Posts

Thursday; October 17

Throughout the years, I have thrived on crisis.  I like being the guy in the thick of things – especially when things are going sideways.  I am probably not the guy that you would want to send into the fray, but I have found my niche by working with the people who are coming out of it.    While many of you may not understand what I am about to write, I think there are several who will agree with me.  When I watch crisis in distant places I get a disheartening feeling – not necessarily because of what people are going through, but because I am not right there with them, helping them work through it.  The other day as I was watching a crisis, Jeane looked at me and said, “I know you want to be there, but I am you aren’t.”.  She understands and is supportive, but that doesn’t always quash the desire to be in the mix.   As I think about my reaction to difficult events, it is easy for me to just sit on the sidelines and pout because I am not in the game, but I am learning that there is alwa
Read more

Wednesday; October 16

I recently rekindled a friendship with someone I hadn’t visited with in years.  He’d had a direct influence on me decades ago, but as I looked back on the years that followed I realized just how much his influence had shaped me through the years.  It was interesting, as we visited on the phone not long ago I felt like I picked up on a conversation we’d had just a few days before – the only difference was we had decades (rather than days) of details to catch up on.   I believe it is easy to honor our current friendships, so we tend for forget those relationships that have influenced us through the years.  Sure, the people conspicuously present in our lives today have a significant influence on our mood, but have you ever looked back at those relationships that brought you to where you are today?  Their influence probably isn’t just limited to your physical location, but it also includes the development of who you have become.  Maybe it is time to rekindle those friendships and build on
Read more

Tuesday; October 15

When most of us read the conversion story involving Cornielius we think about one of the early Gentile believers.  Up to this point in the history of the Christian church, most of the disciples came from a Jewish background, Cornielius blew open the gates to all types of believers.  While this is a cool story, I think there is another “conversion story” in this account.  The Apostle Peter had grown up with a Jewish mindset that probably extended beyond his dietary restrictions, but as God was preparing Cornielus to accept Jesus, He was also preparing Peter to accept Cornielus by giving him a vision.  We learn of Peter’s change when Luke reports Peter’s interaction with the Romans, “ And he said to them, ‘You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a man who is a Jew to associate with a foreigner or to visit him; and yet God has shown me that I should not call any man unholy or unclean.’” (Acts 10:28).  Not only was Peter changed, so were many of the attitude of the early Christian leade
Read more

Monday; October 14

What used to be known as Columbus Day has gotten very confusing.   While some states still recognize the day, others have shifted the emphasis to something else.   Some states call it “Native American Day” and others refer to it as “Indigenous People’s Day”.   Quite frankly, I don’t get as wound up about what we call it as long as we are willing to see the potential in the day.   I know there are some who take the name very seriously; but I believe that even in this confusion we can find some common ground.   Rather than condemning someone else’s perspective why not use it as a time to honor diversity?   Maybe you are inspired by the Native American people who lived here before the European influence – cool.   Maybe the courage it took for explorers from across the ocean challenges you to reach beyond what you can see – excellent!   Folks, we don’t have to all agree to see things the same way as long as we agree to work with each other to respect one another.   There are a lot of neat
Read more

Friday; October 11

What do you have planned for this weekend?   Are you pretty booked?   What about next week … or next month … or next year?   Do you already feel overwhelmed about 2025 and we haven’t even made it through October?   Someone, somewhere convinced us that to be successful, we have to make plans.   While there is some value to this observation, I am not sure that being overly concerned about the future is actually a blessing – sometimes it could turn out to be a curse.   We are so focused on what’s out there that we fail to appreciate what’s here.   I recently came across a quote by Bill Watterson (of Calvin And Hobbes fame) who said, “We’re so busy watching out for what is just ahead of us that we don’t take time enjoy where we are.”.   As I consider the value of making plans, I have to remember to balance that with making the most of the present.   We can benefit from looking into the future, but we shortchange ourselves when we try to live there.     I am not saying we need to get rid
Read more

Thursday; October 10

What do we do when we feel like people are giving us a hard time because of our religion?  Do we give up and complain that those who are anti-religious get all the breaks?  Do we retaliate against them and call them names (after all, we have to defend ourselves, don’t we)?  Interestingly, this question is not something new in the 21st century.  Since its inception, there have been people opposed to Christianity so there should be some good training about how we should react to persecution and opposition.  Interestingly, the people in the 1 st Century may provide the most effective ways to deal with it.  First of all, they kept teaching.  Even if it meant that their detractors kept running them out of town.  An early Christian historian describes the persecution of the original believers then remarks, “Therefore, those who had been scattered went about preaching the word.” (Acts 8:4).  Yet, there is another bit of advice given to the early Christians is, “… but sanctify Christ as Lord
Read more

Wednesday; October 9

Living as close as I do to our nation’s capital, I have a love/hate with Washington D. C.  On one hand, I really enjoy the architecture and buildings found in the city – on the other hand driving in D. C. is crazy! Whenever I go into the city one of the first things I try to locate is the Washington Monument.  To me, this edifice to our Founding Father, symbolizes the city.  I recently learned that it took 50 years to complete the project that opened on October 9, 1885.  Interestingly, the obelisk has had it up-and-downs throughout the years (including some damage that needed to be repaired and maintenance that needed to be done); but it still stands as a beacon of the city.   As I think about the monument, I am reminded of what Jesus told His disciples, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in su
Read more