Think About It

On this date in 1935 a hurricane hit the Florida Keys and killed several hundred people.   But, also on this day in 1935, a dream died with that storm.   Henry Flagler had made millions in business and industry and spent them in a variety of ways.   One of his major accomplishments was to link the Florida Keys (along with the important port in Key West) with the rest of the United States.   With a lot of work he was able to finish the Overseas Railroad in 1912.   It would only function for a couple decades before one of the harshest hurricanes on record devastated it.   In all, there were almost 500 fatalities, but the Overseas Railroad died that day too.   Since then, a highway has been constructed to get people to and from Key West but, while portions of the railroad are still visible, the dream is gone. As I think about this disaster, I am reminded of Jesus’ warning, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy...

Have you ever given much thought to why folks like their pets more than other people?   Okay, I am going to stop here for a second because I have been doing public presentations long enough to know that, periodically, you are going to tread on dangerous ground – and I’ll own it – this is going to be one of those times.   What I ask from you is that you just hear me out.   Also, I want to go on record that I am not anti-pet … in fact, I have had several very beloved family pets in my lifetime.   However, our society has tended to have gotten things a bit backward.   We love our pets and sometimes we struggle to like people.   As I considered this I have come to realize the issue isn’t “actions”, it’s “attitudes”.   It’s not that our pets are perfect – I mean, let’s face it – they do inappropriate   things in public, destroy our property and bring us gifts we don’t really want.   However, they typically show an appreciation for us and seem to...

Have you ever been watching one of those nature shows and heard the announcer explain why a critter did what they did?   It may have been explaining why a mother alligator traversed the South Florida swamps to find her young or why the Carpenter Ants built their structure where they did … but in many of those shows the commentator (and/or the writers) applied logic to nature.   Here is my question – how do they know why they did what they did?   Did they ask them?   Was there a poll taken?   The truth of the matter is that observers make their best guess as to why something was done. Now, the reason I bring this up is to consider something similar when we view human nature.   We are good about watching people, which tends to lead us to making assumptions about why they did what they did.   Now, there are times when we ask them to explain their actions, but how many more times do we just assume we know why they did what they did?   In essence, ...

I would find it hard to believe, but I guess that there are some people who don’t know Babe Ruth.   Probably, more accurately, they don’t know just how important Babe Ruth has been to American baseball.   I don’t know if he was the first “rock star” of the game, but his light shined pretty brightly for a lot of the 20 th Century and his reputation still carries a lot of weight this deep into the 2020s.   Maybe that is why what happened in 1925 is so interesting.   According to an excerpt from the times, on August 29, 1925 the Yankees' manager, Miller Huggins suspended the “Bronx Bomber” and fined him for missing batting practice.   Just one season removed from driving in 124 runs and hitting .378, he was disciplined for missing practice.   Wow!   However, I have to give the manager a tip of my cap for demonstrating that everyone needs to be held accountable. We live in a world filled with excuses and exceptions; but if we want to maintain standard...

Are you frustrated with those who call themselves “Christians” but make the rest of us look bad?   I think you and I know there are people who wear the name on the outside, but are void of the spirit on the inside.   If you are like me, I get irritated that their claims are often untrue and give us a bad name.   So, what do we do?   One thing we can do is keep defending the truth by calling attention to their error; but chances are their reputation may overshadow our objection.   Is there anything else we can do?   Interestingly, this is not just a 21 st Century problem – it has been around as long as there have been hypocrites.   That’s the bad news; but here is the good news.   The Scriptures give us some guidance on what can be done.   The earliest Christians were told that these types of people would be out there, “But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, kee...

Herbert Hoover has an interesting place in American history.   In 1928 he rode a landslide into the White House; but by 1932 the majority of citizens couldn’t get him out of the office soon enough.   Following the Crash of ’29, he lost the election to Franklin Roosevelt only amassing 59 (of 531) electoral votes.   Whether Hoover got what he deserved is not the point of this article, rather I came across a quote that I would like to share.   When he reflected on one great American pastime he noted, “Fishing is more than fish.   It is the great occasion when we may return to the find simplicity of our forefathers.”.   For some people, this may not make a lot of sense, but I really like his observation.   I think that it is easy to get wrapped up in the facts and figures of life and miss the life and times they represent.   Sure, it’s fun to catch fish (or score goals, or win a board game, or grow prize-winning flowers, or whatever else we like t...