Think About It

          What should we do when someone makes a blatantly incorrect statement about us?   Some people might believe that, as spiritual people, we should just forgive them and ignore it, but is that irresponsible?   Others might advocate that we take an aggressive approach and destroy the creditably of the speaker so they won’t pull something like that again – and if they do, no one will believe them.   Like most things, I believe the proper response is somewhere in the middle:           When someone makes an unfounded comment about us we should: 1).   Confront the comment .   Ignoring inaccurate information can soil our reputation and start a snowball of misinformation.   Yes, we should seek to practice forgiveness and move on, but there are times we must meet falsehoods head on. 2).   Correct the comment with the truth .   We aren’t talking about op...

          Jesus was on a roll.   His disciples had just watched as He had been transfigured and joined by Elijah and Moses after which He was praised by a voice from heaven that proclaimed His status.   He had healed a boy who was possessed by a spirit.   Jesus was making an impact.   Yet it was within this setting that Jesus made a rather interesting statement, “If anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.” (Mark 9:26).   It wouldn’t be long before Jesus would take this message to the extreme when the Son of God would go to the cross to die the death of a criminal so that all mankind could be reconciled to God and saved from our sins.           We live in a time when it appears that the best way to get attention is the shout the loudest and make the most outlandish claims.   Our political leaders, sports stars, financial gurus and enter...

          Last weekend Jeane got the flu and was pretty miserable for a couple of days.  As you might imagine, she had all the signs – fever, sore throat, aches and just a feeling of yuckiness (yes, that is a medical term).  As I watched her deal with her symptoms I noticed something odd – I stared to feel the same things.  I am not sure if I was getting the flu or if I was merely experiencing some sort of companion symptoms.  I saw what she was experiencing and all of a sudden, I started coughing, feeling achy and had a loss of energy.           The reason I bring this up is not to report on our medical condition – we are fine – rather to ask a parallel question in our emotional and spiritual lives.  Since we live in a world that seems to struggle with things like discouragement, despair and anxiety are we mirroring those attributes in our lives?  If we believe in a God who is in cont...

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. ...