Think About It

I like the autumn.   I enjoy the cooler weather, the stunning foliage and the pumpkin pie (even though I haven’t bought into all this “pumpkin spice” in everything from ice cream and coffee.)   Now, having said all of this, there is one thing about the fall that is a bit challenging.   Of all the seasons of the year, this one probably reminds me of change most of all.   While this is kind of neat when viewed in nature, I am not a big fan of it in life itself.   Oh, I don’t mind new technology or updated gadgets, but the older I get the more change reminds me that I am aging and changing.   I guess as a younger person, I probably dreaded aging more than I do now; but today it is more of a reality than a fear.   So, my continual question isn’t, what happens when I get older, it’s how am I going to make the most of each and every day that I get older? Age comes with opportunities – sometimes they are just a little harder to see.   I think it is bec...

How do we perceive God?   One of the great things about living under the New Testament is that we can have an intimate relationship with God.   We don’t have to live in fear of some distant Deity, we can enjoy more of a Father-child relationship with Him.   Now, while that is great (and I wouldn’t want to ever change it or go back to the old way), I think that there are times when we need to take a step back and take a good long look at the Almighty God.   We should be thankful for all the grace, love and mercy we have.   We should be thrilled to have a connection to Him.   However, we must never lose sight of His true nature.   After thanking the Lord for the forgiveness he had received from God, the Apostle Paul praised Him by noting, “Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.” (I Timothy 1:17).   Let’s never take the relationship we have with God for granted.   Let’s make sur...

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...