Think About It

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...

The other day I came across a couple of things that seemed to diminish what I had been doing. I set out to go out of my way to do something special for people only to be critiqued (and maybe even criticized) for what I had done. When this happened a few things came to mind: the first was the saying, “No good deed goes unpunished” … and the second was the temptation to exact revenge on those who criticized me. Thankfully, I was working on a sermon that reminded me of Paul’s words, “Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord. But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” (Romans 12:19-20). Interestingly, one other reminder came from one of those pithy posters entitled, “Do Good Anyway” (or “The Paradoxical Commandments”). While the origin of the work has been attributed to various people, a co...

I invested three days of my life driving in and around Washington D. C. last week. Folks, I do not like driving in and around the District. Every time I go up there I get irritated with the traffic, I get lost and I feel like I am coming home to a fistful of camera tickets. However, I did it because last week was National Police Week. I participated in the week’s events and got a chance to visit with a lot of interesting people. I was worn out by the end of the week, but I felt good about what I did. It made me feel special to sacrifice some of my time, gas and peace of mind to honor our nation’s heroes. Now, the reason I share this with you is not to seek your accolades or your appreciation; rather to ask us a question – what are we willing to endure to honor God’s greatest creation? Human beings are at the top of the created food chain because they are made in the image of God. So, with that in mind, what are we willing to put up with to honor God’s people? It is easy to get...