Posts

Friday; February 21

Where were you in October, 1962? Now, while many of you are snickering at that question, there are a few people still around who know exactly where they were in this very tense time when our world stood on the brink of nuclear war. The Soviet Union had placed missiles in Cuba (just 90 miles off of the coast of the United States). These weapons had the potential to bring catastrophe to North America … which would rapidly spread to the rest of the world. For two weeks, the American people watched as Washington and Moscow played a very real game of cat and mouse. One wrong move and history would be forever changed. The somberness of the moment helped to bring about a peaceful resolution – much to the relief of everyone involved. The reason that I bring this up is to remind us that even as we face challenges today, we have been through challenging times before. It is said that those who forget history are destined to repeat it, but I also believe that those who forget history are ea...
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Thursday; February 20

I mention this most years about this time – it’s Baseball Time in America!  Spring Training is up and running in Florida and Arizona.  From the gloominess of my cold, cloudy world I can sense the laughter, hear the balls hitting the bats and smell the freshly mown grass!  (OK, that’s an allegory – but, you get it.)  I love the game of baseball and I really enjoy this time of year because everyone has a shot to win the pennant.  This could be our year (whoever “we” are).   Folks, by the time we get to the end middle of February, I can use a pick-me-up and, for me, it is Spring Training. As I thought about this bright spot in my life, I got to thinking about another “shot in the arm” found in the book of Revelation.  There is a lot of difficult stuff in the book, but as we get to the end of the book we find John describing a new environment.  He goes on to observe, “And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of Go...
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Wednesday; February 19

When we think about God, what comes to mind?  Do we think about that strict Father-figure that is constantly disciplining us for all the times we mess up?  Or maybe our view is of the Old Guy in the sky handing out blessings and finances to His favorite children?  While these two images are on the opposite ends of the spectrum, I think it is tempting to see God in one of these ways.  Yet, when we actually consider the presence of God, I think there is a more factual middle of the road approach – the loving, caring Father who is willing to provide for us.  No, He may not give us everything we want, but He generously takes care of what we need to be successful in life (and, by the way, success isn’t always tied to the material things).  When Paul writes to the early church he assured them, “And God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19).   We live in a carnal world that is often judged by fle...
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Tuesday; February 18

Do you like change?  If you were to ask me, I would probably say sure – change can be good.  If you were to ask, Jeane, she might give you a more honest answer about how I deal with change because I tend to like things the way I like things.  When most of us think of change, we tend to see the degradation in doing things differently.  We are comfortable with the way things are, so why should we want things to be different? Interestingly, this is more widespread than in our personal lives, it can be that way in our spiritual being as well.  I think that is one of the reasons that so many of us fear death.  We are familiar with this physical world – we are comfortable – we know what to expect.  Death represents an alteration to everything we have ever known, so it’s got to be scary – right?  Interestingly, the New Testament tries to ease us into transformational thinking by stating, “So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a perishable b...
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Monday; February 17

Shortly after taking office on January 20, 1993 – when newly elected president Bill Clinton sat down at his new desk – he found a handwritten note from George H.W. Bush on White House stationary.  Mr. Clinton had defeated President Bush in the election a few months before.  After providing a few bits of encouraging advice to “Bill”, the outgoing president concluded by noting, “You will be our President when you read this note.  I wish you well. I wish your family well.  Your success now is our country’s success.  I am rooting hard for you.  Good Luck – George”.  (By the way, “our” is underlined in the note.)  Interestingly enough, this note is included in the Clinton Digital Library archives! As I read that note, the first thing that came to mind was “class”, but then another word leapt out at me – leadership.  Often, when we think about leadership, we envision the guy standing at the head of the group barking out orders; yet, often leadershi...
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Friday; February 14

It is once again time for one of my Public Service Announcements.  Today is Valentine’s Day!  Now, if you are just now realizing this, you are probably already behind the curve, but, hopefully you still have some time to make this work out for you. For some, Valentine’s Day is just one of those commercially generated holidays, but for others, it represents something special in a relationship.  It is a day to renew and revisit the romance in a relationship.  (By the way, it doesn’t really matter whether you like Valentines Day or not – if it is important to your sweetheart it should probably be to you as well!)  Through the years people have invested a lot of expense and effort in gifts and events and, while that’s a step in the right direction, there is another aspect of the day that is important.  Diamonds may be a girl’s best friend, but often the quickest way to someone’s heart is through a few simple, well-chosen words.  A creative way of saying “I...
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Thursday; February 13

Who is “that” person in your life?  You know the one – the one you can’t seem to get along with … the one that, whenever you think about them, you grow angry or worried.  While I would like to think that we have moved passed this in our lives, most of us still have a person (or two) we would consider our nemesis.  Some might be considered full-fledged enemies, but many might just be a consistent thorn in our sides.  Whether we dislike them or they just get under our skin, most of us have people who can ruin our mood just by thinking about them. Okay, now that we have described these folks, the big question is what are we going to do about them?  I guess it is possible to constantly avoid them or maybe even move away from them, but that typically isn’t practical and may be a bit overkill … so how can we live with them around us?  There are a variety of ways to deal with people we don’t get along with, but the New Testament has a novel way of approaching it –...
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