In an airport gift shop in Tasmania, customers got a real surprise as they were looking at shelves of stuffed animals. One lady claimed that she saw some huge brown eyes moving on one of the creatures. It was real. It was a live possum hiding amongst the kangaroos and Tasmanian devils. The airport retail manager, Liam Bloomfield, gave the explanation that probably, “The possum saw all the stuffed animals and wanted to blend in.” I don’t know how that possum got into the airport terminal, but he got caught. He was removed unharmed. If you try to just blend in or hide some place you shouldn’t be, you will probably get caught. Be active in doing what God called you to do where God placed you. That’s the right place.

It’s good to allow students to have creative experiments, but be sure that the ingredients of the experiment are properly disposed. A school in Waldoboro, Maine allowed such a student experiment to allow dirt to be baked to measure post-incineration plant growth. I’m not sure how the experiment turned out but somehow the baked dirt reappeared at a community supper and served as a dessert. The high school quickly distanced itself from the incident trying to say that it was a total accident and certainly was not done as a prank. I’m glad I didn’t try that dessert. Words and actions can accidentally go to the wrong places—don’t have any words or actions that you would be ashamed if they accidentally reappear.

A Texas man drove his Tesla Cybertruck into a lake to see if it would really float. He wanted to test it. He abandoned the half-submerged vehicle and was charged by the local police. The charges included boating without a license. The police said that it was foolish to test such an advertising principle and “we wouldn’t encourage willingly driving your vehicle into the water.” Some things need to be tested, and others don’t need to be tested. Wise people can discern between the differences. Please don’t decide to test whether or not there is a judgment when your life is over. I guarantee you that what the Bible teaches will be true. The Bible has passed that test! I hope you pass it too.

Your reputation is a reflection of your character. Most people want a good reputation but it’s not something you can buy—it’s something you have to work at every day of your life. It’s not something you build quickly—it’s done little by little. Every time you do something good or positive, it goes into your positive reputation account. It may take years to build that account. The tragedy is that ruining your reputation can be done in just a moment. You can do something wrong that will cause you to spend everything out of the account of all the good things that you have done. Build a strong reputation—one that you would be proud to be remembered by. The more you put into your positive accounts, the better your reputation will be. Don’t get tempted by something that would cause you to ruin it.

Recently, Chef Mirko Ricci wanted to break the Guinness World Record for the longest tiramisu cake. He held the record until 2019 when he lost it. He has engaged over 100 chefs in London to help him break the new record. He needed 150,000 ladyfinger biscuits and 20,000 eggs in order to make the record-breaking cake. It was 1,445 feet long. They did it. They topped the tiramisu cake with a golden crown and a message from King Charles III saying, “Grazie Your Majesty.” I wonder who is going to eat all that. A goal is important, but I would prefer to see people reach a goal that is going to make a difference in helping other people. What are you doing to reach such a goal today?

Luis Salazar went into the men’s restroom at the Wawa service station in Riviera Beach, Florida. He found a black fanny pack on the handicap bar in the bathroom. He opened it and it had $30,023 in it. He ran to the convenient store parking lot and didn’t see anybody who looked like the man who came out of the restroom. Luis went to the police and told them about it. A few days later, the man who owned the fanny pack went to the police to see if they had found anything. They gave him Luis’s name. Luis was happy to give the cash back. He said, “It’s not mine to keep.” He could have kept the cash and probably nobody would have known except him and God—but he did the right thing. Honest people are honest in all situations.

What is really cool and what is not. Recently, a YouGov survey took several items to see which were the most cool. While most folks think it’s cool to use cannabis, the survey rated weed fourth to last on a 36-item coolness scale. Cannabis actually rated less cool than sour dough bread, math, and even country music. Interestingly enough, it did rate above sports betting. The lowest rating went to cryptocurrency. I’m not sure how accurate the survey was—but what do you think is most cool about life—your answer will help define and develop your value system. Does your rating match up with truth as we understand truth from a Biblical perspective? How cool is your life?

Be sure that your sins will find you out. Ask Isaac Valencia, a 29-year-old who was trying to rob a California coffee shop when he fell through the roof. He began crying for help but to no avail at first. Finally, some people in the coffee shop called the police and they knocked on the wall and heard the faint voice. They then started to tear into the cinder-block wall and were able to free Isaac who had been trapped for ten hours. He was glad to get out of that situation. When you do something wrong, you will eventually be found out. First, don’t put yourself in the situation of doing something wrong, and secondly, pray that somebody will hear you when you cry for help. Are you willing to listen closely to people in need?