Cybersalt Digest Archive

Cybersalt News

Oh look, Chicken Thursday!

I am so close to being caught up on work - at least work that is tyrannically reminding my mind that it needs to be done right away! I am ending today with 4 emails in my inbox - after dealing with about 40 new ones today.

Thinking about riding the mountain coaster in today's video share makes me feel the same way the news from the first week of 2026 has: no thanks, I'll pass! (Of course, no such viable option is possible with the news.)
Click Here to Watch

Enjoy the rest of today's Digest. 

~ Pastor Tim 

Not Where I Live

"Can you fax the documents over to me?"

"Sorry I can't fax from where I live."

"Oh, well where do you live?"

"2026. I live in 2026, Suzanne."

One-Liner #1990

I just bought my coworker a "get better soon" card. They aren't sick, I just think they could do better.

Eye See What You Did There 👀

I love jokes about eyes. The cornea the better.

Quote #2426

"When you realize that each day is not one more day. It's one less. You will start giving more value to the things that truly matter."

- unknown

Portrait of a Friend

I can't give solutions to all of life's problems, doubts, or fears. But I can listen to you, and together we will search for answers.

I can't change your past with all it's heartache and pain, nor the future with its untold stories.
But I can be there now when you need me to care.

I can't keep your feet from stumbling.
I can only offer my hand that you may grasp it and not fall.

Your joys, triumphs, successes, and happiness are not mine;
Yet I can share in your laughter.

Your decisions in life are not mine to make, nor to judge;
I can only support you, encourage you, and help you when you ask.

I can't prevent you from falling away from friendship, from your values, from me.
I can only pray for you, talk to you and wait for you.

I can't give you boundaries which I have determined for you,
But I can give you the room to change, room to grow, room to be yourself.

I can't keep your heart from breaking and hurting,
But I can cry with you and help you pick up the pieces and put them back in place.

I can't tell you who you are.
I can only love you and be your friend.

- attr. Adam Clarke

‍Featured Illustrations are items well suited for illustrating or inspiring a point in a sermon, speech, or devotional. Funny, moving, or perhaps even graphic, the point of them is the point you make with them.

Susan Page writes . . . . 

For Such a Time as This

It was a typical Sunday afternoon, until it wasn’t.

While talking on the phone with a dear friend, a text came through informing me of another friend’s sudden passing.

At first, I could not grasp this news. I knew my friend was battling a respiratory flu virus, as I had been texting her during the week and spoke to her just the day before. She sounded like she had laryngitis, and the last thing she said before we ended our call was, “Thank you so much for calling.”

The Cybersalt Digest is a ministry of Pastor Tim and Cybersalt.org - a member of the Cybersalt family of sites.

Cybersalt News

Sunday greetings everyone!

I am happy to report that as 2026 begins, I currently have 10 emails in my inbox, 7 of which can be taken care of quickly. I have been working hard to catch up on my emails and I will admit that part of what has been motivating me is that I will be speaking at a conference in April. The topic I am presenting is "The Gift of a Zero Inbox" so I better be practicing it before I preach it!

Enjoy the rest of today's Digest. 

~ Pastor Tim 

More than anything, Bob wanted to be a cowpoke. Taking pity on him, a rancher decided to hire the lad and give him a chance.

"This," he said, showing him a rope, "is a lariat. We use it to catch cows."

"I see," said Bob, trying to seem knowledgeable as he examined the lariat. "And what do you use for bait?"

I made my wife's dreams come true and we got married in a castle - but you wouldn't have known it from the look on her face as we were bouncing around.

I went into a Timex shop to buy a battery.

The owner asked, "Is it for a clock?"

I answered, "I don't know. That's why I need the battery."

"Forgive yourself for not knowing earlier what only time could teach."

- Maya Angelou

And ye, who have met with Adversity's blast,
And been bow'd to the earth by its fury;
To whom the Twelve Months, that have recently pass'd
Were as harsh as a prejudiced jury -
Still, fill to the Future! and join in our chime,
The regrets of remembrance to cozen,
And having obtained a New Trial of Time,
Shout in hopes of a kindlier dozen.

- Thomas Hood

Featured Illustrations are items well suited for illustrating or inspiring a point in a sermon, speech, or devotional. Funny, moving, or perhaps even graphic, the point of them is the point you make with them.

Rev. James Snyder, God's Penman, writes . . . . 

If I have counted correctly, this is my 74th Christmas. Believe me, I do not remember all of them. The only thing is how much money I spent on all of those Christmases.

The Cybersalt Digest is a ministry of Pastor Tim and Cybersalt.

Cybersalt News

Oh look, Chicken Thursday on New Year's Day!

Happy New Year everybody! I hope today finds you in the same condition as my son's dog, Ruko, who was visiting with the rest of his family in the lead up to New Year's Eve: resting, but ready to play ball when it's time! (I suppose there is also wisdom in trying to blend into the background at times, lol.)

God bless you all richly in soul and abundantly in heart 2026!

Enjoy the rest of today's Digest. 

~ Pastor Tim 

As in many homes on New Year's Day, my wife and I faced the annual conflict of which was more important - the football games on television, or the dinner itself. To keep peace, I ate dinner with the rest of the family, and even lingered for some pleasant after-dinner conversation before retiring to the family room to turn on the game.

Several minutes later, my wife came downstairs and graciously even brought a cold drink for me. She smiled, kissed me on the cheek and asked what the score was. I told her it was the end of the third quarter and that the score was still nothing to nothing.

"See?" she said, continuing to smile, "You didn't miss a thing."

Life is like a game of chess; I don't know how to play chess.

My favorite coat is falling apart and now I'm going to have to throw it out.

Or sew its seams. 😁

"Every man should be born again on the first day of January.  Start with a fresh page.  Take up one hole more in the buckle if necessary, or let down one, according to circumstances; but on the first of January let every man gird himself once more, with his face to the front, and take no interest in the things that were and are past."

- Henry Ward Beecher

The passenger steamer SS Warrimoo was quietly knifing its way through the waters of the mid-Pacific on its way from Vancouver to Australia. The navigator had just finished working out a star fix and brought Captain John DS. Phillips, the result.

The Warrimoo's position was LAT 0º 31' N and LONG 179 30' W. The date was 31 December 1899.

"Know what this means?"

First Mate Payton broke in, "We're only a few miles from the intersection of the Equator and the International Date Line."

Captain Phillips was prankish enough to take full advantage of the opportunity for achieving the navigational freak of a lifetime.

He called his navigators to the bridge to check & double check the ship's position. He changed course slightly so as to bear directly on his mark. Then he adjusted the engine speed.

The calm weather & clear night worked in his favor.

At mid-night the SS Warrimoo lay on the Equator at exactly the point where it crossed the International Date Line!

The consequences of this bizarre position were many:

• The forward part (bow) of the ship was in the Southern Hemisphere & in the middle of summer.
• The rear (stern) was in the Northern Hemisphere & in the middle of winter.
• The date in the aft part of the ship was 31 December 1899.
• In the bow (forward) part it was 1 January 1900.

This ship was therefore not only in:

Two different days,
Two different months,
Two different years,
Two different seasons

But in two different centuries - all at the same time!

Featured Illustrations are items well suited for illustrating or inspiring a point in a sermon, speech, or devotional. Funny, moving, or perhaps even graphic, the point of them is the point you make with them.

Susan Page writes . . . . 

By faith, we rest our heads on our pillows each night, fully expecting to wake up to a new day. Under most circumstances, we don’t even think about it. Each day is a gift.

That’s why I don’t get too excited about New Year’s celebrations. Every single day should be celebrated as a new beginning. Every precious moment presents new opportunities. Each passing second is a gift from God.

My daughters and my soul sisters know that when God calls me home, I want the hymn “Great is Thy Faithfulness” to be sung.

God’s faithfulness is what I can depend on. It is never dependent on circumstances; instead, the certainty that He is faithful is a truth deeply rooted within my soul. God has me protected under the shadow of His wings. “He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and buckler” (Psalm 91:4).

The Cybersalt Digest is a ministry of Pastor Tim and Cybersalt.

Cybersalt News

Sunday greetings everyone - welcome to the last mailing of 2025!

Grandma Cybersalt and I are praying that the last few days of the year, and all of 2026 will days of peace, good health, and growth in every way that God desires to bring it to your life!

Enjoy the rest of today's Digest. 

~ Pastor Tim 

'Twas the day after Christmas, and all through the house,
Every creature was hurting-- even the mouse.

The toys were all broken, their batteries dead;
Santa passed out, with some ice on his head.

Wrapping and ribbons just covered the floor, while
Upstairs the family continued to snore.

And I in my T-shirt, new Reeboks and jeans,
Went into the kitchen and started to clean.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the sink to see what was the matter.

Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the curtains, and threw up the sash.

When what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a little white truck, with an oversized mirror.

The driver was smiling, so lively and grand;
The patch on his jacket said "U.S. POSTMAN."

With a handful of bills, he grinned like a fox
Then quickly he stuffed them into our mailbox.

Bill after bill, after bill, they still came.
Whistling and shouting he called them by name:

"Now Dillard's, now Broadway's, now Penney's and Sears
Here's Levitz's and Target's and Mervyn's--all here!!

To the tip or your limit, every store, every mall,
Now chargeaway-chargeaway-chargeaway all!"

He whooped and he whistled as he finished his work.
He filled up the box, and then turned with a jerk.

He sprang to his truck and he drove down the road,
Driving much faster with just half a load.

Then I heard him exclaim with great holiday cheer,
"ENJOY WHAT YOU GOT ... YOU'LL BE PAYING ALL YEAR!"

- attr. Nevin Hawlman

They say "the machines of the future" will be as smart as people ... OK, but WHICH people? Because it kinda matters quite a bit.

Someone just called my phone, sneezed and then hung up. I'm getting sick and tired of these cold calls.

“So God throws open the door of this world—and enters as a baby. As the most vulnerable imaginable. Because He wants unimaginable intimacy with you. What religion ever had a god that wanted such intimacy with us that He came with such vulnerability to us? What God ever came so tender we could touch Him? So fragile that we could break Him? So vulnerable that His bare, beating heart could be hurt? Only the One who loves you to death.”

– Ann Voskamp

A little boy returned from Sunday school with a new perspective on the Christmas story. He had learned all about the Wise Men from the East who brought gifts to the Baby Jesus. He was so excited he could hardly wait to tell his parents.

As soon as he arrived home, he immediately began,

"I learned all about the very first Christmas in Sunday school today! There wasn’t a Santa Claus way back then, so these three skinny guys on camels had to deliver all the toys! And Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer with his nose so bright wasn't there yet, so they had to have this big spotlight in the sky to find their way around!"

Featured Illustrations are items well suited for illustrating or inspiring a point in a sermon, speech, or devotional. Funny, moving, or perhaps even graphic, the point of them is the point you make with them.

Rev. James Snyder, God's Penman, writes . . . . 

Christmas was over, and the house began to quiet down in a good way. Don’t get me wrong, I love the noise when all the family is together. It is a good feeling to be with your family during this wonderful holiday season. I love the energy!

I enjoy the presents and watching the family opening theirs, but I especially love the holiday feasts prepared by The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage.

The Cybersalt Digest is a ministry of Pastor Tim and Cybersalt.