what is valuable to us. While we sometimes would like to have different values, what we choose really indicates what our values are. The big question is “Are my values really the real value?” A couple of months ago a 17-year-old Chinese teenager, known as Little Zheng, had a [...]