Think About It

The other day I was eating at one of those all-you-can-eat buffet restaurants.   About the time I got seated a bus load of people came in and occupied the section next to mine.   A few minutes into my meal I overheard two servers talking about how they were the only ones on that side of the restaurant.   While they seemed a little annoyed, they also talked about what this should say about the faith management had in them … they were good enough to handle it.   The interesting thing about this is that this was the last I heard from these two employees.   They never checked on me, cleared my dirty dishes or filled my empty drink glass.   Thankfully I could get my own food, but my self-service was the only service I received.   Now, I am not complaining; rather, this incident got me to thinking about us as Christians.   How often do we tell people how much we care … about the work we can do … about how much of a difference our message can make in ...

         When we look out into modern society, what do we see?   I would like to say that what I see is a world full of potential and possibility, but sometimes the things that catch my attention aren’t all that inspiring.   When I assess the world it is easy for me to spot the loneliness, the addictions, the homeless and the helplessness.   Now, while this can be distressing, I do find a little bit of comfort in the fact that I am in good company.   You see, that is what Jesus saw when He looked at those who surrounded Him.   In describing Jesus’ thoughts on His life and times Matthew observes, “ Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd. ” (Matthew 9:36).   While it would be easy to stop here and pretend to commiserate with Jesus, that’s not where Jesus’ statement ends.   As Jesus assessed the human condition, He saw it as a chanc...

         At the turn of the 20 th Century, Henry Flagler was creating civilization out of the harsh marshland known as Florida.  After having tamed (or at least tempering) the upper east coast of the peninsula he turned his attention to taking a railroad all the way to Key West.  If building a railroad on the sandy soil and water soaked mainland seem implausible, the idea of building it across the keys and water of extreme south Florida seemed ludicrous and the project soon became known as Flagler’s Folly.  While there were many doubters, the millionaire kept his eye on the prize with a simple but workable plan.  When asked how he planned on traversing the miles and miles of water between Miami and Key West he explained, “It is perfectly simple.  All you have to do is build one concrete arch and then and another, and pretty soon you find yourself in Key West.”.  Anyone who has driven the incredible highway known as A1A (which was ...

         Many of us who grew up in the bygone decades operated under the philosophy that if we worked hard and lived properly good things would happen to us.   I am not sure that the younger generations believe this – and their skepticism is understandable because too often it seems like evil is winning.   The rich keep getting richer because they do things their own way.   The world tends to reward those who are self-serving.   Often, the way things work out tends to be discouraging to the older people and serves to reinforce the fears of the youngsters.       While it is easy to become dismayed at the current state of affairs, for believers there is hope.   It might be tempting to believe these struggles were born in our lifetime, but the truth is that it has always been that way.   When King David analyzed his world he warned, “ Do not fret because of evildoers, be not envious toward wrongdoers. ...

          Have you ever asked your spouse to do you a favor – then got upset with them when they didn’t do it the way that you thought it should be done?  Have you ever asked for volunteers to accomplish a project, then complained because they didn’t do it the way that you would have done it?  While I can’t speak for everyone, on more than one occasion I have relied on the kindness of others only to become irritated when it wasn’t done the way I expected it to be done.  While it is okay to have preferences, we must be cautious that our preferences don’t get in the way of our graciousness.  Also, if we have a particular way we want something done, that’s fine and that’s our prerogative, but we should explain those parameters in the beginning.           Again, you may be so elated to have someone help you that this doesn’t apply to you, but for those of us who tend to be “picky” here are a couple ...

Have you ever heard the phrase, “There but by the grace of God go I”?  Ever thought about where it came from?  Well, tradition has it that these are the words of a 16 th Century minister named John Bradford.  According to one of his biographers, upon seeing a group of evil-doers being taken to a place of execution he would remind himself of his need to remain humble by exclaiming, “But for the grace of God there goes John Bradford”.  Interestingly, in 1555 Bradford was tried, condemned to death and burned for his own trespass.  His crime was that his beliefs differed from the established religion of the reigning monarchy. Have we ever thought about just how applicable this phrase is – not just in helping us remain humble, but also in promoting the forgiveness of others.  Have we ever thought out how close we have come to tragedy and ruin, but for some reason we have been spared?  Have you ever driven while distracted, but didn’t run over someone wh...

          Not long ago I was looking at the top of my desk and it looked like it was snowing yellow papers.   Scattered around my desk were several old sticky notes as well as old letters, books, a Diet Coke bottle and several bottle caps.   While I have never the been the neatest person in the world, one of the places this had become the most notable was on my desk.   The reason this caught my attention was a quote that I had seen from Audrey Thomas, “Clutter is a result of delayed decisions.”.   I had heard a lot of adages about clutter – everything from it being a sign of genius to it being a symbol of disarray, but as I reflected on her observation I got to thinking how true it was.   The reason for most of the clutter wasn’t (necessarily) that I was messy, it was that I just hadn’t followed through with what needed to be done with the items.   I hadn’t returned this phone call, I hadn’t filed that   letter, I hadn’t fini...