Think About It

Throughout the years I have been given the opportunity to reflect upon life and offer some observations.  Sometimes I prepare presentations with others in mind, but as often as not, I ponder what I need to know or do, then try to share those ideas with others who might find themselves in similar situations.  Today is one of those days!            Lately I have been wrestling with the “value” in modern life.  It seems like our society struggles with grasping truth, tending to ignore it in pursuit of the insignificant things that distract us.  We fuss and fight over issues that really don’t amount to a hill of beans while we watch as poverty, evil, immorality and carnal distractions envelop us.  Headlines filled with fluff choke out the real struggles of what it means to be productive people.  I realize there are good people doing good things (there always have been and there always will be), but some da...

Which would you rather have:  an opulent feast served on fine china in an elegant restaurant with a bunch of people we don’t like or a hot dog at a sweltering hot baseball game with some of our closest friends?  I am sure that there would be those who would choose Option #1, but many of the people I know would opt for the lighter fare and the better company.   Sure, it can be good to have nice things, but when it comes down to it, a lot of us are willing to sacrifice style for substance. Have we given much thought to what is important to our lives?  Too often, we tend to get our priorities mixed up.  We work too hard for too long for too little.  Sure, we might make a lot of money, but is it worth the health, family and experiences we sacrifice?  We may be driven to succeed – but at what expense?  How many “successful” people die alone or with the regrets of a lifetime of vanity?  It is easy to invest our energy chasing something that...

In the early morning hours of February 3, 1959 a small plane took off from a Mason City, Iowa airport carrying some pretty valuable cargo.  Onboard the plane were Charles Holley, Richard Valenzuela and J. P. Richardson.  The plane was headed to the Fargo, North Dakota, but it never arrived.  The plane crashed in a field near Clear Lake, Iowa and, according to Don McLean, it signaled the day that music died.  The tragedy that took the lives of the three music entertainers and their pilot has been the subject of history (and a lot legend), but as we look back on the event we can’t help but see that it shaped our perspective.  Who knows what would have happened to the careers of Buddy Holly, Richie Valens or the Big Bopper, but because of their untimely deaths they are forever ingrained in music history.  Maybe they are more popular now than they ever would have been if their careers had merely faded into obscurity. How do we approach the difficult times in...

Very few days go by that I don’t receive some type of “wonderful offer” in my email or through a voice message.  I have won countless contests, I have been chosen to collect and distribute funds for some crown prince of an African country, I have been selected to have a seemingly unlimited amount of credit and I believe that I may have won a free cruise and all-expense paid vacation.  If I am so fortunate, why am I still having to work for a living?  I mean, with all these things going for me, wouldn’t you think that I could have reaped the benefits of my good fortune and spending the winters on an island somewhere?  While the questions are tongue-in-cheek, the answer is very real – these offers are deceptive.  They are schemes to get me to fall under a fraudulent spell so that someone can misuse me and/or my resources.  Most of us know this and do our best to protect ourselves from these imposters. Now that we are in agreement about shams, let me ask an...

After sundown on April 20, 1865 John Booth and David Herold set out to cross the Potomac in a small boat.  The two men had been on the run since Booth had assassinated President Abraham Lincoln on April 14.  America’s most wanted had evaded soldiers, police officers and bounty hunters for days by living in the a thicket in a swamp in southern Maryland, but now the time was right for their escape to what they expected to the be friendly confines of Virginia.  The two men set off on the dark dreary night in hopes of finding freedom, but what they found was despair.  You see, after hours of paddling they discovered they had been heading the wrong direction.  Rather than reaching what they hoped would be the safety of Virginia they had actually ended up back in Maryland – even further north and closer to Washington D. C. (and the scene of the crime).  In a bit of irony this night ended much like the life of John Wilkes Booth.  Even though he was committed...

Have you noticed how rain can change our behaviors and attitudes?  I have seen people run out in front of cars to get in out of the rain.  We purchase umbrellas (which are often rendered useless with a gust of wind) to stay dry.  We change our plans or miss our outdoor workouts all because we want to avoid getting wet.  While rain can be annoying, it is just water!  It is the same stuff (and in the same form) that we voluntarily pour all over our bodies every time we take a shower.  The truth is that rain is good and productive, so rain isn’t the problem – our attitude about rain is our problem.  The other day as I was whining about the rain, it dawned on me that I have the same attitude about “life’s challenges” that I have about rain.  Life without challenges is non-existent, but even if it was possible to live without trying circumstances it wouldn’t be fun or productive.  The thing that gets us to try something different is coming upon...

          Why did God create the such beautiful flowers and amazing wildlife?  I think it is easy to understand why God created mankind, but when it comes to things like birds and flowers, why did He invest His creative energy in them?  Sure, a case might be made for them being sustenance for humans, but even that answer begs the question, “Why did He create such beautiful plants and such eye-catching animals?”.  If sustenance were the issue, a bland green plant and an ugly bird would serve the purpose just fine.           I don’t profess to know the wisdom of God, but one answer might be to remind us of His Awesome Power.  Let me see if I can explain.  When we see a beautiful rose or an amazing orchid, it gets our attention doesn’t it!  When we see the flash of a blue jay, the intense red of a cardinal or the regal coloring of a pheasant it has the ability to stop us in our tacks....