Think About It

Have we made religion more difficult than it needs to be?  Have we put too much emphasis on understanding the complexities of the Bible?  Now, before I move on, I feel compelled to say that we need to be students of the Scriptures and should dedicate ourselves to knowing as much as we can about the Word of God.  However, have we gotten so wrapped up in religious debates that we are missing out on the pure and simple teachings of Christianity?  I know that we can never be good enough to save ourselves, but how would our view of spiritual living change if we emphasized living simply good lives?  By all of us focusing on being and doing good we could change the world in which we lived. Centuries ago, David reflected on righteousness and observed, “Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.  Who is the man who desires life and loves length of days that he may see good?  Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking de...

Last Sunday morning, I was talking about an Old Testament hero by the name of Shamgar.  If you aren’t familiar with his story, it goes like this: “After him came Shamgar the son of Anath, who struck down six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad; and he also saved Israel.” (Judges 3:31).  I was trying to make the point that in the hands of a man of faith even a rudimentary weapon like an oxgoad is good enough.  I think to emphasize my point, I said something like, “You don’t have to have an automatic weapon in our arsenal to be an effective Christian.” … and then, I stopped.  Because of the times in which we live, I felt compelled to make sure people understood that I was speaking figuratively.  In years past, I wouldn’t have given it a second thought because I knew that people wouldn’t take me literally, but in way too many instances, people have resorted to violence to make their point.   I am almost embarrassed to say that there is something wrong with...

If I were to ask you to name the most decorated American soldier World War II,  a lot of people would come to mind – especially many of the commanders and military leaders.  Yet, that distinction is traditionally attributed to a guy by the name of Audie Murphy.  Murphy, a kid who grew up in poverty in Texas, became a true life American hero.  So, as we celebrate Memorial Day, I thought I’d honor him by revealing one of his quotes.  Yet, something odd happened on the way to memorializing his accomplishments, I came upon a statement that seemed to stop me in my tracks.  As I read his thoughts, one that really stood out to me was, “I can’t ever remember being young in my life.”.  The more I ponder this observation, the sadder I become.  Here is a true American hero who went on to become a celebrity who never got to appreciate his youth.   As I thought about his comment, it got me to thinking about how true this is for way too many of us....

It seems like people today are as fascinated with Teddy Roosevelt as they were back in his day. There is something that has endeared him to our generation. The other day I came across a quote by “Teddy” that notes, “It is hard to fail, but it is worse never have tried to succeed.”. When I think back on the life and times of President Roosevelt he was known as a doer. I am sure that people claimed he failed – and if you were to ask him – at least sometimes, he would have probably agreed with them. Yet, failure is a part of life and he was willing to try even if it meant getting it wrong. While we should never advocate that people go out and knowingly do something they know is wrong and destined to fail; but when we make an attempt to stretch ourselves into uncomfortable zones we might even find successes. Yet, even if we do fail, we are apt to learn something that will lead to success in the future. Failure is usually not fatal, but not trying rarely provides us with a chance to ...

After getting done with the machine at the gym last week, I was wiping it down when my compulsiveness took over. I took a few swipes at it and figured I needed to go over it one more time, but this time rather than cleaning, I hit my tablet and it turned up the volume – way up! When I did that, I was standing there hearing music blaring in my ears with a sanitizing wipe in one hand and trying to search for the volume button with the other. I think my hearing is still in tact, but I have to admit that for a few seconds, I was feeling pretty uncomfortable.  As I walked away from the gym with my ears ringing, I got to thinking about how my anxiety left me shaking my head – literally! Yet, it also reminded me of a warning about stress, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippi...

When we open our mouths, what comes out? Interestingly, we often blame our mouths (or tongues) for what we say, but the truth of the matter is that what come out of our faces comes directly from our hearts – or more specifically, our minds. While it is often obvious the spirit that produces our words, it is interesting that there are times when there are inconsistencies in what we say. We may be nice to one person and, a short time later, we are nasty to someone else. One minute we publicly praying, then the next we are lambasting our neighbor. When this happens, it is tempting to blame it on being human, but the truth is that type of dichotomy creates a spiritual dilemma. Years ago a New Testament writer warned, “But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ough...