Think About It

One of the most reliable things in life is “nostalgia”.   As a youngster I remember sitting around listening to previous generations talking about how things used to be in “good old days”.   When I listened to them recall bygone days I was struck by the fact that they thought that both things and people were so much better back then.   I have to admit that as a younger I was often offended by their perception of how shallow and godless my generation had become.   Interestingly, now that I am older, I share their temptation to see things through the rose colored glasses of reminiscence.   The problem with nostalgia is multi-layered.   First, it probably isn’t true.   Our memories are often faulty or fuzzy.   The second problem with nostalgia is that it cannot be shared by anyone other than those of our generation.   When we spend too much time looking backwards we naturally alienate up-and-coming generations.   The other day I was read...

          Have you ever been dealing with an issue and tried to figure out why it happened?   Maybe it was a struggle that seemed to come out of nowhere or a bad choice that you repented of (and made amends for), but the consequences keep having to be paid.   It could have been continuing unemployment (or having to endure a job you just hate).   Maybe it is an illness or the dissolution of a close relationship.   Often we believe that if we could just figure out “why” we feel like we could move on closer to resolution and restoration.   While this may seem to make logical sense, I am convinced that there are some things that happen to us that we’ll never understand.   We may never be able to find a logical connection between an event and our concerns – so what do we do then?           Not long ago I was reading some thoughts from the Apostle Paul when I came across...

          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...