Think About It

Over the last several years, the trend as been that whenever there is a documentary or movie about the death of Jesus, there is typically a segment that includes a description of the horrific nature of crucifixion.  While I understand the draw of this type of historical perspective and the value in reminding mankind of the hurt we caused the Son of God, it is important to understand that the shame in all of this is not merely the gruesome and painful nature of the crucifixion, rather it is that it actually had to occur in the first place!  Beyond that, the value of the insight gained from reviewing the death of Jesus isn’t determined by understanding the quantity of blood that was shed, rather it is found in appreciating the quality of the blood that was shed.  The revelation that must be discovered is not that a man died because His society was evil, rather it is that the Son of Man died because we sinned.  When Peter, who experienced the impact of the crucifixion ...

I am not altogether convinced that each one of us has one unique, individual calling to fulfill in life.  In fact, I am not even sure that what I am called to do today is the same thing I was being led to do twenty years ago nor will it be what I will be expected to do ten years from now.  While I do believe that God has plans and  directions for all of our lives (and equips us to accomplish those goals), I am not sold on the fact that once we accomplish our goal or find our place that we can comfortably settle in with a sense of achievement.  Who knows, maybe we have merely completed one step in the process taking us to a greater calling. Whether we are just beginning our quest or actively searching out the crowing apex of our mountain top, one of the most compelling questions we can ask ourselves is “How do I know where I should be going and what I should be doing?”.  A few of us might be honed in on a detailed life-plan, but most of us experience some type...

How do we view our jobs – as the essence of who we are or as a part of what we do?  Traditionally, especially with men, we become so wrapped up in how we make a living that our quality of life is dictated by where we spend forty to fifty hours of our week.  If we are finding contentment and satisfaction in our jobs, the rest of our lives seem to flow pretty smoothly, but when we fall on hard times in our work-world, the rest of our existence suffers.  When things are not going well on the job it will also typically show up in our family, in our spiritual life and even in our health.  All too often, we filter every aspect of life through the emotional assessment of our jobs. What would happen if we changed our view of employment?  How much would our quality of life improve if – rather than gaining our self-esteem through our jobs – we viewed our jobs as merely a place to demonstrate the talents and gifts.  In essence, sort of like a stage actor, the role ...

What would we think of someone who had reliable information about a serious crime but didn’t tell the authorities?  How would we react if we heard someone saying that they saw a person struggling for their life trying to get out of a cold, marshy bog; but did not make any effort to assist?  How would we treat someone who, even though they knew another person had an acute shellfish allergy, didn’t tell them that dip on the buffet was filled with crabmeat as they took a heaping helping?  Maybe, in some legal sense, each of these people might have a culpability in the outcome of the injured person, but even if they didn’t have a legal responsibility to intervene, most of us would agree that they had a moral obligation to do or say something. Now, let’s shift gears from discussing the physical to the spiritual.  How many of us know about people who are spiritually suffering (and may be on the verge of spiritual death), but do nothing about it?  How many of us are...

          It wasn’t too long ago we were being introduced to a great thing referred to as the “Information Superhighway”.  Through this new way of communicating we would have news, knowledge and facts at our fingertips.  Well, like than other type of highway, the newness has worn off.  It is still very functional, practical and easy to use, but potholes and pitstops have become a lot more prevalent.  Over the past few years social and informational networking has become such a part of our lives that it can be overwhelming and confusing.  With all the resources at our disposal we are forced to ask some simple, but vital questions:  What information is true?  What information is important?  What sources of information are reliable?            While “truth in information” is a question for the 21 st Century, this has been an challenge through the ages – not as it applies t...

Which is easier:  To appreciate people for what they do or to criticize them for what they don’t do?  Well, I know which way I’d like to answer this question – but, I also know which answer typically reflects my perspective.  While it is easy to miss seeing people doing good things we are pretty keen at finding their failings.  We are more apt to miss acknowledging action than we are to ignore inaction.  I am not sure why we have programmed ourselves to overlook the good deeds done by our friends and neighbors, but we need to make sure that we see and respond to them when they do good.  Conversely, it may be in their (and our) best interest to be slow to condemn their inactivity.  Who knows, maybe they have a good reason for not being involved in something – or maybe they are quietly involved in something that is more important than what we expect them to be doing.  Maybe, just maybe, they don’t know what they should be doing and are waiting on...

Wouldn’t it be great to go back in time?  After all, things are in such a disarray in today’s society that it is awful appealing to long for the good old days.  How far back would be good … twenty years – maybe fifty years?  Sure, it be great to go back fifty years because everything would be better back then, right?  Yes, let’s go back to 1968:          The year the USS Pueblo was captured by the North Koreans          The year, that in the middle of the Viet Nam War, the My Lai Massacre occurred          The year that a plane crashed in Texas killing all 85 people on board          The year that a soccer stampede in Argentina killed 74 people          The year that the Democratic Convention was interrupted by civil discord          The year that a mining disaster killed 78 people in West Virginia   ...