Think About It

Over the last several months I have been wrestling with an underlying feeling that I really couldn’t put my finger on. Sure, I could identify the concern that I felt when I was trying to understand a disease that appeared out of nowhere. I could also understand feeling discouraged by having to limit my travel and even the restrictions we were facing just going to the grocery stores or church. Yet, there was something more, something below the surface. After pondering it, I think I have figured it out – disappointment. I am feeling disappointed in “us”. No, I am not disappointed in “you” or “them”, I am disappointed in “us”! We are better than we have been behaving! We are better than allowing the wearing of masks divide our communities … we are better than calling each other names because of what our forefathers did … we are better than standing in the middle of the street yelling at each other about perceptions and perspectives … we are better than allowing mistrust to divide...

On January 24, 1848 a guy named James Wilson Marshall found a few flakes of gold in California’s American River near John Sutter’s Mill. This may not sound like news; but this seemingly insignificant discovery made a substantial difference in the history of the United States. When people back east heard about the discovery, there was a westward migration that resulted in what has been called California’s Gold Rush. Not only did the discovery change the landscape of California, it left its footprint (or more accurately, its wagon trails) all over the western half of the continent. I share this for more than a history lesson, I point it out to remind us that sometimes small things can have a huge impact. Just as Marshall’s discovery of an insignificant amount of gold influenced millions of people, so can other gems we find. No, I am not talking about valuable minerals, I am talking about positive character traits. When we publicly identify qualities such as peace, love, forgivenes...

“You can’t tell me what to do. You aren’t the boss of me!” Have you ever heard this? More importantly, have you ever said it? I imagine that during our sibling squabbles from days gone by we may have protested another child’s influence over us by saying this or something similar. During a time of childish independence, we advocated that we were going to be our own boss and we weren’t going to be bullied by anyone – much less those closest to us! Now, let’s fast-forward a few years and ask a very important question: do we still have this same type of hutzpah or have we become convinced that others are our bosses and do control what we believe or do? For a minute, let’s take this out of an employment setting and analyze it from other perspectives. Have we allowed our parents to determine what we could do with our lives? Have we permitted domineering friends or family members to limit our inquisitiveness or zeal for adventure? Have we cowered to a community expectation of what w...

One of my favorite parables of Jesus is called “The Parable Of The Mustard Seed”. In painting a word picture of the kingdom of God Jesus said, “It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the soil, though it is smaller than all the seeds that are upon the soil, yet when it is sown, it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and forms large branches; so that the birds of the air can nest under its shade.” (Mark 4:31-23). As I think about this parable, I imagine how one of the smallest of all seeds can grow into a substantial bush that not only perpetuates its own growth, but it provides protection for other species such as birds. If a mustard seed stays in its kernel form, it can be a snack for a bird to consume, but when it grows to its potential, it becomes something that keeps multiple birds safe and productive. It is easy to see the modern Christian church as small and insignificant, but when we do, we discount its value. Just as God saved the world from utte...

Jesus was having one of those days. He had recently learned abut the death of His kinsman and co-laborer, John the Baptist. He had been inundated by crowds of people who came to hear Him and have Him heal the sick. He’d had to problem-solve and feed thousands of people with five loaves and two fish. But, His most impressive accomplishment was still to come. So, what did He do? He loaded His disciples in a boat and, “After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray.” (Matthew 14:23). Then, He did the unimaginable – not only did He walk on water, He helped Peter stroll on the lake with Him! That’s a pretty full day! A lot of lessons have come from Matthew 14, but one that is often overlooked was Jesus’ need to spend some time in solitude and prayer. The Lord accomplished a lot, but He made sure to rejuvenate Himself to be ready for the next challenges in His life. We live in a noisy, busy time. We have convinced ourselves that we need to multitask. ...

Typically, when we get to this time of year, we have mixed emotions. A lot of parents are excited for their children to head back to school while many of the children are lamenting the loss of summer freedom. We are shopping for new clothes and school supplies. Many children are looking forward to exploring new grades and reconnecting with old friends. We are looking forward to fall sports – including the community event known as local High School football. Teachers are getting geared up for new challenges within the context of their familiar profession. Yeah, those were the good old days. With all the uncomfortableness of the unknowns of this school year, I know very few people looking forward to the beginning of this term. While all of us are being impacted by the pandemic, my heart really goes out to our teachers. Most of them are having to adapt to a changing climate on the fly – with minimal preparation, little comfort and limited confidence. If teaching weren’t hard eno...

  One of the questions that we are facing in modern times is about the survivability of Christianity.   If we listen to many of the doomsayers we would be led to expect that Christianity will go the way of the leisure suit and mullet haircut.   We are being told by some that because it doesn’t tolerate anything and everything that is should be done away with.   Others, who would like to hold on to the way we have done things in the past, lament the lack of support for their ways, so they predict that we are heading into oblivion.   While I am not overly optimistic that our churches are going to fill to overflowing in the next few years, I do not believe that Christianity is doomed.   Much of what we are seeing today is a social honesty that we haven’t had in the past (in other words, those who don’t want to have anything to do with Christianity are truthful about their feelings rather than masking it with a religious façade).   Yet, there is another,...