Think About It

Jesus’ ministry had an interesting beginning.   Set against the good news of His mission was the bad news of John the Baptist’s arrest (and eventual martyrdom).   An early historian noted, “Now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mark 1:14-15).   Isn’t it bad luck that John’s trials began as Jesus went public.   Now, if you go back and reread that statement, you might see a bit of irony (if not satire) in it.   You see, nothing about Jesus happened by luck.   In fact, Jesus was well aware that His mission was ordained and guided by God.   The timing was as right as the message was righteous!   It is easy to look at life and feel a perceived victimization; but what if we believed that things happen for a purpose.   I am not saying that God pr...

Earlier in my life, when I reflected on the phrase “mind games” I typically thought about what other people were doing to me.   In my mind, these games were an attempt to influence me to get what they wanted.   As I have grown older, I am beginning to realize that the largest player of games in my mind is me.   I play many more games with myself than anyone else.   What I find interesting is that the games I play with myself are often set up to defeat me.   Often, they are construed in such a way that they are all but unwinnable.   I convince myself of the worst possible outcomes.   My inner voice talks enough trash that I lose hope.   I set goals so high that there is little reasonable hope of attaining them – and that translates as a loss. As I thought about this the other day, I got to wondering why I don’t play mind games that are winnable.   I am the one who sets the ground rules, why not use the home field to my advantage?   By...

I find it hard to believe that it has been twenty-five years since 9/11.   Before it happened, we couldn’t have imagined it.   As it was happening, we couldn’t believe it.   As we cleaned up from it – and embraced a new norm – we couldn’t forget it.   For a lot of us, that Tuesday morning twenty-five years ago is unforgettable and has left indelible marks on us.   As we take time out of our lives to reflect on the date, I think there are a couple of things to keep in mind.   The first one is that there is a growing population that doesn’t remember that infamous event.   We aren’t quite a generation away from that devastating day, but a lot of the people serving in the military or as first responders hadn’t even been born by 2001.   Because of this, their view of the world is apt to be different than ours.   I don’t know that one is better than the other, but as we try to work together, we need to keep in mind that we are bound to think di...

          The Apostle Paul lived amid one of the most incredible eras in human history.   The Roman Empire influenced a lot of people across a wide area – socially, politically and religiously.   I think that is what makes this observation so powerful, “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:1-2).   The Christians in the First Century faced daily influences to become a part of their modern world – Paul reminded them that they needed to be distinct.          Often, when I read Romans 12, I think about the similarities...

I feel like I have to walk an interesting tight wire.   On one hand, I need to talk more to some people than I do.   This is especially true of my family, particularly to my wife, Jeane.   I find it easy not be as vocal as I ought to be.   Then, on the other side, there are times I need to speak less.   In some circumstances, I am tempted to talk too much – and maybe even too forcefully.   I have some pretty deeply held beliefs and can be somewhat quick on the trigger.   While I can’t speak for you, it wouldn’t surprise me if you find yourself in similar circumstances.   So, what do we do?   I think we get a glimpse of resolution in Proverbs 10:19-20, “When there are many words, transgression is unavoidable, but he who restrains his lips is wise.   The tongue of the righteous is as choice silver, the heart of the wicked is worth little.”.   In other words, we need to have the wisdom to know when to speak and wh...

Twenty-five years ago, my week was beginning to get busy.   Our community was preparing for a couple of significant celebrations over the upcoming weekend and I was about to have to adjust my schedule to fit the demands.   I was about to have to go out of my way to do my job – and then all of a sudden, our world changed!   In a matter of moments on that Tuesday morning, our nation was turned upside down and even our smaller community thousands of miles away from the east coast was impacted. As I think about the events surrounding Tuesday; September 11, 2001 a lot of things come to mind; but one of the more pragmatic is that we can do all the planning we want to do, but life doesn’t always follow a script.   Just because we plan doesn’t mean that it will play out the way we expect.   I think there are a couple of lessons we can learn from this:   First, while we should make future plans, let’s not get so wrapped up in them that they overwhelm life for us...