Change

“When the shopping cart was first introduced in 1937, shoppers absolutely hated it. Men thought pushing a cart made them look weak. Women were put off by how much it resembled a baby carriage. It was one of the most practical inventions of the 20th century, yet it nearly flopped due to social norms and pride.

“But one man’s determination and clever marketing completely changed how the world shops. That man was Sylvan Goldman, owner of the Humpty Dumpty supermarket chain in Oklahoma. He noticed that shoppers with hand-held baskets would stop shopping once their arms got tired. To keep people buying more, he came up with a simple but revolutionary idea: a metal frame on wheels that held two wire baskets, which he called the "Basket Carriage for Self-Service Stores." It was the birth of the modern shopping cart.

“Still, customers were resistant. Men didn’t want to be seen using them, and women felt the design was too similar to a pram. Instead of giving up, Goldman went bold. He hired male and female models to stroll through his stores, confidently using the carts and making it look fashionable. He even trained store greeters to offer carts with a smile and explain how they worked. Slowly but surely, the stigma faded.

“The result? The shopping cart caught on like wildfire. Shoppers could now buy more without fatigue, and supermarkets saw a boost in sales. Goldman became a multimillionaire and changed the retail experience forever. Today, it's hard to picture a grocery store without rows of metal carts lined up at the entrance.”*

Change can be difficult for everyone. That attitude can be helpful when it keeps us from making changes that are detrimental to us. But some changes are good, even necessary. In such cases, we need to fight the urge to dig in and refuse to even consider the possible benefits. Just because we have always done something a certain way doesn’t make it the only way. If you are God’s child, He is trying to change you. Learn to work with Him on it.

God loves you!

Mike

*https://www.facebook.com/historicalfactsss

Bleed Holes

“If you’ve ever been sat on a mind-numbingly long flight, and you were fortunate enough not to get the middle seat, you’ve perhaps wondered why the airplane window has a tiny, mysterious hole near the base. It’s known as a breather hole or bleed hole – and it's there for a very good reason. When a plane cruises at 10,600 meters (35,000 feet) above Earth's surface, outside air pressure drops to about 1.5 kilograms (3.3 pounds) per square inch, far too low for a human to remain conscious. To keep passengers safe and not unconscious, the cabin is artificially maintained at around 3.6 kilograms (8 pounds) per square inch. This creates a physical strain.  To deal with the problem of pressure, windows on most commercial planes are constructed with three layers of strong, thick, synthetic resin. Only the outer and middle panes are truly structural, designed to withstand extreme temperature changes and the large pressure difference between the cabin and the outside world…This is where the bleed hole comes in. Typically found on the middle pane, its job is to allow cabin air to flow into the small gap between the middle and outer layers. This ensures the cabin pressure is primarily placed on the outer pane, which is designed to be the strongest. If the outer pane were ever to fail — which is an extremely rare occurrence — the middle pane is still sturdy enough to take over the job of bearing the pressure.”*

I hope we have some “bleed holes” in our own lives. The physical and emotional struggles of life can create times when pressures build and strain occurs. “Bleed holes” could be a hobby we enjoy, a friend that encourages us, time away from regular routines, prayer and worship, etc.. They can be anything that helps us deal with the pressures of life. Ignoring the strain can cause us to say and do things harmful to ourselves and others. It's important to find a way to deal with the stresses that will come.

God loves you!

Mike

*https://www.iflscience.com/why-is-there-a-tiny-hole-in-airplane-windows-82433

Watch Out For The Kangaroos!

Australia's Jay Vine was knocked down by a kangaroo on the final stage Sunday but recovered to win the Tour Down Under cycle race, the first event of the 2026 World Tour. Vine was knocked from his bike when two large kangaroos bounced onto the road on a high-speed section with about 96 kilometers (61 miles) left in the undulating 169.8 kilometer (105 mile) stage through the hills around Adelaide. Video of the incident posted by SBS Sport showed Vine and other cyclists on the ground as the kangaroo hops across the road, trying to avoid a throng of competitors. One social media commenter called it "the most Australian crash I've ever seen." Three riders — Menno Huising, Lucas Stevenson and Alberto Dainese — were forced to quit the race and the kangaroo also was injured…"Everyone asks me what's the most dangerous thing in Australia and I always tell them it's kangaroos," said Vine, who won his home race for the second time in three years. "They wait and they hide in the bushes until you can't stop and they jump out in front of you. Point proven today.*

This story sounds an awful lot like human experience in general, doesn’t it? We are engaged in the race of life, minding our own business, when…BOOM! Seemingly out of nowhere, a “kangaroo” jumps into our path and, the next thing we know, we are surveying the wreckage and checking out our scrapes and bruises. Of course the “kangaroos” of which we speak are not actual animals but the struggles we face. Things like the death of a loved one, a financial setback, a divorce, the betrayal of a friend, etc.. Not things you plan for but can happen. What can we do? We “...run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus…” (Hebrews 12:1-2).  We get back in the race. We may have a limp for a while but we press on toward the prize (Philippians 3:14).

God loves you!

Mike

*https://www.cbsnews.com/news/cyclist-jay-vine-hits-kangaroo-win-tour-down-under/

What About The Ten Commandments?

Are what we refer to as the Ten Commandments binding upon Christians today? The short answer is “No.” Those commandments, found in Exodus 20:1-17, were given by God to be sure. But they were part of a covenant God made with the Israelites at Mt. Sinai, referred to biblically as the “Old Covenant” or the “Law of Moses.” But that Old Covenant was becoming obsolete and ready to disappear by the time of the first century (Hebrews 8:13). The New Covenant of Christ was to replace it. The Son of God fulfilled God’s purposes for the Old Covenant (Matthew 5:17). That is why Paul could say that “...Christ is the end (goal, completion) of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes” (Romans 10:4). That is why Paul could say that “...the Law has become our tutor (guardian) to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor” (Galatians 3:24-25). Christ provided a way for peace between Jew and Gentile “...by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace…” (Ephesians 2:15). Believers today are not under the “Law of Moses.” We are under the “Law of Christ” (1 Corinthians 9:21; Galatians 6:2).

So, if we are not bound by the Ten Commandments, are we free then to worship other gods, murder, commit adultery, steal, lie, and so on? No. With the exception of the command to keep the Sabbath, the moral principles behind the rest of the Ten Commandments are included in the instructions given under the New Covenant. Can we learn from how God dealt with His people under the Old Covenant? Of course (Roman 15:4; 1 Corinthians 10:11; 2 Timothy 3:16-17). But we have a “...better mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises” (Hebrews 8:6).

God loves you!

Mike