Think About It

Have you ever heard the phrase, “It’s not whether you win or lose, but how you played the game?”.   Have you ever given much thought as to where it came from?   In all honesty, I kind of just assumed it was one of those facts of life passed down from generation to generation; but the other night while watching a biography of the sportswriter, Grantland Rice, I learned it came from his work entitled, “Alumnus Football”.   I encourage you to go back and read the entire piece written in 1908, but it ends with the following observation, “For when the one Great Scorer comes to mark against your name, He writes – not that you won or lost – but how you played the Game.”.   I had grown up on that bit of wisdom, but when viewed in that context, it carries a lot more weight.   When we get to the end of our lives, there are several ways to be scored on our efforts.   We might be tallied by how much money we made, how many laws we created, how many children we rais...

The other day I saw a headline about someone (a “heckler”) who was escorted out of a political speech.   I have to be honest with you, I didn’t read the story, but I must admit that I had a completely uninformed but emotional reaction.   My gut asked my brain, did they get what they wanted out of the exchange?   Few of us could honestly expect that if we showed up at an adversary’s event and start shouting them down that we would have any chance at having a rational exchange of ideas.   Yelling accusatory things in the midst of a public event is not going to bring change, it’s just going to promote anger and a measured reaction … in other words, being asked to leave.   Sometimes I wonder if that wasn’t the intent all along – the publicity that comes with being “persecuted”. Now, while this tends to make sense, I got to thinking about this on another level – on a personal level.   Have we ever publicly criticized people or berated them in a group of peop...

And for a novel approach … I am not going to tell you how you should vote today.   I will not extol the virtues of one individual or one law; nor will I belittle the values of someone or the merits of their programs.   Number one, that is not in my nature; but maybe, more importantly, you have probably heard enough of that to last you the next couple of years.   Now, while I won’t advocate politics today, I will solicit peace.   No matter what happens – who (or what) wins and loses – let’s pick up what is left of the pieces of decency and respect so that we can commit to moving forward.   The other day I was listening to a discussion of peace and noticed something interesting.   Did you catch what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. (Matthew 5:9)?   I have heard this all my life and have taught the lesson countless times, but what really stood out to me recently was the aggressi...

Last Saturday night, there was a lot of scary stuff.   On Halloween night there were a lot of really odd and some pretty disturbing characters walking around on our streets.   While I realize Halloween was, mostly, a community sanctioned good time, it got me to thinking about some of the real scary stuff that happens in our communities.   The violence, injustice and oppression that can pop up in our neighbors is not innocent fun and should not be encouraged.   I find it interesting that the restoration of the Jewish nation thousands of years ago was closely affiliated with avoiding the dangerous living that seems to have played an influence in the exile of God’s chosen people.   The Lord promised, “For if you truly amend your ways and your deeds, if you truly practice justice between a man and his neighbor, if you do not oppress the alien, the orphan, or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place, nor walk after other gods to your own ruin, then...

How important is the 1 st Amendment to the United States Constitution to us?   Several things are protected by this addendum to the constitution – including freedom of the press, the right to free speech, freedom to assemble and a chance to freely confront the government.   Yet, there is one more liberty that is covered – the freedom of religion.   The text of the document actually states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof …”.   That sounded good to the revolutionaries and it feels good today.   However, I want to ask something – are we practicing this freedom?   I know a lot of people who practice the freedom NOT to worship, but what are we missing out on when we don’t openly and frequently worship the Lord?   Please do not misunderstand my point – I am not taking some political side in a debate, I am encouraging us to get out there and do something that is protected by law...

Would we consider ourselves joyous people?   That seems like a rather odd question, but I think it is one that is worth pondering.   Are we people of joy? It is tempting to look at our surroundings and assess our demeanor by our circumstances, but I was reminded of the proactive nature of this quality when I read, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I will say, rejoice.” (Philippians 4:4).   In essence, joy isn’t something that comes to us, it is something we can go out and find.   While it can be something that may need some substantial work, I think there are some quick and simple things we can do to enhance our joy      Smile.   When we look in the mirror, do we see a smile or a grimace?   Not only will a smile help others, it will set the tone for our own demeanor.      List our blessings.   Periodically, each day, stop and just take an inventory of the good that we see around us. ·      ...