Monday; September 18

I love the Tropics!  I have often joked that I feel like I was born on some tropical island, but a young married couple from the States must have stolen me away to be their own son.  I really enjoy visiting the Caribbean islands and south Florida and have often dreamed of living on a beach listening to the palm trees being swayed by the tropical breezes while the gentle surf breaks just a few steps away.  I relish my fantasies of living in an island paradise, but like everyone else, last week was a reminder of the reality of what can happen.  Island life is tenuis at best, in fact, it can be dangerous.  Many of the places that I have enjoyed visiting are now struggling – some to the point that they may not return to their glory during my lifetime.  Paradise on earth is fragile.
As I watched the events of last week, I was struck by two thoughts – my heart was breaking as I saw the devastation, but I was also reminded of our need to stay focused on the future.  Everything on this earth will eventually be destroyed so we have to make sure that we prepare ourselves for eternity.  When Jesus taught about life on earth He noted, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”. (Matthew 6:19-21)  We must remember that whether we are intrigued by money, possessions or places, they are all temporary.  The only thing that will last is a relationship with our Creator and Savior.
Are we ready to endure the storms of life?  Let’s put our hope in an eternal reward – everything else is just marking time until it will be destroyed.
          Think About It!

Popular posts from this blog

Tuesday; November 29

The biblical story of the Good Samaritan has changed our world. Notice I didn’t say that it had change religion or even Christianity, it has influenced the world. There are very few people who don’t know the moral of Jesus’ parable about the Good Samaritan. In fact, the phrase has become a common description of everyday people doing good to their neighbors. While Jesus’ parable from Luke 10 shares several spiritual lessons, one of the most practical is that good can be done by anyone. You don’t have to be a church official to do good, it is not only possible for each one of us to help, it is required of all of us. If a Samaritan can be good, so can we! After presenting the parable, Jesus asked the man who had originally asked the question about being a good neighbor which character in the story was a good neighbor, “… he said, ‘The one who showed mercy toward him.’” at which point, the discussion from theoretical to personal, “Then Jesus said to him, ‘Go and do the same.’” (Luke
Read more

Thursday; January 12

The other day I was watching a television show that used a rather common term applied to overcoming challenges. When organizations experience unexpected setbacks – especially when they lose key people – they rely upon the concept of “Next Man Up”. In essence, when our starters (or stars) go down, effective organizations rely upon their next levels to step into the vacancy. While this is an effective response, have we given much thought as to how we prepare to be the “next people up”? First, we must know our job. Even when we aren’t the primary players, we need to be preparing ourselves to be ready when we get the opportunity to shine. Second, we must do our best when we get the chance. Knowledge is important but what turns potential into talent is effort. Yet, maybe the most underappreciated aspect of this concept is a willingness avoid excuse-making and whining about the unfairness of our situation. When we complain about the circumstances that caused the need for replacements
Read more

Monday; September 25

When I was a youngster, I remember hearing about this thing called the Generation Gap. I was a little bit too young to be active in the social movements of the 1960s, but I do remember listening to the challenges the generations were experiencing way back then. Interestingly, now that I have been on both sides of the aging process, I have to admit that the Gap of the 1960s was nothing new. With the development of each generation comes conflict. The young people don’t feel like the older people understand them and the older folks tend to believe their input is being underappreciated. Too often trust is the casualty when two generations collide. The sad thing is that it doesn’t have to be this way. When we can capture the innovation and energy of the younger folks and harness the wisdom of those who have been around for a while we can develop a winning combination. No, we won’t always see things eye-to-eye nor will we necessarily speak the same emotional language, but when we app
Read more