Think About It

Does it seem like the world is spinning out of control?  Rather than drawing closer together it feel likes we find ourselves becoming more divided.  The more we write and talk, the more conflict there seems to be.  It seems like the more we walk along our way the further our paths divide.  I realize that this probably isn’t true, but it just doesn’t feel like we are making progress on the things that are divisive.  Is there any hope for us or those who are going to come after us? The other day I came across a biblical passage that seems to shed a little light on our dilemma.  You see, it may not be that we haven’t found the right answer – the issue might be in identifying the correct problem.  Rather than searching for inclusiveness and tolerance, the proper target should be love and selflessness.  Centuries ago, a religious leader wrote, “ For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing.” (James 3:16)...

          Have you noticed how easy it is to blame our spiritual problems on others?   When we feel disenfranchised with the local church, it is easy to blame them for not being caring.   When we feel distanced from other Christians, it is easy to criticize them for not reaching out to us.   When we stop attending worship, it is easy to feel disheartened when few people notice that we are gone.           While there is value in having close relationships with other Christians and it is great to have support from like-minded believers, there is only one person to blame when things aren’t going well – and that us.   I believe we need to participate in interactive Christian fellowship, but at the end of the day, our spiritual journey is our own personal decision.   We have to be the ones to make the commitment to see it through.   It is nice when people are there to s...

I was recently faced with a challenging situation.   This was one of those issues where there was not a clear and correct answer.   Each option had positive and negative points.   In an effort to gain insight I was encouraged to go out and solicit the opinions of several people I trusted.   I am still not sure where I fall on the issue, but I did learn something about complicated decision-making: 1.   To gain the best advice, present all sides of the discussion .   During my quest, it was tempting to merely tell people of the positive points that supported my position at the time (which vacillated from time to time).   I came to realize that if I wanted the best advice, I’d better present things in the most unbiased way possible. 2.   Emotions don’t add to clarity .   I wish I could be free from emotional entanglement, but I understand that even Mr. Spock struggled with this this.   It became very apparent to me that emotions were s...

For years, it seemed like morality was pretty easy.  While not everyone did what was perceived to be right, there seemed to be an agreed-on system of morays. That previous statement just seems to flow out of our minds harkening back to the golden age of behavior.  It sounds good – but in all honesty I am not really sure it was true.  However, even if it was, we live in a time where morals are not so cut-and-dried.  If there ever was a time when a majority of the people agreed on what was “right”, we have moved into a new generation where morals are fluid and standards are debatable.  At first blush, this may seem like a negative, but is it?  In a sense, we have been led to belief that morality is now a “thinking man’s game”.  We cannot merely rely on the traditions (either good or bad) from days gone by, nor can we accept all the cutting-edge changes being proposed by a society less influenced by past social norms.  When it comes to true morali...

Police officers arrested for homicide ... school staff dismissed for inappropriate contact with students ... prosecutors charged with driving while intoxicated ... ministers convicted of embezzlement ... doctors accused of over prescribing opioids.   It wouldn’t take much looking on social media or on news outlets to find these headlines.   On one hand, we might wish that someone would merely report on the good things the folks in these professions were doing, but, the most basic desire is that these headlines would go away because people stopped doing them!   Sure, sometimes someone with a personal agenda falsely accuses good people and other times an entity with an axe to grind will over-report these incidences, but in all honesty when these types of thing happen, they should be addressed and our communities should be informed.            The reason I bring up these sensitive topics is that the best way to deal with these ...

As we read through the news these days there are a lot of opinions, but one fact is for certain – honesty has taken a hit.  Whether it is in the national debate or in the simple world of interpersonal relationships we are struggling with telling the truth.  There are times the truth is sacrificed for political or financial gain, then there are other times it is avoided to spare the feelings of our friends, family and neighbors.  Either way, we are tempted to either overtly lie or cover up the truth with a “fib”; but the fact is that honesty is not always the premier policy. While the ability to tell the truth should be simple, it doesn’t always work that way.  So, how can we be more truthful?  Here are a few suggestions: 1.  Know the truth before speaking .  There are some people who blatantly lie about things, but often truth is sacrificed at the expense of speculation or innuendo.  Before we make a comment, let’s know the facts. 2.  ...

Christopher Columbus is one of the more controversial people of our time.  For some, he is an international hero who opened up trade routes between Europe and the rest of the world.  To others, especially our Native American friends and neighbors, he has come to symbolize violence and greed.  Either way – love him or hate him – he was instrumental in changing the world. I am not here to debate the good or the bad of Columbus, rather to make a comment about vision and a willingness to pursue it.  Columbus’ request for funding was not simple nor were his voyages easy, but he had a vision for what he wanted to accomplish and the drive to make it happen.  Some might question his motives, but his commitment is evident. What do we want to do in life?  Have we even thought about the impact we want to have?  And, if so, have we developed the fortitude to make it happen?  Some people never dream ... others dream but never try ... yet the ones who leav...