Think About It

For a lot of people yesterday was an odd day – nah, let’s call it what it was ... it was weird!   Typically churches swell during Easter services almost as much as the restaurants do for their noon buffets.   It is common to see children running around looking for hidden plastic eggs that contain melting chocolate or cold, hard cash.   Neighbors greet neighbors as they begin yard work in earnest (well, that is unless you live in the Northern Plains where neighbors meet neighbors clearing the sidewalks from the drifts dropped by the overnight blizzard).    Yep, yesterday it was eerily quiet.   While the social element of Easter might have been missing yesterday, there was at least a comfortable feeling in the theme of the resurrection of Jesus.   No, we may not have been able to worship together in the same building, but many of us shared the common spirit of an adoration of the One who overcame death.   In reality, the thing that unites those w...

          Charles Dickens begins his classic book, “A Tale Of Two Cities” with the following statement, “ It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness ...”.   Now, I have to be honest with you – that’s about all I can tell you about the work, but this introduction to his book provides an interesting segue into our discussion of what has been called “Good Friday”.     If there ever was an oxymoron it would have to be this religious term used to describe the day Jesus was crucified.   On first blush, anyone would be hard pressed to find anything “good” in the day that featured the torture and political murder of Jesus.   Literally, it was the worst of times.   Our Lord was stripped of His clothes and His dignity.   He was the subject of brutal physical and emotional abuse.   He was ridiculed – not just by those who hated Him – but also by t...

          What would you tell people if you knew that you were not going to be around the next day?   I figure that few of us will get the opportunity to plan our last words, but if we could – what would they be?   Interestingly, there is a story in the Bible where this is the case.   I am sure that Jesus knew that His demise was imminent the evening He gathered His disciples together for what has been called “The Last Supper”.   As we look at the events of that evening, one of the things that stands out to me is the lack of deep theology.   Jesus didn’t spend His time trying to explain the mysteries of religion, rather He focused on such common topics as service, love and peace.   In one of the most comforting passages anywhere in the Bible Jesus promises , “ Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.” ...

Not long after our children left home our last pet – a cat named Oreo – left home as well.  I have had dogs for most of my life and we have had other types of pets and livestock throughout the years (including a horse, a pig, rabbits and a guinea pig named Orson); but with the disappearance of Oreo, Jeane put the kibosh on any more pets – well, with one exception.  I am allowed to have fish.  We have an aquarium of tropical fish at the house and I have three betas (aka Siamese fighting fish) at my office named Larry, George and Michael.  While I think a single tank with all three fish in it would look cool, I realize that these guys would not get along with each other.  From what I understand about male betas, they would fight to the death and I wouldn’t have three fish anymore.  Since I like all three of my fish, I keep them in three separate tanks and everyone seems to be content. Now, the reason I am introducing you to my fish is to relate another obs...

           As Christians, d o we ever feel like the world is out to get us?  Do we get this feeling that society, governments, unbelievers ... or any one of a number of other people ... are trying to bully us into backing down?   I do my best to try to stay positive about things like this and try not to join in with the negativity that is so easy spread, but if the truth were known, I would have to admit that there are some people out to destroy the Christian lifestyle.  While this may be the reality, there is another side to it – this is nothing new – God’s people have always been the subject to loudmouth detractors.  The fact that it exists isn’t what’s important, that is reserved for the question, “What are we going to do about it?”.            Most of us are familiar with the story of David and Goliath where the big meanie said awful things to the Israelite army.  He...

I have written a lot of articles about a lot of things, but I am not sure I have ever tackled the subject of bathroom tissue.   However, I am not sure that bathroom tissue (or TP as it is commonly called by some of us less forward folks) has ever been in the news as much as it has been recently.   For whatever reason, whenever a crisis hits, bread and TP are typically the first things to fly off of the shelves – and the pandemic has not any different than any of the others.   While many things are making a comeback to the store shelves, bathroom tissue is still a scarcity.   Now the reason I am writing about this subject is to say that we have come to appreciate it even more when it is scarce.   Few of us would have given this everyday item a second thought a month ago when it was in ample supply, but now, we have come to treasure it.   Have you thought about just how true this is in so many aspects of our lives?   In war, we appreciate peace. ...

          I am missing a couple of important things these days.   The first one is my sense of humor – there just doesn’t seem to be much levity these days.   The other one is baseball.   I have always enjoyed this time of year because it was the beginning of the baseball season when hope sprang eternal.   Well, rather than fuss about what I can’t change, I decided to try to help out by combining a little frivolity with baseball and who better to do that than Yogi Berra!   Berra wasn’t a bad ballplayer, but he was an even better character.   He was known for classic Yogisms such as, “Baseball is 90% mental and the other half is physical.” and “A nickel ain’t worth a dime anymore.”   As I was reviewing some of Yogi’s gems I came across one that was more honest than humorous.   At one point he is credited as saying, “I tell the kids, somebody’s gotta win, somebody’s gotta lose.   Just don’t fight a...