I have to give credit to Kenneth McClain for the following story, but it's so good I have to use it here. It seems there was a certain farmer who made a trip to town one day. He asked the owner of the local restaurant if he could use a million frog legs. "Where in the world would you get such a large supply of them?" the proprietor asked. "There's a pond on my farm that's just full of them, and they're driving me crazy with their constant croaking." The farmer and the restaurant owner made a deal for the delivery of several hundred frog legs, and the farmer returned home a much relieved man.

A couple of weeks later the farmer returned to town and approached the owner of the restaurant. He had two scrawny frogs in his hand and a sheepish look on his face. He finally was able to stammer out these words to his former partner: "I guess I was wrong. I thought there had to be a million frogs in that pond, but there were just these two. With the noise they made, it sounded like a million."

You know, that's the way it usually is with grumbling in the church, or anywhere else, for that matter. It only takes a few malcontents and complainers to sound like a whole crowd of them. Just consider the number of special interest groups that sound off in the press and news these days. Why you'd think their ranks were in the majority with the "croaking" they do! You've heard the saying haven't you?: "The squeaking wheel gets the grease." Some, if not most, of them need to get something else, too - replaced! So remember, the next time you hear a lot of complaining, just remember this: it may only be a couple of chronic complainers making a lot of noise.

Oh, let me add this word: the very best of holiday seasons to you and yours from all of us at the Magnolia church of Christ. In the words of Tiny Tim of Dickens fame, "God bless us, every one."

Lonnie Ritchie

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