Think About It

                    At the beginning of last week I developed a bit of a stomach bug.   It really didn’t cause me much of an issue, but I didn’t really feel that great nor was I too excited about eating.   As the week progressed I started feeling better and by the time Thursday rolled around, I was ready for the day’s activities.   In fact, there was a bonus in not feeling great earlier in the week, when Thanksgiving came I wasn’t too concerned about feeling stuffed before enjoying the meal!             In all reality last week’s episode had an impact on me.   The last time I had these symptoms was prior to being hospitalized in May.   I was never really concerned that last week’s symptoms would produce the same result, but it did remind me that I hadn’t been doing everything I should have been doing for good heart health.    I ca...

          Booker T. Washington was born in Virginia during the waning years of American slavery.   Washington would have been a small child when the Emancipation Proclamation was issued, but he came of age during the post-slavery era of the South.   While his social and political theories were not embraced by everyone (even his own contemporaries) he became a leader in education and economic reform.   I recently came across an interesting quote that transcends his life and times of the early 20 th Century, “No race can prosper till it learns that there is as much dignity in tilling a field as in writing a poem.”.   I am somewhat leery in quoting this statement because of the potential backlash about the times in which it was written; however, I think its value transcends the potential criticism.   I believe that this observation is just as important in the 21 st Century as it was 100 years ago.   Societies ha...

          I really enjoy Thanksgiving – I mean how can you go wrong with food, friends, food, family, food, football and food?  It doesn’t get much better than that!            In reality, there is another reason I like Thanksgiving and it has nothing to do with the meal(s).  What emotion is more deserving to be celebrated than the decision to give thanks?  We spend so much of our lives wanting more and hoping for things we don’t have, so when we get the chance to reverse that trend and focus on being appreciative, we should not only practice it, we should enjoy it!            There is yet another reason I like this day – it is one of the few days of the year when religion gets to come into the spotlight.  I realize that Thanksgiving is not traditionally listed as a “religious holiday”, but think about it ... it is designed to be a time wh...

          The other day I got to thinking about the number of people I have known who stepped away from a position, then complained about how their replacement did (or didn’t do) their job.  Unfortunately (for my ego), I got to thinking about the number of times I have quit a job or an organization, then negatively critiqued my replacement.  As I reflected on this all-too-human response, I came up with two thoughts.  First, if I am fussing about how someone is doing the job I left, why did I leave that job in the first place?  If I thought I could do it better, why didn’t I stick it out and make it all it could have been under my leadership?  When I leave – especially if I leave someone in a lurch – I forfeit my right to complain.  My second thought may have been a bit more painful because it reminded me of a delinquency in my life.  If I leave a position and there is no one in the wings to replace me, whose fault is that?...

          When we think about the diversity of spiritual ministries we often conjure up a thought written by the Apostle Paul who told the early Christians in Ephesus, “ And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ ...” (Ephesians 4:11-12).  While there is no debating that individuals who fit these descriptions are ministers of God, have we ever thought that this might not be an exhaustive list?  In fact, this might just be the beginning of job descriptions that can be used to promote the cause of Christ.  What about nurses – can Christian nurses help heal people’s bodies and souls at the same time?  How about police officers – can they enforce the laws that keep us safe as well as lay the foundation for justice and mercy in their ...

The other day I was listening to an old bluegrass gospel song by Bill Monroe and Doc Watson called “What Would You Give In Exchange For Your Soul?”.   While the vocals are haunting, the words cut right to the heart of mankind’s challenge – what are we willing to risk to maintain our own self-centered life?   This song has its roots in a lesson that Jesus taught that culminated in the challenge, “ For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?   For what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Mark 8:36-37).   While most of us would like to profess that our spiritual salvation is the most important thing in our lives, we have to ask if that is really true.   As I pondered this question, I got to considering the temptations many people face and came up with just a few: 1.   Financial security :   How many people are willing to break the law to gain material wealth?   Maybe a better question is how many of us ar...

         It was on a Friday fifty-six years ago that the history of our nation was changed.   On November 22, 1963 President John Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas.   This event touched our nation’s heart and set in motion a series of events that would define the years to come.   I believe that advancement in things like space travel and civil rights legislation can trace a portion of their history through that moment in Dealey Plaza.   Those gunshots ended a life, but from them a legacy was born.             There was another Friday that changed history.   In the springtime of the First Century Jesus was crucified.   It can be argued that this is the darkest day in the history of mankind, but in spite of loss of life an incredible legacy began.   The events that produced the crucifixion of Jesus put into motion what would become Christianity and would bring about sa...