Brett Petrillo

Pulling on Both Oars

[157 words] An old Scotsman operated a small rowboat for transporting passengers. One day a passenger noticed that the old man had carved on one oar the word “Faith” and on the other oar the word “Works.” Curious, he asked the meaning. The old man replied, “I’ll show you.” He dropped the “faith” oar and…

16 Tips to Live Happily

[194 words] 1. Learn to laugh with others, and at yourself (Proverbs 17:22). 2. Spend time with older people; learn from their wisdom (Proverbs 19:20). 3. Enjoy the innocence and purity of children (Matthew 18:1–6). 4. Work with all your might (Ecclesiastes 9:10). 5. Live life like you will live forever, because you will (Ecclesiastes…

History Channel’s ‘What’s the Earth Worth?’

[269 words] This week the History Channel aired a special episode about the value of our planet. They examined aspects such as diamonds, gold, lumber, water, and nearly everything on earth and came up with a price tag. From their calculation, our earth is worth $6,873,951,620,979,800, or to put it in words, nearly seven quadrillion…

Handling the Pressure

[363 words] For ages, people have wondered what was on the ocean floor. On August 15, 1934, Otis Barton and William Beebe came closer than ever before. On that day, they descended to a depth of 3,028 feet into the dark ocean, a record that remained unbroken for 15 years. The way they achieved this…

Saved By The Book

[344 words] Rick Waggoner began driving his morning bus route just as he had for the last ten years. He was forced to pull over when his bus broke down. Three young men approached the bus and savagely proceeded to shoot Rick twice in the chest, once in the hip, and also stabbed him in…

The Frayed Rope

[228 words] A tourist wanted to visit a beautiful monastery. The problem was, it was located 3,000 feet up a cliff. The only way to reach it was by a terrifying ride in a basket with several men pulling it up with a single rope. Reluctantly, the tourist and a monk climbed into the basket.…

The Wolf Of Wall Street

[344 words] On December 25, 2013, The Wolf of Wall Street hit the big screens. As soon as it came out it set a record. This movie sets the mark for the most uses of the “f-word” ever in a U.S. feature film (USA Today). This movie uses this word a sickening 506 times! Seeing…

When 900 Million People Are Watching

[307 words] Ninety-percent of all people deal with some level of stage fright. How do you feel when all eyes are on you? Do your palms get cold and clammy? Do you become nervous and anxious? Do you blush, tremble, shake, or feel nauseated? There is at least one stage where the vast majority of…

Emergency Contact Numbers

[269 words] If any of the following situations are happening in your life, please dial the appropriate numbers: If you are unsure that God loves you, dial John 3:16. If you need faith, dial Hebrews 11. If you need comfort, dial 2 Corinthians 1:3-7. If you are worried, dial Matthew 6:25-34. If you feel depressed,…

Finding Something To Be Thankful For

[191 words] A minister was known for always thanking God in his public prayers. One Sunday morning was particularly terrible and gloomy. A church member thought to himself, “Certainly the preacher won’t thank God for such a terrible day.” When the preacher got up and began to pray, he said, “We thank Thee, O God,…

Choose A Chair

  [316 words] The world famous tenor, Luciano Pavarotti, related a story about his upbringing and success. “When I was a boy, my father, a baker, introduced me to the wonders of song. He urged me to work very hard to develop my voice. Arrigo Pola, a professional tenor in my hometown of Modena, Italy,…

A Lesson on Morals from a Corn Field

[293 words] An ambitious farmer, unhappy about the yield of his crops, heard of a highly recommended new seed corn. He bought some and produced a crop that was so abundant his astonished neighbors asked him to sell them a portion of the new seed. But the farmer, afraid that he would lose a profitable…

Habits Are First Cobwebs, Then Cables

[249 words] There is an old saying, “Habits are first cobwebs, then cables.” We have all experienced how true this proverb is. Some habits are ridiculously tough to form and others nearly impossible to break. If we continue building our habits, they can turn to addictions. This can either be wonderful or terrible. In 1…

Christians Who Are Afraid Of Heights

If you’ve been to the Grand Canyon, you might have had that certain itching feeling, the crazy urge to walk right up to the edge of the cliff. For those of us who aren’t afraid of heights, there is something extremely invigorating about walking up to the edge. It’s almost as if we get to…

The Man Who Hasn’t Showered in Twelve Years

  [395 words] One man is trying to change everything we think about being clean, and he’s doing it by going a really, really long time without showering or bathing. The last time chemical engineer David Whitlock showered was 2003, a meager 12 years ago! His goal is to prove that a person can remain…

The Speeding Ticket

Recently, a man in Florida went to great lengths to get out of a simple speeding ticket. When the police officer who pulled him over was out of earshot, the man dialed 911. He told dispatchers that a murder was about to take place. He passionately described how a person was holding a gun and…

The Warning Sign

[349 words] Argentinean race driver Juan Manuel Fangio was only a lap through the 1950 Monaco Grand Prix. As he approached a dangerous bend for the second time, Fangio noticed that something was wrong. The faces of the spectators, which he usually saw as a whitish blur as he drove by, were all turned and…

The Missing Sponge

A surgeon was very selective with the people he wanted to work with. It was the first day on the job for a young nurse and the surgeon decided to issue a test. As the young nurse assisted the surgeon during a procedure, she noticed a problem. “You’ve only removed eleven sponges, doctor,” she said…