The Pastor's Perspective

My Great Grandpa Roy Stonewall Johnson with his perpetual motion machine      My great-grandfather, Roy Stonewall Johnson, a man of many talents— served in both the Army and the Navy, and a serious tinkerer. He had a dream, a wild one at that: to build a perpetual motion machine. You know, the kind that runs forever without needing any extra juice. A machine that could power your car without gas, light your home without bills. Sounds like a sci-fi dream, right?      Humans have been chasing this dream since the Middle Ages. So my great-grandfather was not alone in his desire to make such a machine. Imagine, a device that defies the need for external energy! The possibilities are mind-boggling. But, as my great-grandfather likely discovered, there's a tiny, or rather, a huge problem: the laws of thermodynamics.      Those pesky laws, the first and second, tell us that in a closed system, energy inevitably dissipates. Kinetic energy, the energy...

    A few American tourist were visiting Portugal and they went to a monastery that they were told they should check out. This monastery was unique in that it was on top of a 3,000 foot cliff and only accessible by a basket.      The basket was large enough for a few people get in it to ride to the top. The basket was pulled up with a single rope and with several strong men.     So to say that this left these Americans with a few concerns would be an understatement. Though they had some concerns and a couple of questions. These brave tourists hopped in the basket. They had seen many others ascend and descend this cliff without incident. So this added to there confidence and courage.       Well about half way up the cliff the American noticed that the single rope that was raising the basket looked to him to be a little frayed. This mad the man a little nervous as anyone would be.      So looking to relieve his fears an...