Rashness

Stradivarius musical instruments are renowned worldwide as some of the greatest ever shaped by the hand of man. Of the roughly 1,000 violins, cellos, guitars, and others that Antonio Stradivari created in the late 17th and early 18th centuries, only 650 exist today and are only played by world-class musicians.

So, you’d think people might be careful with them.

According to an official at Spain’s Royal Palace in Madrid, a Stradivarius cello worth more than $20 million has been damaged. The Spanish newspaper El Mundo explained that the prized cello broke after falling off a table during a photo shoot.

No details were released as to how the cello fell off the table, in what manner it was damaged or the identity of the butterfingers who dropped it. But according to the report, a piece that joins the neck to cello’s body broke and fell off. According to the Daily Mail, the palace official said the broken piece was a replacement installed in the 19th century and will be repaired.

Possible Preaching Angle:

You'd think that when you're dealing with something that valuable, you'd treat it according to its incredible worth. But unfortunately, this is how some spouses treat each other. One command in Scripture says, “Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers” (1 Pet. 3:7).

Michael Meyden, a 57-year-old father was sentenced to two years in prison for spiking fruit smoothies with a prescription sedative during a sleepover, in an attempt to make his daughter and her three friends go to bed. After Meyden dosed the girls, two of them blacked out, leading the third girl to text her mother in a panic, leading to the discovery of the incident. The girls were taken to Randall Children’s Hospital where they tested positive for benzodiazepine. Meyden pleaded guilty to three counts of causing another person to ingest a controlled substance, a felony.

The three 12-year-old victims and their mothers spoke in court, expressing their deep sense of betrayal and lasting harm.

One girl said, “Adults are not people I can simply trust anymore. They are people who scare me and make me think twice: What if they were to hurt me the same way as Mr. Meyden?”

Another girl, whose best friend is Meyden’s daughter, tearfully stated, “I trusted him because he was my best friend’s dad. He abused that trust.”

The third girl directly addressed Meyden, saying, “I am disgusted by the look of your face and your actions and all that you have done. You are horrible and I will always hate you for what you have done.”

“You played Russian roulette with my child’s life,” one mother told Meyden. She detailed how her daughter, “barely five feet tall and on a good day 70 pounds soaking wet,” had dangerously high levels of the drug in her system.

Another mother condemned Meyden’s behavior, stating, “No decent parent feels the need to drug their own child and her friends. No decent parent puts their hands on drugged and unconscious young girls without nefarious intent.”

Meyden explained he had spiked the smoothies because he wanted the girls to sleep so he could rest, but admitted he was overly fixated on getting them to bed. “My whole life is destroyed,” he lamented. Judge Ann Lininger acknowledged his remorse but emphasized the severe impact of his actions, telling him he had “created some tremendous wreckage through your decisions.” She praised the victims for their bravery and pursuit of justice, describing them as “strong, articulate young women who experienced an unfathomable injustice.”

Possible Preaching Angle:

This is an example of how extreme selfishness can lead to behavior that harms others resulting in a dramatic betrayal of trust that children place in those in authority over them such as parents, teachers, or church leaders.

A shocking video captured the moment a fisherman was bitten by a shark that pulled him overboard into the murky waters of Florida’s Everglades—seconds after he shrugged off his friend’s warning.

The frightening ordeal unfolded after the man leaned over the boat to rinse his hands in the water as his pal cautioned him of the dangers. “I wouldn’t put your hands in there,” a person off-camera says.

“Ah, two seconds won’t do anything,” the man replies as he bends over the side of the boat and dips his right hand into the water. Almost instantly, a shark chomps onto the fisherman’s right hand and drags him head-first into the water as he screamed. The shark releases its grip and the man tried to grab onto the boat with his injured hand, leaving a bloody handprint behind.

“Get him! Get him!” the friend screams in a panic. The man was able to get himself back onto the boat with the help of his friends.

His friend, Michael Russo who caught the attack on camera, said the group sped back to the dock and park rangers came to the victim’s aid. “He was airlifted to the hospital and is in the best care possible.”

Russo shared the video as a warning to others. He said, “Today was one of the scariest days on the water I have ever had. After releasing a fish, Nick washed his hands in the water and was immediately bit by a large shark. The sharks are no joke in the Everglades and the warnings about keeping your hands out of the water are not an exaggeration. Please take this as a lesson and keep your hands out of the water because this could have been prevented.”

You can view the terrifying video here.

Possible Preaching Angle:

Many people also ignore the Bible’s warnings about Satan, who “prowls around seeking someone to devour” (1 Pet. 5:7). “Ah, just a moment of yielding to temptation won’t do anything! I’ll be fine.” Sadly, some never escape his clutches.

Judge Michelini said to the defendant, “You just don’t get it. It’s obvious to me that you feel justified. You don’t take any responsibility for the outcome of your actions.”

After those words, Michelini issued a sentence of 25 years to life in prison. The defendant, Kevin Monahan, had been convicted of second-degree murder for his involvement in the killing of 20-year-old Kaylin Gillis. Gillis was a passenger in a car that accidentally turned into Monahan’s driveway while attempting to find a friend’s house nearby. In response Monahan shot at the car, fatally injuring Gillis.

Monahan had taken the stand in his own defense, attempting to testify that what happened was an accident. But the judge was unconvinced, not only by the substance of Monahan’s words, but his demeanor during his testimony. The judge said to Monahan:

The first thing you do on the witness stand is you made a joke to the jury about them finally being able to see your face. You senselessly took the life of Kaylin Gillis and you have the gall to sit here and talk about how you plan to finish up the work on your house and race motocross in the future. You don’t deserve that. What would make you think that you deserve those things?

After Monahan’s conviction, the defense asked for leniency in sentencing. But Michelini wasn’t having it:

Any remorse you have isn’t for the harm you’ve caused. The only regret you have is that you’re finally facing the consequences for your actions. You murdered Kaylin Gillis. You shot at a car full of people and you didn’t care what would happen and you repeatedly lied about it. You deserve to spend the maximum time in prison allowable under our law, and I don’t make this decision because it’s easy. I make it because it’s what’s deserved. I make it because it’s what’s just.

At the time of the killing, Gillis’ family made a statement, praising her as a “kind, beautiful soul and a ray of light to anyone who was lucky enough to know her.”

It’s so hard to be comfortable during commercial air flight, that many TikTok influencers have begun advocating for an unorthodox seating position. Catering to the more flexible among us, these influencers are taking videos with their knees at their chest, perching their feet at the edge of their seat, and securing their seat belt around their ankles

But experts call it risky and unsafe, primarily for one simple reason. Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants, said “The seat belt is designed to sit low and tight across your lap. This is not only for your safety; if you are not properly buckled in you will likely hurt someone else when thrown in turbulence.”

Delta Airlines spokesman Drake Castañeda said, “Buckling your seat belt is chief among the ways to stay safe on an airplane. Especially as you see all these stories in the news and on social media of severe turbulence.” Castañeda says this is why flight attendants explain the federal laws that apply to each and every flight before takeoff.

Flight attendant Sabrina Schaller said, “I’ve heard many, many stories where flight attendants have told me they’ve had an unexpected hit-the-ceiling-type situation. So always wear the seat belt. Always, always, always, just to be safe.”

A Sydney police officer was recently sentenced to a two-year good behavior bond and a conviction stemming from an incident where he threatened to shoot someone. (A good behavior bond requires the offender to show good behavior for a set period under a probation officer’s supervision along with counseling.)

In this case, Constable Dominic Gaynor was sentenced for his threats to another officer while working behind the counter at the police station in Sydney’s central business district. According to court documents, officer Morgan Royston was working with Gaynor, and had just seen the Tom Cruise blockbuster film Top Gun: Maverick. In casual conversation, Royston said to Gaynor, “I’ll spoil it for you.”

Gaynor responded by telling Royston not to spoil the film, and according to witnesses, threatened to shoot Royston on the spot. According to the court document, “He pointed his firearm at the vicinity of the complainant and held it stationary for five seconds. The offender's finger was on the receiver and not the trigger. The offender was laughing throughout this incident.”

Gaynor was eventually suspended without pay, and as part of the good behavior bond, was required to perform 100 hours of community service. During sentencing, Magistrate Maher noted the “power imbalance” between the defendant and his more junior colleague, saying that a police officer was entitled to carry a firearm but that doing so was “a great responsibility.”

Possible Preaching Angle:

Working in service of others requires us to always be in control of our behavior. We must allow common sense to avoid dangerous and foolish actions.

Three members of a local family set off on a long-term camping adventure, intent on living off the grid. Their endeavor took a fatal turn when their three decomposed bodies were discovered recently at a remote campsite.

Gunnison County Coroner Michael Barnes identified the deceased as Rebecca Vance, 42; her 14-year-old son whose name is undisclosed for privacy reasons, and Christine Vance, 41, all from Colorado Springs. Trevala Jara, a Vance stepsister, revealed they didn't disclose their destination before embarking on the journey. The family likely began camping in July 2022, and eventually succumbed to the elements during the harsh winter months.

Friends and family say that Rebecca Vance was motivated by an intense dissatisfaction with the direction of ongoing world and local events—including fallout from the pandemic—and sought an isolated life to shield her family from external influences. The Vances remained committed to their off-grid choice, despite attempts to dissuade them. “We tried to stop them,” said Jara. “But they wouldn’t listen.”

The Vances attempted to subsist on canned food and prepackaged items. After the bodies were discovered, exact causes of death were uncertain, but malnutrition and exposure in the high-altitude winter remain undeniable factors. Gunnison County Sheriff Adam Murdie highlighted the unusual nature of the incident. “This is not a typical occurrence anywhere, by any means,” said Murdie.

Living off the grid, a pursuit of self-sufficiency without public utilities, has gained attention, though experts suggest that for people it's not economically practical. This tragedy underscores the challenges of disconnecting from society, emphasizing the need for balance between safety, security, and self-sufficiency.

Possible Preaching Angle:

As followers of Christ, we are called to be a united family, supporting, and uplifting one another. Let us not retreat into isolation, but rather open our hearts to the blessings of fellowship and community.

For most people, a drive home from a day out is rather uneventful, but most people are not Christopher Young. Young was spotted by Portland police officers driving a gray Audi without a license plate, and one of them thought the Oregon DMV Trip Permit in the window looked a little fishy. After running the number and determining it was fake, officers followed Young in traffic, and eventually decided to pull him over. This prompted Young to flee. Police then began a high-speed pursuit in which Young “drove into oncoming traffic, ran multiple red lights, nearly collided with multiple motorists and at one point drove onto a sidewalk,” according to court documents.

Police eventually apprehended Young at his home. Upon securing a warrant for the property, they discovered the VIN on the Audi had been painted over, there were several other stolen cars on the property, and that Young was in possession of firearms, at least one fake ID, and tools associated with car theft.

Young currently faces 51 counts of criminal charges, including identity theft, forgery, possession of a stolen vehicle, and reckless driving.

Possible Preaching Angle:

There's no way to outrun justice or the truth; God's desire for righteousness in the earth is so unrelenting there's no point for anyone trying to lie, cheat, or steal their way to prosperity. It won't work ultimately.

Eleven-year-old Aderrien Murry once held aspirations of becoming a police officer, but that changed after a recent encounter with law enforcement. Murry was with his mother Nakala late one night when a domestic disturbance broke out between her and the father of one of his siblings. Nakala asked him to call 911, and he did, asking for assistance from local police.

According to attorney Carlos Moore, representing the Murry family, the first officer on the scene was Greg Capers, who arrived with his firearm drawn. Even after Nakala told Capers that no one in the apartment was armed, she says Capers yelled out a command for anyone in the apartment to come out with their hands up. And while Aderrian was complying with the officer’s command and had his hands up, the officer shot him anyway. At a news conference, she remembered the boy’s immediate response: “Why did he shoot me? What did I do?”

A representative from the Indianola Police Department eventually confirmed Capers’ identity as the shooter, and referred to the incident as “extremely tragic on both sides.” Officials have since launched a probe into the shooting, although it’s not clear whether racial animus played a role in the shooting, since Capers, Nakala, and Aderrien Murry are all African American.

Still, the family and many members of the local community are shaken, despite the fact that Aderrien is expected to make a full recovery. Attorney Moore said, “There’s no justification for what this officer did. Aderrien came within an inch of losing his life over the officer’s reckless actions.”

Possible Preaching Angle:

In a climate of hopelessness and violence, even children can become targeted by careless officials. The way of Jesus is marked by making peace, taking care, and creating safety for everyone in the community, not just the rich or powerful.

The Federal Aviation Administration sent a letter to Trevor Jacob on April 11, 2023, informing him that his pilot’s certification was being revoked. The letter read, “On November 24, 2021, you demonstrated a lack of care, judgment, and responsibility by choosing to jump out of an aircraft solely so you could record the footage of the crash.”

Jacob had denied the accusation on numerous occasions, including in a statement to The New York Times, stating flatly, “I’ll happily say I did not purposely crash my plane for views on YouTube.” In May, however, as part of a guilty plea he admitted the truth that the crash intended to boost views for a sponsorship deal on his YouTube channel.

That lie was only the tip of Jacob’s iceberg of falsehoods related to the crash. He lied to FAA investigators by telling them he didn’t know the location of the plane’s remains, when he’d previously contracted a helicopter firm to airlift the wreckage to a nearby hangar for disposal. Jacob also lied when he told investigators the initial reason for the crash was that his plane lost all its power and he parachuted after not being able to find any safe landing options. In their letter, the FAA noted that Jacobs’ own footage showed that he’d failed to take all the necessary steps to attempt a safe landing. According to the FAA’s analysis, Jacob’s actions were “egregious and intentional.”

Andew Madsen is a representative of the Los Padres National Forest, the location where Jacob’s plane crash landed. Madsen called the stunt dangerous and noted that anyone who intentionally causes a wildfire can be held liable for all costs associated with fighting the fire. He said, “Thankfully this incident did not spark a fire.”

Possible Preaching Angle:

Taking shortcuts to fame and success often involves reckless behavior that can threaten our safety and/or ruin our reputation. You can lose more than you can gain.

When Tanner Cook approached Alan Colie in the food court of the Dulles Town Center mall, he was hoping to obtain prank footage for his YouTube channel. Instead, he got shot.

Security footage from the incident shows Cook approaching and following Colie for a little over a minute. After repeatedly asking Cook to go away, Colie pulled out a firearm and shot Cook in the abdomen. For the shooting Colie was charged with aggravated malicious wounding, using a firearm while committing a felony, and discharging a firearm in a building. Loudoun County attorney Buta Biberaj said,“There is nothing that would suggest, based on information we have to date, that what Cook did warranted this response.”

However, the Loudoun County attorney has not ruled out the possibility that Cook will face charges for his role in the altercation, especially if evidence showed that Cook threatened or touched Colie. She said, “You don’t know the recipient of this type of prank, where they are, or what their trauma might be — they may receive it as being a threat.” When asked if such evidence exists, she simply responded, “the collection of evidence continues.”

Jeramy Cook, Tanner’s father, thinks any potential charges would set a troublesome precedent for entertainers who specialize in public interaction. He said, “If you’re going to bring charges against my son, go bring charges against TV celebrities in prank shows. And everybody else — all the videos of people getting punked on social media — let’s make it so no one can do that anymore.”

Possible Preaching Angle:

Immature and reckless behavior often results in unintended consequences. Young people need to be instructed toward mature thinking and should be taught the consequences of their actions at an early age.

When a local man was carjacked at a Sunoco gas station recently, he probably had no idea the perpetrators would be caught and his car recovered so quickly.

The man had just finished pumping his gas and was entering his car when the two teens approached and demanded his keys. After the man yielded, the two teenagers were baffled by the car’s manual transmission. Unable to put the car in gear, they instead exited the vehicle and ran.

The two teenagers were arrested for the attempted car theft after police chased them on foot. They were charged with carjacking and conspiracy to carjack.

Possible Preaching Angle:

Those who disregard God’s standards for honesty and truth and try to lie, cheat, or steal their way to riches, will ultimately end in judgment, whether immediately or ultimately.

Cybersecurity services provider Kaspersky has released a report on risks associated with cryptocurrency use. The report titled “Crypto Threats 2023” focused on the United States and uncovered some surprisingly poor user security habits.

Kaspersky surveyed 2,000 American adults and found that 24% of respondents overall owned cryptocurrency or digital assets. Ownership ranged from 36% in the 25–44 age category to 10% among those aged 55 or older.

A third of the crypto owners surveyed reported having crypto stolen, and an equal portion reported being victims of scams. Identity theft, theft of payment details, and loss of account access led the list of scam consequences. The average value of assets stolen was $97,583. Here, too, there was a sharp differentiation by age, with 47% of those ages 18–24 reporting thefts of (larger amounts of) crypto, compared to 8% of those over 55 (who reported smaller amounts of loss).

Lax security might account for many of the losses experienced by respondents. The survey found that crypto owners last checked on their crypto six weeks ago, and their accounts have minimal protection: “27% of users keep their crypto stored in an exchange account with no added protection, while only 34% use multi-factor authentication to protect their account.”

Possible Preaching Angle:

This report is another excellent reminder to focus on the security of our treasure in heaven and not to trust uncertain wealth on earth “… a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys” (Matt. 6:19-20; Luke 12:33).

Given its propensity to lure in athletes and entertainers as celebrity endorsers, it’s no secret why cryptocurrency companies have proliferated in the state of California. But now the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation is offering a new product to help the public with investing.

The DFPI has launched a Crypto Scam Tracker, which allows members of the public to search through its database of complaints in order to assess the legitimacy (or potential fraudulent nature) of any particular crypto opportunity.

But such searches are not as simple as they might otherwise seem. Because crypto companies often disappear from the web with very little fanfare or advance notice, the lack of complaints about a particular company or coin do not by itself indicate its safety or reliability. On the contrary, users are instructed to be specific.

Elizabeth Smith, a spokesperson for the DFPI said,

We have heard from consumers that scam alerts help them avoid similar scams. Our hope is that this tool will be a resource for Californians to use before they are targeted or make financial decisions and help Californians from falling prey to prevent future scams … [reporting] helps us keep all Californians safe.

Possible Preaching Angle:

We need to be prudent in how our money is stewarded and not be swayed by every new opportunity or scheme. Remember that we are told to “store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal” (Matt. 6:19-20).

Amber Guyger is a former Dallas police officer who has been found guilty of murdering Botham Jean. The case became a national story because of the circumstances surrounding the crime, which included allegations of racism. Guyger is white and was a police officer; Botham Jean was an African American. Guyger shot and killed him in his own home—alleging that she had mistakenly entered the wrong apartment and thought he was a burglar.

Guyger has been sentenced to 10 years imprisonment. Many people outside the courtroom have decried the sentence, insisting that it is far too lenient. Inside the courtroom, another voice was heard, Brandt, the brother of Botham Jean. Brandt gave a statement in which he forgave Amber Guyger and explained that he did not wish her any harm. He instead encouraged her to look to Christ. Brandt looked at Guyger and told her that he loved her. He then asked the Judge if he could approach Guyger and give her a hug.

It is worth taking 4 minutes to watch and listen to Brandt Jean’s words. The weeping in the courtroom is palpable, with even the Judge wiping tears from her eyes. According to CNN, shortly afterwards the Judge, Tammy Kemp, handed Guyger a Bible to take with her, saying, “You can have mine. I have three or four more at home. This is the one I use every day. This is your job for the next month. This is where you start, John 3:16 “For God so loved the world …”

You can watch the 4-minute video here.

Possible Preaching Angle:

We are also guilty for crimes against God. But in his grace and mercy, “when you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins …” (Col 2:13).

When Shafiqullah walked into his wedding celebration in Kabul, Afghanistan, he was surprised to find 600 extra people in the room, none of whom he recognized. His original guest list had numbered about 700 people. Besides the guests on his bride’s side, he invited “my cousins; my neighbors, people from my village, and 100 to 150 colleagues.”

But among the 1,300 gathered, he strained to pick them out from the strangers. He said, “It was amazing, but also disturbing as these were people I had never seen before in my entire life.” Still, he knew his obligations. He said, “If I didn’t serve them, it would have caused me dishonor and taken away all happiness from my wedding day.”

So, he told the caterers at the wedding hall to double the food order, bringing the cost of his wedding to nearly $30,000—a small fortune in this impoverished country. It is a familiar tale in Afghanistan, where weddings are vital demonstrations of two tightly held values: commitment to hospitality and devotion to family and community.

But the strain of having to host a party the size of a small village is proving ruinous for many young Afghan men, who find themselves taking out loans to get married that will take years to pay back.

The crowds that stream into Kabul’s wedding halls each night have given rise to a subculture of “toi paal”—wedding crashers who show up in droves. They are uninvited men who hang around the stretch of the airport road that has been nicknamed “Las Vegas,” for the bright neon lights and mirrored glass of the wedding halls.

Because weddings are generally segregated by gender, usually by huge partitions, the draw is not the opportunity to meet women so much as it is the banquet fare of lamb, chicken, lamb pilaf, yogurt, fruit, and pudding. Most young men in Kabul seem to know the expression, “With a wedding every night, there is no need to go hungry.”

Possible Preaching Angle:

Uninvited wedding guests were also mentioned in a parable of Jesus. Only invited guests are welcome at the Wedding Supper of the Lamb. All who come into the wedding banquet must come according to God’s rules. No “wedding-crashers” are allowed.

When people experience the unexpected death of a friend, neighbor, or family member, it’s natural to search for answers. And sometimes the answers aren’t very satisfying.

Such has been the case for friends and neighbors of the Daub family. On January 25th, police responded to their home for a wellness check and discovered the bodies of Morgan Daub, 26, and her parents, 59-year-old Deborah and 62-year-old James, all dead from gunshot wounds.

Evidence at the scene included handwritten notes by all three individuals. These convinced lead detective Timothy Fink that the daughter’s struggles with mental illness led her to take her life, and the parents joined her in a suicide pact because they didn’t want to live without her.

Detective Fink said, “Deborah wrote that she didn’t want her daughter to pass on alone, so she had decided to end her life with her. The letter written by James indicated that they had told him their plan, and he decided that he didn’t want to live without them.”

Members of the surrounding community were shocked by the discovery. One neighbor told reporters that the family had grown isolated over the years, and had withdrawn altogether during the COVID-19 pandemic. Another neighbor across the street, Mike Landis, had pleasant memories of the Daubs, claiming that the couple had been traveling missionaries, and had offered spiritual counseling during a health crisis.

The news was especially shocking for Paula Wolfe, who was a youth coordinator at the local bowling alley where Morgan excelled as a teenager. Wolfe said, “Everybody’s just really sad about it, and just doesn’t know what to make of it. I don’t know that you could ever imagine this. But, yeah, a family that you’d never ever think that anything like this would happen.”

Possible Preaching Angle:

Being isolated, in pain, and cut off from community can distort one’s thinking and warp perception. Someone who feels hopeless and isolated is in danger of hurting themselves and others.

To an outsider, the name Sam Bankman-Fried might seem like a pseudonym, too on-the-nose to be real. The 30-year-old entrepreneur and philanthropist, known by his initials SBF, became one of the youngest billionaires in the world after founding the cryptocurrency exchange FTX. In the 90s hip-hop parlance, one could say he made “bank, man.” But after FTX collapsed amidst solvency concerns and he lost approximately $16 billion in net worth, SBF now appears, rather appropriately, “fried.”

As proof of his lack of business savvy, Washington Post columnist Molly Roberts recently mentioned the fact that SBF once spurned the practice of reading books. Not certain books, but books, period. He said, “I would never read a book. I don’t want to say no book is ever worth reading, but I actually do believe something pretty close to that. ... If you wrote a book, you (failed), it should have been a six-paragraph blog post.”

Roberts says that such impatience is characteristic of his overall approach, a philosophy he identifies as “effective altruism.” This is defined as making as much money as possible, as quickly as possible, in order to give it all away. According to Roberts, SBF’s unwillingness to hoard the money is laudable, but he used it to justify a series of high-risk speculative bets that eventually proved to be his economic undoing.

Roberts explained:

SBF was also immersed in a type of effective altruism known as longtermism, where that ultimate outcome you’re seeking is hundreds of thousands or even millions of years away. So, instead of buying bed nets for children dying of malaria today, you’re trying to prevent the hypothetical next pandemic or the overheating of the earth. ... (This way of thinking is an) obsession with the future [that] disconnects you from the present.

Roberts concludes her analysis this way: “Why not scam a few bucks today to save a few billion lives in the 23rd century? That’s not just skipping to the end of the book—it’s skipping to the end of the entire series.”

Possible Preaching Angle:

Those who spurn instruction and consideration in favor of efficiency and haste, cut themselves off from needed wisdom and hasten their own destruction.

Many adults under 35 have stopped playing it safe with money. Instead of banking as much of their pay as they used to, they’re saving less, spending more, and pursuing passion projects or risky careers. A recent study found that 45 percent of people aged 18 to 35 “don’t see a point in saving until things return to normal.”

One 27-year-old said she was prudent about almost everything until the end of last year, when she had an epiphany: “I don’t want to spend my life being so careful and cautious.” Another young adult cited the shaky state of the world. “I’m not going to deprive myself some of the comforts of life now for a future that feels like it could be ripped away from me at any moment … I’m going to spend my money now.”

Many younger adults say the isolation of pandemic life triggered the decision to enjoy the moment, no matter the financial consequences. For others, the motivation has come from worries over climate change, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, domestic political instability, soaring inflation, through-the-roof housing costs, and a topsy-turvy stock market.

Just when pandemic-related misinformation was started to recede from public awareness, the Food and Drug Administration had to recently issue a warning against a new dangerous trend: misinformation resulting from viral video challenges. The latest concerned something called “NyQuil chicken.”

The FDA said in a press release, “A recent social media video challenge encourages people to cook chicken in NyQuil (acetaminophen, dextromethorphan, and doxylamine) or another similar over-the-counter cough and cold medication, presumably to eat. Social media trends and peer pressure can be a dangerous combination to your children and their friends, especially when involving misusing medicines.”

One of the reasons why the challenge is dangerous is that the chemical properties of NyQuil change when the liquid is heated to a boil, and high levels of the chemicals can be inhaled as vapors. An FDA spokesperson said, “The challenge sounds silly and unappetizing – and it is, Put simply: Someone could take a dangerously high amount of the cough and cold medicine without even realizing it.”

Parents can keep young people safe by following three common-sense practices:

Keep medicines away from children in a safe, inaccessible place.

Speak with children about the dangers of misusing pharmaceuticals.

Use all medications according to the directions given.

Possible Preaching Angle:

As Christians parents we need to protect our children from foolish pranks spread by social medial. Instead, in a supportive and loving way we should encourage our vulnerable children in wise living and thinking before they act on foolish trends.