One Sunday morning the preacher of a certain church announced that his sermon topic for the next week would be about the sin of lying. He asked his congregation to prepare for the sermon by reading the sixth chapter of the Book of James. The next Sunday arrived and the preacher asked all of those who had prepared for the lesson by reading the assigned chapter to raise their hands. A great number of hands in the church building dutifully went up. The minister nodded and said, "The Book of James has only five chapters. Now I'll proceed with my sermon on lying."

Don't you just hate it when people you trust, like preachers, take unfair advantage of you like that? Well, I assure you that preachers aren't above such chicanery, and though I'm not sure this preacher's deed was so admirable, you have to admit it accomplished its purpose. And it's hard to acquit the guilty, too. After all, it's an easy and simple thing to check and see that James has only five chapters, not six. They were caught in the web of their own lie, or as my old uncle used to say, "their chickens came home to roost."

But isn't that the way it usually is with lies? As old Abe is credited with saying, "Honesty is the best policy," because one lie more often than not has to be supported by another, and that one by still another. It's so much better and less trouble in the long run to just tell the truth to start with and do it consistently. But lying has seemingly become an accepted way of doing business among us. It's become a common practice, even in high and honored places like the White House and the halls of government. It's even crept into our own back yards, or maybe even closer to home than that. Wouldn't it be a real breath of fresh air to hear people just "tell it like it is" without fear of reprisal or favor of some special interest group? Hey, maybe it begins with you and me! THINK ABOUT IT!

Lonnie Ritchie
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