Think About It

Which would we rather be – the smartest person at the table or the wisest individual in the room?   Interestingly, I would imagine most of us would say that we value wisdom, but how often do we seek to show off our knowledge?   We want to have the right answer and we are willing to bulldoze to prove that we are right.   We would rather win the argument than win the moment!   The problem with this mindset is that it tends to divide us.   When the early Christians (who had made the good decision to follow Jesus) were being taught, they were cautioned to seek wisdom.   While being warned, “For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing.” (James 3:15); they were challenged, “Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom.” (James 3:13).   We must never settle for anything less than truth, but that doesn’t mean that we have the right to be argumentat...

Saturday was just one of those days.   There were lots of good, competitive college football games with several upsets thrown in.   Three of the top four teams lost.   Five of the top ten teams lost and several of the others squeaked by with wins.   For a casual onlooker it was a fun and exciting day on which the action was decided on the field and not on a voting ballot.   Unless your team was one of the ones that lost, it was a good reminder that that’s why they play the games. Now, you might be wondering what college football has to do with life; but, as I reflected on the day it was a reminder that life isn’t about the sure things – often the excitement is in living it out and seeing what happens.   For some of us, uncertainty makes our heads hurt, but when we take the assessment of winning and losing out of the picture and focus on the process, life can be entertaining.   When we allow ourselves to experience “life” wherever it takes us, it ca...

I think that one of the challenges of Christianity in the 21 st Century is that we have “Americanized” it a bit.   Now, please bear with me for a bit before tuning me out.   What I mean by that is we have applied American principles to what we expect from religion.   To be successful, it is tempting to believe that we have to be the biggest.   We need to be politically powerful and socially viable.   We need to be the movement that everyone follows.   Now, while that does have some appeal, I am not sure that is the case today, nor has it ever been the focus of God.   In fact, Jesus noted, “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14).   We shouldn’t be surprised if we aren’t the powerhouse; that was never the intent.   Sure, when it ...

I don’t know how many of us know Denton Young; but mention his nickname and most of the sporting world has heard of “Cy” Young.   According to legend, Denton was nicknamed “Cyclone” which was shortened to Cy.   This native of Ohio became the standard by which pitchers would be measured when the award for the year’s best pitcher was named after him in 1956.   Young ended his 22 year career with 511 wins – the most ever.   There are a lot of things that could be said about him, but in one of his quotes I found something interesting.   Young is quoted as saying, “All us Youngs could throw.   I used to kill squirrels with a stone when I was a kid, and my granddad once killed a turkey buzzard on the fly with a rock.”.   Now, while this prowess is impressive, there isn’t much call for rock-throwers, but when he was taught to throw a ball, I would imagine that’s when he became popular! The reason I mention Cy Young is to wonder what unrefined potential we...

Does it really matter what people think of us?   Now, I think that answer to that question has several opportunities for discussion.   On one hand, we need to protect our reputation so that we can be positive influences on the people around us; however, there is another take that we must answer with a “No!”.   You see, when it comes to how we deal with people, it doesn’t matter what they think of us, we should treat all of them with love and respect.   After Jesus dropped the bombshell to love our enemies He went on to explain, “For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?   If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?   Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:46-48).   If we hope to follow the example of our Lord, we need to treat people the way they should be treated no matter how they t...

Last Sunday was one of those days that was best fit for waterfowl.   It started out being rainy and dreary and continued throughout a good portion of the day.   Now, while I am not a meteorologist, I understand the weather that influenced us was the lingering effects of what had been Hurricane Isais.   No, we did not get nearly the severe weather that affected the Gulf Coast, but the storm shared some of its make-up with us. As I watched the gray day, I got to thinking about the lingering influence that our moods can have.   Most of us will have momentary “explosions” of anger, but those dissipate pretty quickly.   Yet, when this does happen, the lingering effects can last for a period of time.   There are times when the immediate impact is obvious, but how often do our flair-ups ruin other people’s days or our influence?   I would love to advocate an anger-free lifestyle and, while I think that’s what we should seek, I also realize that most of us...