Think About It

          Have you ever been in a situation where one person seems to ruin everyone else’s mood?  In recent years the terminology used to describe someone like is that they have a “toxic personality”.  These toxins can be found in all areas of our life – in our families, in our jobs, in our friendships, in our social organizations – even in our churches, but they have one thing in common, they suck the life right out of us!  Their constant negativism, criticism and cynicism makes the rest of us miserable!            While most of us are familiar with these situations, we are often confronted with the challenge of what we should do with them.  Well, while the term “toxic personality” might be new, the issue has been around since the beginning of time and so has the answer.  When the wise man of the Old Testament pondered on this issue he wrote, “ Drive out the scoffer, and contention wi...

          When Jesus taught His disciples about working to influence the world, He chose a different approach.   Jesus’ disciples were about to be challenged to change the world – a world that was controlled by the Roman Empire.   The believers in this new movement would be no match for the powerful military machine, so they would have to figure out another way to exert their influence.   To accomplish this goal, Jesus told a short and simple story, “ To what shall I compare the kingdom of God?   It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three pecks of flour until it was all leavened.” (Luke 13:20-21).    The answer wasn’t in overpowering the Roman government or even the Jewish religious aristocracy – the way they could accomplish it was being active agents of goodness.   The victory would not be won on the battlefield or in the ballot box, but by influencing one person at a time.  ...

         During one of Jesus travels He decided to stay with Mary and Martha.  When Jesus arrived, Martha busied herself with making Jesus feel comfortable, while Mary was content to just sit listening to Jesus’ teaching.  As you might expect, Martha got a little miffed that she was doing all the “work” and she told Jesus to fuss at Mary.  Jesus’ response was quite interesting, “ Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:41-42).            As I read this story, I see me – not in Mary, but in Martha.  It is so easy for me to be “doing” rather than “investing”.  I am usually pretty eager to do projects, but in focusing on the logistics I often miss out on soaking up the essence of the Lord’s message of loving my fellow man....

                    It is easy to point out the flaws in our nation or harp on past failures, but when it is all said and done, this is a good nation made possible by good people.   Our system of justice is not perfect, but it is better than most.   Our leaders may not represent everything we expect from them, but for the most part they do care about our nation and those who elected them.   Our borders may not impenetrable and our defenses may not be indestructible, but we can sleep soundly at night without fearing an invasion from our foes.   This is still a great place to live!             Thankfully, when I went to my polling place last week I didn’t have to worry about someone standing behind me dictating to me (with a rifle pointed at me) how I was going to vote.   When I woke up this morning, I didn’t have to wonder if this was going ...

There is a philosophy in volunteerism which states that if you want something done, find a busy person and give the project to them.   On the surface, this not only seems counter-intuitive but also counterproductive; yet, there is certain amount of truth in the process.   Busy people will find a way to get things done.   They are interested in being involved and invested in making things happen.   Now, having said this, there is another truism I have noticed, the less I do the less energy I have.   Again, that sounds backwards – wouldn’t it make more sense that rested people would be more capable of doing something?   The problem is that the less I do the more comfortable I am doing less.   Throughout my years I have been on both sides of the fence, but one thing I have noticed is that I am a lot more excited and involved when I am busiest.   I may feel beat at the end of the day, but the invigoration I feel for what I am doing makes up for the...

          I am not sure when the trend began, but I am noticing that our world is getting noisier.  Sportscasters tend to yell at us to draw attention to the scores.  News shows are filled with people talking over each other in an effort to sway us to their opinion.  Even restaurants appear to think that playing loud music and stopping serving so their wait staff can line dance will help them sell more steak.  It seems like people believe that the bigger and brasher the effort the more of an impact it will have on us.           Interestingly, religion can to struggle with this, too.  We are tempted to have louder, more spirited services that focus on attention-getting techniques.  Religious debates often deteriorate into who can be the loudest voice spritzing the most venom.  Yet, bigger is not always more impressive.  When the Lord was trying to get Elijah’s attention, He tr...

          The other day I went to my local Big Box Electronics store intent on getting a new gadget.   Folks, I have to admit that I really like new gadgets.   I don’t always get the most expensive of shiniest thing they have but, I can be lured to new stuff.   As I was assessing what I wanted with what it was going to cost me, I began to realize that what I wanted was what I already had – I just wasn’t using it to its fullest capacity.   I could use the gadget that was already paid for in an expanded way and I would achieve the results I sought (and could save my money for the next cool new thing that was sure to come along).           The reason for this confession is that sometimes we don’t fully appreciate what we already have – especially when it comes to our religion.   In an effort to become “more relevant” or “more progressive” we are tempted to look for somethi...