Think About It

Much of the country has been dealing with warm temperatures this week.   While this is not, necessarily, cause for shock (after all, it is mid-to-late July) the expectation of hot weather doesn’t always make us feel good.   In fact, this heat wave has caused many people to lament the weather – and some may have described it in not so kind words.   One way that people tend to describe hot weather is by comparing it to hell.   In fact, in frustration, some might even proclaim that the temperatures of last week exceeded the temperatures in hell.   While that might be an attempt at a hyperbole, it isn’t accurate – and I believe it can be misleading!   You see hell isn’t unpleasant, it is unbearable!   Hell isn’t something that lasts for a few days or weeks, it is eternal.   Hell cannot be mitigated by finding indoor air conditioning or an outdoor water park, it cannot be escaped. There are some things that tend to get a bad reputation because of ho...

If you are familiar with the overall theme of the Old Testament, you are probably aware of the multiple storylines that occupy its pages.   The start of the Old Testament contains the story of the beginning the world and the fall of man.   Much of the material deals with the selection of Israel as a redeeming nation and the avenue through which God would go to provide a Savior.   The history of Israel has its ups and downs where during one era the nation is flying high as God’s chosen people then, in the next, they are being disciplined for losing their focus.   Interestingly, it is during this time when we see that the Jews not only struggled with their relationship with God, they also lost sight of the commitment to decency.   In fact, in justifying His involvement with the Jews the Lord cited His disapproval by how they had ignored His commands, but interestingly is wasn’t just their worship He didn’t like.   In working through a prophet Jehovah reminde...

Pretty early last Sunday morning I was in one of our local gas stations/convenience stores when I overheard a discussion behind me.  One person had parked his oversized pickup in a handicapped parking space and another person decided to make some comment about it in the middle of the store where everyone else could hear it.  As you might expect, the driver had a “witty” retort back to what had been said to him, which led to the other person adding his emotion-fueled reaction to what was said.  There were at least a half a dozen people in the store and, if they were like me, they felt uncomfortable about these two strangers going after each other – airing their intense personal feelings where the rest of us could hear them.  As I walked away from the store I got to thinking about what that whole exchanged accomplished and my conclusion was “nothing” (well, other than making two people irritated and several others feel awkward).  While I believe there was definit...

When is the best time to make the most appropriate decisions about how we are going to handle a potentially damaging situation?   I am sure that the majority of us would respond that the best time to prepare for potential consequences is before we find ourselves in that situation.   Now, having established this foundation, let’s take it out of the theoretical and apply it to the practical.   When is the best time to prepare for an immoral enticement – when we are in the middle of the temptation or before we even get into that situation?   Most of us logically know that we are apt to fail if we find ourselves “reacting” to temptations, but if we either pre-plan for or avoid the situation in the first place we will be safer.   If we feel sexually attracted to a co-worker, we’d be better off not being alone with them.   If we are apt to take money from the till at work, we had better have some sort of accounting system in place to make sure we stay honest. ...

On May 25, 2961 President John F. Kennedy addressed the United States Congress with his vision for the American space program.   In his speech he noted, “ I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before  this decade  is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the Earth.”.   A little later in his speech he addressed the national challenge by noting, “But in a very real sense, it will not be one man going to the Moon – if we make this judgment affirmatively, it will be an entire nation. For all of us must work to put him there.”.   I imagine those who initially heard his speech were fascinated with his optimism if not overwhelmed by his timetable.   As we look back this through the lens of history there are two dates that seem to resonate with this speech:   November 22, 1963 – the date of his assassination and July 16, 1969 – the date Apollo 11 was launched toward the moon.   It would be jus...

Throughout history mankind has struggled with our appreciation of the value of others.   Some people have overrun other nations, enslaving them and treating them like second class citizens.   Some societies have established a caste system in which levels of people are treated differently by others and by society as a whole.   Still other people have developed a nationalistic perspective which tends to view all other nations as inferior to their own.   In all honesty, our nation has struggled with many of these issues through the years, but it isn’t just us ... people have wrestled with this since Day One. We might think that God’s people would be immune to this type of reasoning, but since we are people, we are going to be tempted.   Sure, we rationally know that there is a natural equality in mankind, but when it comes to actually walking our walk, it can be a struggle.   From time to time it is a good idea to go back and take a look at some fundamental...

The older I get the more frustrating it can be.   Come on, why doesn’t everyone know what I know?   I mean how difficult can it be – I am not the brightest bulb in the box and if I know what is right and wrong, why shouldn’t everyone know it! Okay, hopefully you are still with me after that rant – I hope so because I now want to explain my point.   Have we ever looked around us and wondered why people don’t get it?   Why don’t they know that something is in conflict with God’s Word?   How can they not see that what they are doing is socially (or morally) unacceptable?   Well, maybe the reason is that no one has taken the time to teach them.   I was raised by caring parents.   I grew up in churches that were proactive in training in righteousness.   I have been a part of communities that wanted me to be successful, so they helped me to establish appropriate perimeters to help me reach my potential.   However, not everyone was blessed w...