Peter, James, James the Great and Bartholomew

Peter was crucified upside down on an x-shaped cross. According to tradition it was because he told his tormentors that he felt unworthy to die in the same way that Jesus Christ had died.

James, the leader of the church in Jerusalem, was thrown over a hundred feet down from the southeast pinnacle of the Temple when he refused to deny his faith in Christ. When they discovered that he survived the fall, his enemies beat James to death with a fuller's club.

James the Great, son of Zebedee, was a fisherman by trade when Jesus called him to a lifetime of ministry. As a strong leader of the church, James was ultimately beheaded at Jerusalem. The Roman officer who guarded James watched amazed as James defended his faith at his trial. Later, the officer walked beside James to the place of execution. Overcome by conviction, he declared his new faith to the judge and knelt beside James to accept beheading as a Christian.

Bartholomew, also known as Nathaniel, was a missionary to Asia. He witnessed for our Lord in present day Turkey. Bartholomew was martyred for his preaching in Armenia where he was flayed to death by a whip.

Matthew, Mark, Luke and John

Matthew, the Apostle, suffered martyrdom in Ethiopia, killed by a sword wound.

Mark died in Alexandria, Egypt, after being dragged by horses through the streets until he was dead.

Luke was hanged in Greece as a result of his tremendous preaching to the lost.

John faced martyrdom when he was boiled in a huge basin of oil during a wave of persecution in Rome. However, he was miraculously delivered from death. He was then sentenced to the mines on the prison island of Patmos. He was later freed and returned to serve as Bishop of Edessa in modern Turkey. He died as an old man, the only Apostle to die peacefully

8 Lessons from the World's Happiest Couples #1 from Readers Digest, May, 2013:

74% of the happiest pairs give or receive back rubs

Mortality

"The purpose of mortality is to teach you, not to suffer and die, but to enjoy yourself and live." Ayn Rand quoted in the Dickinson, ND Press.

Church Squirrels

There were five houses of religion in a small town:

1. The Presbyterian Church
2. The Baptist Church
3. The Methodist Church
4. The Catholic Church
5. The Jewish Synagogue

Each building was overrun with pesky squirrels.

One day, the Presbyterian Church called a meeting to decide what to do about the squirrels. After much prayer and consideration they determined that the squirrels were predestined to be there and they shouldn't interfere with God's divine will.

In the Baptist Church the squirrels had taken up habitation in the baptistery. The deacons met and decided to put a cover on the baptistery and drown the squirrels in it. The squirrels escaped somehow and there were twice as many there the next week.

The Methodist Church got together and decided that they were not in a position to harm any of God's creation. So, they humanely trapped the squirrels and set them free a few miles outside of town. Three days later, the squirrels were back.

The Catholic Church came up with the best and most effective solution. They baptized the squirrels and registered them as members of the church. Now they only see them on Christmas, Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday and Easter.

Not much was heard about the Jewish Synagogue, but they took one squirrel and had a short service with him called circumcision and they haven't seen a squirrel on the property since.

Be truthful with yourself

"The only lies for which we are truly punished are those we tell ourselves." V. S. Naipaul, quoted in the Wall Street Journal

Live life - don't waste it

"Too often man handles life as he does the bad weather. He whiles away the time as he waits for it to stop." Austrian journalist Alfred Polgar, quoted in the Fort Wayne, Indiana News-Sentinel