Podcast
Daily Got a Minute Message with John Ed
Hosted by John Ed Mathison · EN
In each episode of “Got a Minute,” retired Methodist minister John Ed Mathison will share a small piece of wisdom to help you through your day.
57episodes
Episodes
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Your Sins Will Find You Out
2d ago00:00:57Tap to summarizeYou can always be sure that your sins will find you out. You can’t hide from them. Ask Kimberly Carroll who is a Michigan woman who was testifying in a scheduled court hearing via Zoom. The problem is that she was driving a car. Judge Michael McNally was irate when he asked if she was driving. Kimberly claimed to be a passenger. The Judge said that she was sitting on the left side and asked her to show him the driver. She politely said that she had to ask the driver’s permission and then jumped out of her car. Of course, she had no chance to get away. I bet she wished that she hadn’t been trying to drive and Zoom at the same time, and I expect she will think next time before telling a lie. Your sins will always find you out.
Transcribe →Solutions
3d ago00:00:56Tap to summarizeWe have many dangers that face us. Some people are utilizing creative technology to deal with them. There are some high schools in Georgia and Florida who can deploy security drones to take down active shooters. These drones are mounted on the ceiling and remain dormant until activated. They then can fly down hallways at over 100 miles an hour. The drones engage shooters with strobe lights and pepper gel. Chief drone pilot, Christian Can Sloun, from the drone company says that we don’t have to worry about getting shot. “We are metal and plastic.” I have a feeling that you won’t have active shooters in those schools in Florida and Georgia and hopefully other states. What are you doing today to help find a solution to major problems confronting us?
Transcribe →Tell The Truth
4d ago00:00:57Tap to summarizeThere is a name for a new behavior called “Kittenfishing.” This is a term used with people on dating apps who fudge on telling the truth so they will appear better. Kittenfishing makes you feel like it’s okay to add an inch or two to your height and maybe say that you studied at a prestigious university when you only walked through the library. Kittenfishing is especially good at putting your picture on a dating app that’s several years old. The interesting thing about Kittenfishing is that it will always have bad consequences. At some point if you make progress in getting a date with a person, they will soon discover that you are not truthful. Kittenfishing may gloss over the situation initially, but eventually the truth will sting and bring not so pleasant consequences. Tell the truth.
Transcribe →Little Mistakes, Big Consequences
5d ago00:00:58Tap to summarizeSimple mistakes can be costly. Be careful. A market in Scotland’s Orkney Islands intended to request 750 pounds of bananas. Instead, ordered 380 boxes containing 100 bananas each. That’s 38,000 more bananas than ordered, and because of strong winds, the ferries were cancelled and the bananas couldn’t be returned. Little mistakes can happen by mistake. We are human. Distractions and lack of focus are often the culprit, so eliminate the cause. The market did invite community groups and local schools to come have some bananas. Little mistakes can have big consequences—and if there is a problem, figure out a way to help make it somewhat useful.
Transcribe →Timekeeping
6d ago00:00:59Tap to summarizeAlmost everybody carries either a watch or a phone so they can check the time. Time is important in almost every aspect of our culture. It was just announced that a new nuclear timepiece is the most accurate timekeeper in the world. It is advertised to keep time more accurately than atomic clocks or other timekeeping methods. The nuclear clocks could eventually be used in navigation systems, gravitational sensing, and tests of fundamental physics that today’s instruments can’t measure. I don’t think we need more accurate timekeeping as much as we need to know how to use wisely the time that we might be inaccurately keeping. I applaud the advancement in accurate timekeeping, but I challenge you to join me in making better use of our time in doing what God wants us to do.
Transcribe →The Most Important Certainty
1w ago00:01:00Tap to summarizeWe desire certainty, but we are constantly confronted with uncertainty. Being certain about something appears to give a stronger, positive sense of moving in that direction. Uncertainty easily raises a level of stress. Watching the stock market is a good example. Some people are suggesting that maybe our faith can be stronger not by just “playing it safe” with things that are certain, but being willing to confront things that are uncertain, and then invite God into the situation and work with us and through us to change uncertainty to certainty. People are uncertain about what happens after death—Christian faith gives us complete certainty in knowing that when we take our last earthly breath, our next breath will be a Heavenly breath. That’s the most important certainty for all of us.
Transcribe →Sin Challenges
1w ago00:00:57Tap to summarizeHow do you combat something that you feel is bad for society? We dream up a lot of ways to do that, and sometimes it works better than it was ever intended. Officials in Anchorage, Alaska started levying a 5% tax on cannabis products. Officials announced recently a $462,000 budget shortfall due to residents buying less weed. Often times, these things are referred to as “sin taxes,” they are meant to discourage harmful behavior. I think Anchorage has discovered that it does work. What “sin challenges” are prevalent today and what could we do to help discourage them? It would be a great joy to be surprised at how effective we could be.
Transcribe →Positive Affect Treatment
2w ago00:00:58Tap to summarizeA lot of things in life focus on minimizing a number of negative things. Some of those are very good. Recently, there has been a lot being written about a new kind of therapy that deals with depression that focuses on positive paths to joy. It is called PAT, Positive Affect Treatment. It focuses on doing positive things that can help treat mental health challenges. I like that idea. In all of life, I think it is more healing and effective to focus on positive things that lead to more positive things rather than trying to simply eliminate the number and effect on negative things. Paul tells us how to do that in Philippians 4:8.
Transcribe →Blueberry and Meadow
2w ago00:01:01Tap to summarizeAt a Maryland animal rescue, French bulldog mix puppy Blueberry and a 9-month-old black cat Meadow came to the Last Chance Animal Rescue separately. Each had severe injuries, but they became inseparable during their recovery. Each had lost a limb. The animal rescue unit advertised on Facebook for someone to adopt both Blueberry and Meadow together and they immediately had a couple to volunteer. Guess what? The couple already had one three-legged cat. So, they had two cats and a dog who were severely handicapped, but they are extremely happy together. There might be someone today who has tough challenges. Could you be the person who could help them discover that they have value and that there are good people to whom they can relate? Learn from Blueberry and Meadow.
Transcribe →Outstanding Plays
2w ago00:00:59Tap to summarizeThere are always some outstanding plays in sports that capture our attention. One such action is when an outfielder is able to leap high above the wall and rob someone of a home run. Recently, Joe Adell, an outfielder for the Los Angeles Angels, did this three times when he caught three potential home runs during the Angel’s 1-0 victory over the Seattle Mariners. Now that is really something. Think about this. No player ever managed more than four home run robberies over the entire 2025 baseball season. That’s a real defensive accomplishment. What are you willing to let God use you today to do something that may go fairly unnoticed, but can make a big difference in life today?
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