Think About It

Andrew Jackson is one of those polarizing characters in American history – you either love him or hate him, there isn’t much room in between.   Jackson, the American war hero and 19 th Century U. S. president could be idolized or despised, but he couldn’t be ignored.   The other day I was reading a quote of his that got me to thinking about our nation.   Jackson said, “The planter, the farmer, the mechanic, and the laborer ... form the great body of the people of the United States, they are the bone and sinew of the country men who love liberty and desire nothing but equal rights and equal laws”.   As I pondered this statement, it got me to thinking about how we approach social unity in our nation.   Over the last few years it seems like we have tried to legislate people into respecting each other.   We have relied upon political leaders and social groups to force us to be nice to one another.   Yet, the truth of the matter is that unity and civility...

          I am not sure how they figure such things, but I heard that 18 million Britons watched the royal wedding over the weekend.  That seems pretty impressive until it is compared to the 2018 Super Bowl which had around 100 million people tune in.  Again, even that hefty number is paled by the estimated 1 billion people FIFA claims to have watched Brazil win the Championship Game of the last World Cup and the 3.2 billion people who watched at least a part of the tournament.  Folks, those are some pretty impressive numbers.  Certain events have always evoked interest and in an era with multiple media outlets, most of us can watch pretty much anything we want to see.           Interestingly, there is something that will not only be available to each of us, it will become the focal point of the whole universe.  There will be a point in time when Jesus will become the center of attention – ...

When we envision God, what comes to mind?  Depending upon our perspective (and maybe our immediate state of mind) a myriad of images can flash through our brains and hearts.  God is Creator, Sustainer, Savior, Lord, Father, Judge and Disciplinarian.  God can be described as love, hope, peace and vengeance.  I think that most of us are willing to admit that God is Great and God is Grand!   Now, that is cool – but, so what?  What are we going to do with the realization of who and what God is?  Are we going to keep it to ourselves or are we going to share it with the world?  Will we acknowledge it cognitively and academically or are we going to allow it to influence our behavior?  Are we have it tattooed on our arm or write it in our heart?  Maybe the most practical question for this weekend is how are we going to demonstrate our worship for God?  If we believe that He is worthy of praise, are we willing to dedicate a portion o...

           Have we given much thought to the phrase self-control?   This concept is interspersed throughout the New Testament including Paul’s analogy to athletics when he wrote, “ Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then  do it  to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.” (I Corinthians 9:25).   Self-control is a pretty common phrase and one that is typically used without analysis, but what is it?   It is tempting to view self-control being demonstrated by someone who is uninfluenced by circumstances, but I am not sure that describes it fully.   Those who unimpacted by something don’t need to exercise “control”, they are immune to it’s influence.   Thus, self-control involves two phases:   (1)   understanding the impact that something has on us and (2) the ability and the commitment to control how (and how much) we allow it to influence us.   ...

Isn’t it nice to have people interested in our lives?   Isn’t it great when people are willing to contribute to our needs or help us out with a struggle we are enduring?   While the answer to both of these questions is yes – generosity typically comes with a price:   accountability.   When people take it upon themselves to be involved in our lives they might ease our burden, but they also tend to want to become involved in our business.   Sure, it might be nice to be able to ask for and receive assistance without any strings attached, but the reality is that it   usually doesn’t happen that way.   When people help, they become invested in our lives – and often, they get themselves involved in our lives. The reason for this observation is two-fold.   First, when we start to ask for (or accept) the help of others we must be aware of this possibility.   It may not always happen, but it very well might happen.   Secondly, when we accept t...

This is National Police Week and today is Law Enforcement Memorial Day.   First and foremost, I am willing to admit my bias when it comes to this week – and particularly this day.   This memorial is important to me because it is personal with me.   I have known officers who have died in the line of duty and I have spent time with families who have lost their family members.   Today is special for me. Law Enforcement is more than a profession, it is a calling.   Yes, modern law enforcement has a connection to the judicial system, but there is another layer that must be considered.   When Paul wrote about the Christian’s relationship with government he remarked, “ For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same; for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for n...

         Recently, I was reading about the 1824 United States presidential election in biography of a Henry Clay written by David and Jeanne Heidler .  As the Heidler s analyzed the politics of the day they made an interesting comment about the shenanigans of Thurlow Weed, a politician from New York.  According to the Heidler s “Weed intuitively knew that in politics the audacious lie is always the best one.”.  As I read this statement I couldn’t help but wonder if it had been written about modern politics, but I got to thinking about how far-reaching this statement can be in every aspects of our lives – especially spiritually.  When it comes to the disagreement between God-fearers and those who don’t believe in God, the debate is not waged by arguing the finer points of things like religion and science.  There is such a large gap between the two camps that one side or the other is telling an audacious lie.  Sure, we might be able ...