Think About It

When I was a youngster in the 1960s and 1970s, there were a few things you could count on.  First of all, Walter Cronkite was going to be reporting the news every weeknight on CBS and second, there was going to be one major league baseball game on NBC every Saturday afternoon. It was not like it is today when you can pick and choose what games you want to watch, you just watched whatever was on because – well, because that was what was on.  I spent many a Saturday afternoon with Curt Gowdy, Tony Kubeck and my personal favorite Joe Garagiola.  I liked Garagiola because he was almost as funny as he was knowledgeable.  I leaned such gems as, “There is no defense against a base on balls.” and “The wind always seems to blow against catchers when they are running.”  Yet, maybe my favorite baseball quote from him was, “Not only was I not the best catcher in the Major Leagues, I wasn’t even the best catcher on my street!” – this really makes sense when you realize that...

          Have you noticed how easy it is to tell people what to do?  In all honesty, it isn’t all that difficult to understand what we should be doing to be lawful – and even to be moral and spiritual – nor is it very difficult to express to people what they should be doing.  At times, we can even conjure up the strength to tell people that their own personal actions and beliefs are mislead (if not just flat out wrong).  Oh, and by the way, this has become even easier through social media because we can critique them without even having to face them.  The problem isn’t knowing what to do, it is doing what we are supposed to be doing.  While it pretty easy to have information, it becomes much more difficult to put it into practice.            I believe that, as Christians, we have a responsibility to help others improve their lives, but this begins with showing them how they are suppos...

One of the most often heard pleas over the past few months has been a call for change.  As we look back throughout history, this shouldn’t surprise us – it is a recurring theme.  Sometimes the call comes from a political party, other times it comes from those hoping to seek social change; there are even times when it comes from a group wanting to reform religion.  As the old adage says, “Change is inevitable”.  While the call to change is nothing new – nor is it always bad – there is one primary element that must be addressed in change and that is, for it to be effective, it must make things better.  Change, for change sake, is just change.  Changing things in a way that elevates actions or raises morays; now that is something worth exploring.  The temptation is to base change on agendas; however, what is really needed is true growth and development. The reason for addressing this issue is as a reminder that if we want any kind of change to be signi...

          When I was younger, Father’s Day wasn’t nearly as popular as Mother’s Day.   While moms would get flowers and nice cards, dads typically got a tie or whatever gadget happened to be sitting in the most obvious place in the retail store.   Since I know very few fathers who wear ties any more, I am not sure what the go-to gift is these day, but I don’t think it really matters because I can’t ever remember hearing a father complain about they did or didn’t get on Father’s Day.   In fact, come to think of it, I don’t know that I recall any gift I got my dad, but I do remember a couple he gave me ... and I’d like to share a few of them with you.           First, my dad provided me with the example of being vulnerable.    This may seem a little odd – but, I can explain it.   My folks went through some pretty serious challenges when we were children and, while th...

Over the last few weeks, I have thought a lot about my grandparents during the 1960s.   The country they had grown up in, the nation they had help build, was changing – for better or for worse.   Many of the values that had shaped their worldview were being questioned.   Yet, maybe the most challenging part of their lives was that they weren’t as young as they used to be.   They were grandparents, they were approaching retirement.   They may have still been in decision-making roles, but they could easily see a time when they would be delegated to a secondary role in someone else’s world.   What some people called an exciting new world probably scared my grandparents to death!           As I thought about my ancestors, I got to thinking about me and my role in the coming world.   At my age, I still feel that I have something to offer, but I am also facing the reality that things are changing.   On one...

Can you imagine walking through a valley knowing that your enemy is on either side of the hillsides lying in wait for you?  Think about how troubling it might be knowing that your adversaries have the advantage.  Not only can they see you, but if they choose to descend, they would be able to go downhill more quickly than you could find your own hiding place.  From their higher position they have a superior position.  While this may seem scary, I would like you to take a look at it from a different perspective – rather than feeling vulnerable, I would like you to feel invincible!  Imagine what it would be like to have no fear, knowing that you could not be defeated.  Now you are a force to be reckoned with, the biggest baddest force in the valley has your back!           You might be reading this and wondering where in the world it is coming from – but, when you think about it, it is a pretty common thought for...

          Do we make people guess about what we expect from them?  The recent decisions we have been required to make in light of the pandemic have reminded me how import information is to us.  With the changes and amendments to changes that have been handed down by government have usually come with details about the changes as well as guidance as to what those changes entail.  No, they don’t answer all the questions (and the information they provide may not be what we have wanted to hear), but all in all – at least in our part of the world – the government has done a pretty good job about telling us what was and wasn’t allowed.            As I got to thinking about this, it got me to wondering if I have been as clear to others about what I expect from them as I could have been or should have been.  I can assume that my wife knows what I am thinking, but does she?  We might expect cert...