Think About It

I know that I am going to upset some people with what I am about to say, but I am going to go ahead and say it ... staying at home does not make us heroes!    The other day when I heard someone advocate that we can act heroically by staying home, it just struck me the wrong way.   Does staying at home make us good neighbors?   Yes!   Can it help save lives?   Probably!   But not doing something isn’t what makes heroes.   Heroes are those who go out of their way to do something extraordinary.   They risk their lives or their reputations to promote something they believe in.   Doing the right thing doesn’t make us heroes – it makes us … right. There are a couple of reasons for me writing this.   First, I believe that heroism should be reserved for those who have earned it.   Those medical folks who risk their own personal health to treat others, they are heroes.   Those first responders who are willing to risk their lives...

The older I get and the more I watch the world, the more I appreciate Fred Rogers.  In days gone by, the man who was at the heart of Mr. Rogers Neighborhood and the inspiration for Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood may have seemed out of step with the “real” world.  He was soft-spoken, he didn’t draw attention to himself through slapstick comedy, nor would he demean or over exaggerate the role children played in the family or in the world.  He didn’t use bright lights and flashy graphics to teach his lessons, he merely played the role of the trusted adult in the lives of his television neighborhood.  I believe that history is kinder to Mr. Rogers than his contemporaries were to him.  During his popularity he was often portrayed as being out-of-step with society and distanced from reality, yet he remained true to his values and beliefs.  Not only was Fred Rogers perceptive as to what it took to reach children, he also had great insight into life.  I came a...

As I begin this thought for today, I want to make a few comments.  First of all, I am thankful for the job I have.  I am grateful for the insight of the leadership I work with, the congregation that allows me to utilize my talents and the community that supports our work.  I am thankful for the partnerships within the church that work so hard to do good works.  I am blessed. Now, having said all of that, I am concerned for many of my fellow ministers during this time of crisis – and beyond.  Not only is the stress of living in today’s environment got everyone’s world turned upside down, these ministers are in the midst of the chaos trying to do the best they can.  Many of them face uncertain financial futures because of the loss of church contributions.  Many of them have had to learn new and uncomfortable forms of technology in just a matter of weeks. (Imagine having spent decades speaking to auditoriums occupied by dozens or hundreds of people and...

How do you remember April 20?  For some, 4/20 is remembered as Adolph Hitler’s birthday and others will never forget what happened on April 20, 1999 at Columbine High School.  It was a day on which, 100 years ago, almost 250 people were killed by tornadoes in Alabama, Tennessee and Mississippi.  Others of us remember it as a day of mourning for our neighbor, South Dakota Governor George Mickelson, who was killed the day before in a plane crash in 1993.  How will this April 20 th be remembered – probably as one more day in isolation from the COVID-19 virus. In all honestly, because of all the negatives attached to it, April 20 is not my favorite day of the year, but it still comes each and every year.  So, what am I supposed to do with it?  I can’t ignore it and life is too short to lament it – so how do I make the most of this day?  Well, the wise King David gave us a hint, “This is the day which the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it...

I have spent more time watching and listening to myself over the last few weeks than I have in the past several years combined.   In preparing for our online services and classes I have had to edit a lot of audio and video.   While I always knew I wasn’t perfect, I have gained a new appreciation for how fallible I am.   As I have edited, I have become more aware of my stutters, pauses, mispronunciations and those times when I just don’t make a lot of sense.   In all honesty, I will be glad when we get back to being live and in person. As I thought about my own self-critiquing, I got to thinking about the Apostle Paul.   Here is a guy that was at the top of his profession, but assessed his imperfection by stating, “ Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?” (Romans 7:24).   It appears that the closer he got to God, the further he found himself from being where he hoped to be.   Given my recent experiences with se...

          Have you noticed how easy it is to be afraid in today’s world?   There appears to be danger all around us.   Whether it is civil unrest, violence in the streets, natural disasters or disease; we are surrounded by all kinds of evil and hardships.   This has been compounded by the shrinking world where we not only know what is going on in our backyard, but we are fully aware of what is happening on the other side of the planet.   In years gone by we only had to worry about what was in our own little corner of the world, now we have to defend our peace of mind from everyone else’s issues.   Through the years we have placed our hope in the security of business and the advancements of science, now even those “certainties” are in jeopardy.   Yes, it is easy to be afraid.           While there is bad news all around us, there is one thing that continues to provi...

           As we look back at the 20 th Century there are few men who had as much of an impact as did Henry Ford.   Not only was he the father of the line of Ford automobile products, he was also one of the masterminds behind the mechanization of American industry.   Henry Ford deserves the accolades that comes from his business prowess, but the other day I came across a couple of quotes that shows his insight as well.   Ford is quoted as saying, “ If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself. ”.   While that is pretty observant, I was even more impressed by this statement, “ Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success.”.  Ford’s trademark was his assembly line concept – which could have been viewed as being limited by the slowest or most ineffective cog in the industrial wheel, but he preferred to see what is possible when people are willing to work to...