James Rush Manley – Writer

We know the secret to success: pick up good pieces, assemble correctly, and point in the desired direction. Every action results in something. Choose the right effort; reap a good reward. Archimedes taught us that, given a big enough lever and a place to stand, we could even move the Earth. The proper combination of cause and effect works for everything—Legos®, houses, quilts, money, and life. But secret knowledge addicts us to success. We demand it as our right and then rage at God’s injustice when we fail. We manipulate universal building blocks but forget that batteries do not power creation while God sits back, watching it scoot about heaven’s floor. read more ...

Two pursuits require constant practice, three never rest: Flying airplanes in the bush, playing musical instruments for an audience, and walking with God.

Remembering that final airspeed varies between 55 and 60 knots, depending upon gross aircraft weight, is not the same thing as recognizing the edge of ‘the settle’ while playing the throttle on a bumpy approach. Reaction trails need, and wheels touch only in the general vicinity of the target spot. Amateur hides professional.

Remembering Beethoven’s “Fur Elise” is not the same thing as producing a smooth parade of notes up and down the keyboard. Nervous fingers hesitate, forgetting their path. They arrive only more or less on time. Parody eclipses masterpiece. read more ...

He shook a finger straight at the pocked face across from him and said, “Look at you, the big man! You’re bankrupt. You lost your family. You’re covered with scabby pus. You’re a mess! And why? Everyone knows that God works according to one simple rule—do right things, receive good; do wrong things, receive bad. Yet you keep moaning that it’s not fair. Give it up already! It’s plain to everyone but you. If you mess up, you pay the price.” He paused, overwhelmed again by his friend’s grief. “Look,” he said softly, “confess whatever it is you did, and God will forgive you. You don’t have to stay like this, Job.” read more ...