Think About It

          Much of the nation experienced summer last week.  I am not sure if the summers are getting hotter or if we just forget how hot it can get from year to year, but about this time each summer we begin to discuss the weather.  Often, when we describe the summer heat, someone will make a parallel to hell.  The concept of the hotness of hell can be traced back to New Testament teaching, including the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus where Jesus describes the state of the rich man by observing, ” In Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried out and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.’” (Luke 16:23-24)  From this passage (as well as others) we get the impression that there is going to be an intense heat in hell; yet, there is som...

It is said that all we need to make it in this world is an attainable goal and the commitment to pursue it.   If we can figure out what we want and if we work hard, we will be able to be successful.   While I believe this can be a productive formula, what happens when we choose the wrong goal?   It is possible to work hard and still end up feeling inadequate because we have chosen an improper finish line.   When Jesus was teaching His earliest disciples He challenged them to think long and hard about where they wanted to go.   He realized the value of pursuing interests, but He also reminded them of the dangers of heading off in the wrong direction.   In the Sermon on the Mount He encouraged them, “ The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light.   But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkne...

Have you ever heard the phrase, “the attack on the church” or “an attack on Christians”?   Often, this phrase is used when someone believes that believers are being unfairly treated and feels like we are being attacked.   In my experience, the most often cited offenders of this perceived process are the government, the media or society but are they really the ones attacking God’s people?   Sure, these entities can make scathing remarks about Christians and they can put pressure on us to give up or give in, but have we ever given much thought to who is really behind it?   The answer is satan!   Since we can’t see satan I believe that it is easy to blame these other entities, but we have to remember the real culprit.   He is the general in the war on religion.   He may hide behind the cloak of a tyrant or a media mogul, but he is responsible for evil.   This observation should not surprise any of us.   The Christian movement has been aware o...

          I hadn’t read the Declaration of Independence in a while, so went back and reread it.   While I was intrigued by the reasons for our separation from Great Britain and the declaration of independence at the end, there was another part of it that captivated my interest.   At the beginning of the document, this statement is made, "When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the  Laws of Nature  and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.".   I don’t know that I had ever really noticed that the Founding Fathers felt compelled to explain to the world why they were doing what they were doing.   Being men of princ...

Last week I took my first opportunity to visit Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Maryland.  Fort McHenry played an important role if the War of 1812, but it is probably best known for being the focus of Francis Scott Key’s song “The Star Spangled Banner”, which became our National Anthem.  While the events of 1814 might be the highlight of the fort’s history, it played several roles in the decades (and wars) to come.  As I walked around the fort I appreciated the way it was interpreted.  In a time when it is easy to pick sides that promote social perspectives, the guardians of the fort captured the uneasiness surrounding the fort’s occupants throughout the years, especially during the Civil War.  Less than a half century following a glowing defense of the Americans from the British it became a part of a war that pitted “brothers against brothers”.  Less than a hundred miles from our nation’s capital – and in a state that was a hotbed of opinions in the 1860s – th...

          Have you ever read something and assumed that you knew what it meant only to go back and look at it from a different perspective and come up with a new appreciation for it?   Let me give you an example.   Throughout most of my Christian walk I have been very familiar with the Peter’s admonition, “... but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always  being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence ...”.   (I Peter 3:15)   To me, it made logical sense to be able (and prepared) to defend my Christian doctrine.   Yet, is that what this passage is all about?    Sure, we should be able to defend the precepts of our faith, but what about being able to justify our “hope”?   As I pondered this it lead me to a couple of different thoughts: 1).   Do we have hope in us? ...

When I was a child, I lived most of my life in the South.   All but a couple years of my childhood were spent in Florida, Texas or Georgia.   You might expect that I would have been used to the heat, but the truth is that by the time I was a young adult I was ready for some coolness.   For the next few decades I enjoyed living in places that were cooler than normal – in fact, some of them were just flat cold!   While I got to where I enjoyed the cold weather, I found that the older I get, the more the warmth feels to me.   In fact, I have enjoyed the hot muggy weather of the last few days.   Sometimes, when we age, we find that our tastes change – and I have found this to be true in several aspects of life.   When I was younger; I enjoyed exploring new things, now, I tend to like the familiar.    Earlier in life; I was drawn to the parties and celebrations, now I enjoy the quietness of solitude.   Interestingly, I have even found a ch...