Think About It

          Through the years I have been called upon to try to find the words that are fitting for some pretty somber occasions.  During funerals, I have searched for ways to console families who have lost a loved one much too soon.  I have stood on the front porch in the darkness of the early morning hours holding the news of a tragic death in my hands knowing that the words of a death notification were about to change a person’s life forever.  I have tried to find the words to bring peace to co-workers in the midst of tragedy.  I have stood up in front of congregations and tried to bring peace in the aftermath of a bomb planted in the Federal Building in Oklahoma City or the flying bombs that ripped apart our nation on September 11 2001.  In a sense, a part of my ministry has been about finding the right words.  Now, as I look at my computer keyboard in the wake of Sunday night’s tragedy in Las Vegas, I am dry – I’ve got nothing....

For those of you who have known me for a while you are aware of my proclivity to begin a new workout routine.  Like most people I will do well for a while, then I will fall off the wagon (or more literally – the treadmill).  Through the years I have learned a few things about myself and, when it comes to working out, it isn’t the physical activity that creates the issue, it is getting off the couch and into the gym.  Once I walk through the doors of a facility I actually enjoy myself, but my biggest obstacle is changing my way of thinking.  Sure, I want to do it and I know that it needs to be done, but I have to begin a new way of thinking if I am going to be successful with a new way of acting. What is the hardest thing about repenting?  Most of us equate “repentance” with changing what we do and, while that is the ultimate goal, it begins with a new thought process.  If we are going to overcome an addiction, we may have to revise the way we think about...

I don’t know much about Chuck Palahniuk, so I am not sure of the background for the quote, but the other day I came across something that I found quite interesting.  My source attributed this to his diary, but the observation was this:  “It's so hard to forget pain, but it's even harder to remember sweetness. We have no scar to show for happiness. We learn so little from peace.”  Again, I don’t know his context for this nor was I really looking for his application of the quote, I was just intrigued by the thought itself.  It is very easy to remember all the tough times we have had because many of them have left visible or emotional scars and some have taught us life-lessons.  Yet, have you thought about how few of the good times we remember?  Sure, when we get together with old friends and family we might take a nostalgic walk down memory lane, but too few of us constantly rehash the good memories or spend time counting our blessings.  Oh, we are more...

          “I just want to be heard!”  This sentiment is as prevalent today as it has ever been.  Whether it is a teenager, a protester, a spouse, a Christian missionary, a civil rights advocate or a politician most people just want the opportunity to express their opinion and have their voice heard.  Sure, the eventual goal is a change in some behavior, but in the beginning, the goal is for someone to just listen to us.  Often, when we discuss this issue, we advocate that those with a message be given a platform (in other words we support the messengers desire to be heard), but there is another part to this … when given the opportunity the message must be ready to be presented.  At the end of a protest, when a child has a parent’s attention or when a Christian has an audience we must be ready to speak our peace in an informative, enlightening and inspiring way.  In other words, before demanding to be heard, we have to have some...

When the Old Testament prophet Isaiah looked into the future of his nation he saw someone who was going to have a huge impact on believers.  In the midst of his prophecy to the Jews he promised, “ A voice is calling, ‘Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness; make smooth in the desert a highway for our God.’” (Isaiah 40:2)  Several centuries later, John the Baptist would claim this responsibility when he said, “ I am a voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.” (John 1:23)  John the Baptist would play a couple of roles, serving as a herald for Jesus as well as a conscience for the people of God.  John was willing to hold his people accountable for their apostasy but he also offered hope that something new and better was on the horizon.  He preached a message intent on cleaning up the way people were living and pointing toward Someone who would change the world – both physically and sp...

As I write this, they are still trying to find a motive for the church shooting in the Nashville area.  I am very well aware of incidences of church violence over the last several years.  Having been in Law Enforcement or church work since the mid-1980s this is a topic very close to my heart (and mind).  The shooting last Sunday, though, garners a bit more of my attention because it involved people who were probably as close to my religious understanding as any of those who have been impacted in the past.  As I followed this story something seemed to jump out at me.  When I read the phrase, “They are trying to determine the reason for the shooting” my brain screamed, “There is NO reason for the shooting!”.  Folks, this type of violence cannot be explained.  Someone might come up for a set of circumstances that lead to this event, but they will not be able to reasonably explain why one human being chose to take the life of another (and seemed intent ...

I am not going to get into the politics of sports (or is that sports in politics), but one thing that I have found discouraging is how entertainment has become a way to divide us.  Sports teams are intended to bring communities together, but with all the distractions in recent months it seems like these peripheral issues have called upon neighbors to choose up sides.  I would like to think that this social phenomena is something new, but I find it interesting that there is a parallel in another aspect of our lives – religion.  From the beginning of time religion was supposed to promote unity.  The foundational principle of Christianity has always been love (which promotes unity); yet, due to humans with self-serving agendas, they have taken something designed to bring us together and made it into something that has been used to tear us apart.  One of the classic examples of how dangerous this can be is what happened in the 1 st Century community of Corinth....