Think About It

When Jesus’ disciples walked past a blind man, they decided to investigate a bit further.  John recalls, “And His disciples asked Him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?’” (John 9:2).   What follows is an incredible story of the power of Jesus and how truly blind some people can be.  Jesus was able to heal the disabled individual, but the situation left a lot of people in their own religious darkness.  While it is tempting to pounce on (and pile-on) the religious people in attendance, I wonder how often we are like the disciples?  Rather than seeing a chance to help someone in need, are we more interested in figuring out their backstory?  Instead of figuring out how we can be of service, we are tempted to try to figure out how people got themselves into that situation in the first place.  I honestly believe that had Jesus spent the time answering the question about how the man got into this sit...

When many of us were growing up we were taught that if we just lived good lives everything would work out for us.  If we worked hard, kept our noses clean and cared about other people, things would be okay.  In fact, we might have been told something like if we just do good, good things would happen to us.  Who knows, people might have referenced the wisdom of Solomon who wrote, “The integrity of the upright will guide them, but the crookedness of the treacherous will destroy them.” (Proverbs 11:3).  It sounds good, doesn’t it?  However, most of us also know of people whose lives seem to contradict this adage.  We know folks who are rotten, but seem to have things continually go in their favor.  We know of others who are notorious for doing good but are just as famous for having bad luck.  How can that be?  If the proverb is in the Bible, how can the good suffer and the bad prosper?  I think the answer to this question comes fr...

One of the things I like about the Major League Baseball season is that there are 162 games.   This gives fans a chance to get to know the teams and the players and, with that number of games, you do get your money’s worth.   One of the things that I dislike about the Major League Baseball season is that there are 162 games.   This provides a lot of opportunities for ups and even more for the downs.   While it’s enjoyable to watch winning streaks, it can be agonizing watching them lose.   These snapshots seem more pronounced and painful.   There are a lot of peaks and valleys; so the key to being a good baseball fan is to be willing to find the necessary balance. The reason I bring this up is that, in a way, life is a lot like this.   Through the years we are going to have a lot to celebrate, there will be a lot of good times.   Yet, there will also be seasons of struggles and disappointments.   We may have prolonged illnesses, extended str...

Can you imagine what it was like to be around the disciples following Jesus’ resurrection?   For a while, there was probably a lot of confusion, but pretty soon, it may have turned into confidence.   If Jesus could be raised from the dead, what could they do to Him!   He had proven to be victorious over the most damaging dart satan had in his quiver – everything else was bound to be inconsequential.   Now, while there had to have been some assurance that they were on the winning team, I wonder if there was a temptation to become lethargic.   They knew what Jesus could do, did that mean they didn’t have to do anything?   If this thought crept into their minds, Jesus put an end to it, “And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obs...

          The day started off bad and it got worse – way worse!   Overnight, the self-serving powers plotted and perjured their way into convincing themselves they had a good reason to kill the “holy man”.   They did their best to speed up their sinfulness so they could get on with their religion.   Before the day was over, they had nailed the pure and perfect Son of God to the cross.   It was the worst day in the history of mankind.           Most of us are familiar with the details of the death of Jesus, but have you given much thought to how in the world anyone could call it a “good” Friday?   Intellectually, there was nothing positive about that day, but by the workings of God, something good did come from the evil done on that day.   You see, it was the next step in the process of salvation.   When the new week would begin, so would a new era in mankind’s history.   ...

Now that we are about a week into the Major League Baseball season, it is time for another Yogism.  For those of us who are growing older, we can’t imagine it but there are some people who might not remember Yogi – not Yogi Bear of cartoon fame, but Yogi Berra of the Hall of Fame.  While some of Yogi’s talents have faded with time, his famous witticisms have withstood the test of time.  I recently came across one that made me smile and scratch my head at the same time: “In theory there is no difference between theory and practice.  In practice there is.”.  When I first saw this, I had to reread it, and I am glad I did.  In kind of an odd way, Yogi identified a truism that many of us miss.  You see, too much of life is lived in perception.  We talk about what could be or even what should be, but the proof is in what “is”.  Potential and theory are great places to start, but it is action and follow-through that offers real proof.  Let’s ta...