Some of you are familiar with the off-beat humor of Jack Handey. I have a list of "Deep Thoughts" allegedly written by young people, ages four to fifteen, who were asked to write their thoughts in Jack Handey's style. Some of them are hilarious in a bizarre kind of way.

Here's one by a youngster aged 10: My young brother asked me what happens after we die. I told him we get buried under a bunch of dirt and worms eat our bodies. I guess I should have told him the truth--that most of us go to Hell and burn eternally--but I didn't want to upset him.

Or this one by a young person aged 11: I once heard the voice of God. It said, "Vrrrrmmmmm." Unless it was just a lawn mower.

Or this one by a youngster Age 15: I believe you should live each day as if it is your last, which is why I don't have any clean laundry because, come on, who wants to wash clothes on the last day of their life?

Here's my favorite: Often, when I am reading a good book, I stop and thank my teacher. That is, I used to, until she got an unlisted number. Age 15

One 13-year-old did a take-off on the famous serenity prayer. He writes, "Give me the strength to change the things I can, the grace to accept the things I cannot, and a great big bag of money." (1)

Deep thoughts. The sad thing about that last one is that this really is the guiding philosophy of many people today: Give me the strength to change the things I can, the grace to accept the things I cannot, and a great big bag of money.

We are continuing our series of messages on the first epistle of Peter. Remember this letter was written to people who were victims of persecution. Many of them would die horrible deaths. And yet, the writer is full of encouragement and hope. In today's lesson he gives them and us a foundation upon which to build a satisfying life. He writes, "You also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For this is contained in scripture, "錬ehold I lay in Zion a choice stone, a precious corner stone, And he who believes in Him shall not be disappointed.'"

NOTICE HOW THE WRITER OF THIS EPISTLE EXALTS THE LIVES OF HIS READERS. He calls them "living stones" in God's spiritual house and "a holy priesthood." They are being persecuted, but he is exhorting them that their lives are important. He is a cheerleader, a coach and a motivational speaker wrapped all into one. Don't give up! He is saying. You are making a difference! You came to this hour for the purpose of glorifying God. Don't let up now.

In February 1980, the sports world watched with amazement as the U.S. Olympic hockey team won a gold medal at Lake Placid, New York. Those collegians shocked the world by upsetting the powerful Soviet team. Then they grabbed the championship from Finland while the crowd chanted, "U.S.A.!"

Before his team's victory over the Soviet Union which advanced them to the finals, the coach of the U.S. hockey team told his players, "You are born to be a player. You are meant to be here at this time. This is your moment." (2)

This is how we should read these words from I Peter. They are words of encouragement and hope. He was saying to them and to us, "Don't get discouraged. Your life has meaning. It has purpose. God is using your life to build a great spiritual house. God has chosen you to be a holy priesthood. Never say about your life that it doesn't matter. It does matter. You are part of something greater than you can possibly imagine."

Dr. Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade for Christ, recalls two very different experiences he had a few years ago. In one week's time, he visited a maximum-security prison in Georgia and a private banquet in Hollywood.

At the prison, Dr. Bright met men who had committed horrible crimes and would spend most of their lives in prison. Yet those inmates who had found Christ in prison were full of joy and hope. Their lives now had a purpose. They were set free from pasts full of hate and fear and violence.

On the other hand, at the Hollywood banquet, Dr. Bright sat next to a wealthy, famous young woman who was married to a prominent actor. This woman spoke openly of her miserable life, and her desire to commit suicide.

Seated on the other side of Dr. Bright was a famous actor. He was drunk, and he soon began to cry and ask for help. Among these rich, powerful, famous people, Dr. Bright saw great despair and hopelessness. (3)

Peter was saying to his readers that though their lives lack much in the things the world treasures, they were the most fortunate people of all. For they had meaning to their lives. They had a purpose--a reason for living.

We are living stones, says Peter, being built up as a spiritual house . . . And the cornerstone of that spiritual house is Christ himself.

THERE ARE MANY FOUNDATIONS ON WHICH YOU CAN BUILD A LIFE. That's obvious, of course. You can build a life on greed and hedonism. You can build it on a lust for power or fame. The list of possible foundations is unending.

Throughout the Cold War between the U.S. and Russia, there were occasional defections by spies from Russia. The CIA came up with an acronym to describe the four top reasons why a Russian spy might defect to the West. The acronym was MICE, which stood for Money, Ideology, Compromise, and Ego. Any one of these things might motivate an agent to sell out his country. (4)

MICE--Money, Ideology, Compromise, and Ego. These are but a few of the foundations that a person might choose to build his or her life. None of these foundations will endure, of course, but we are certainly free to choose them.

On February 11, 1990, Nelson Mandela was released from a South African prison. He had spent the last twenty-seven years as a political prisoner because he dared to stand up to the injustices of South Africa's system of apartheid. His release marked an historic moment for human rights and justice around the world. Yet in the U.S., Mandela's story went almost unnoticed. Why? Because on that same day, it was announced that celebrity tycoons Donald and Ivana Trump had filed for divorce. A story of courage, sacrifice, and heroism--a story with eternal value--was overshadowed by a story of greed and adultery. (5)

There are all kinds of foundations from which to choose. And God has given us the freedom to choose whatever foundation we will. God will not interfere. If we want to spend our lives chasing the almighty dollar, we are free to do so. If our goal is perpetual pleasure, then we have that right. We can even spend our lives rebelling against everything we have been taught, if that is our desire. There are many foundations on which we can build our lives.

HOWEVER, WISE PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THAT SOME FOUNDATIONS CANNOT ENDURE. All foundations are not created equal. Jesus said in Matthew 7: "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash." (24-27)

On September 10, 2001, Howard Lutnick's greatest motivation for going to work was to make money. Lutnick, CEO of the investment firm Cantor Fitzgerald, was at the top of his game. But on Sept. 11, a terrorist attack destroyed the World Trade Center and killed 657 employees at Cantor Fitzgerald. That moment changed many people's lives, including Howard Lutnick's. He made a public commitment to the families of his deceased employees that Cantor Fitzgerald would provide health care coverage for the families for the next ten years. Also, twenty-five percent of Cantor's profits for the next five years will be given to the families of those killed in the attack. As Howard Lutnick says, "I didn't want to wake up in the morning and go to work to make money. It wasn't worth it. It had to be for a different reason. And the reason was I loved so many of the people I lost . . . That became my motivation. That became my driving force." (6)

Howard Lutnick needed a better cornerstone than greed. Not all foundations are equal. You understand that, don't you? However, you and I are free to choose any foundation we like. We can make financial security the foundation on which we build our lives. We can make the esteem of our family and friends the foundation. That is certainly worthy. We can pursue power and prestige. There are as many possible foundations as our imagination will allow. HOWEVER, THERE IS BUT ONE CORNERSTONE THAT WILL NOT FAIL. THAT CORNERSTONE IS CHRIST. Remember the old Gospel song? "On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sifting sand, all other ground is sifting sand."

Any good architect in Jesus' day could tell you that the cornerstone was the most essential piece of a building's foundation. The cornerstone was the beginning of the foundation, and it provided the strength on which to build everything else.

(7) The writer of our lesson for the day is saying to us that Christ is the only enduring foundation for a satisfying life.

William Lutz's uncle was stationed in the Philippines near the end of World War II. One day, in the midst of battle, a local Philippine bank was hit by mortar fire. The vault exploded, releasing piles of money into the streets. Excited American soldiers began scooping up armfuls of cash. But their joy turned to dismay when the soldiers discovered that the money was Japanese occupation money. Now that Japan had given up occupation of the Philippines, the money was worthless. Just a few months before, this lucky accident would have made the soldiers rich. Now, they used the stacks of bills to create campfires. What was once so valuable had lost all its worth. (8)

Eventually, that's what happens to all the cornerstones of this world. Each of them crumble, they perish, they dry up and are left behind. Only one foundation is eternal. "You also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood," says Peter, "to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For this is contained in scripture, "錬ehold I lay in Zion a choice stone, a precious corner stone, And he who believes in Him shall not be disappointed.'"

The only cornerstone that will not ultimately disappoint you is the person of Jesus Christ.

1. Source unknown

2. Today in the Word, July, 1990, p. 11.

3. God Stories, edited by Donna I. Douglas (Lancaster, PA: Starburst Publishers, 1999), pp. 88-91.

4. Gilda and Phil Feldman. Acronym Soup (New York: William Morrow and Company, Inc., 1994), p. 159.

5. Howard Kurtz. Media Circus (New York: Random House, 1994).

6. "Cantor battles back from tragedy" by Noelle Knox, USA Today, Nov. 12, 2001, p. B1.

7. Lawrence O. Richards, The 365-Day Devotional Commentary (Colorado Springs, Colo.: ChariotVictor Publishing, 1990), p. 1110.

8. William Lutz. The New Doublespeak (New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1996), p. 37.