Think About It

In preparation of an upcoming holiday trip to West Virginia I have started reading about the Hatfields and McCoys. Now, for you West Virginians who might take offense to being painted with the same brush as the two families, please let me explain. For years, our family has been regaled with stories about how our family had a presence in Logan County, West Virginia back in the day, so I thought I’d start to do a little research and where better to start than with some of the most studied families in United States history. I am just beginning my reading, but I have already learned a couple of things. First, understanding the feud between the Hatfields and McCoys is tough because of the number of people involved – some of whom were related to the principle families on both sides of the conflict. Yet, I think the most important thing I have learned is that feuds aren’t necessarily fueled by incidents, that comes from a lack of forgiveness for the incidents. Especially early in this f...

Several years ago, I heard someone say that it is impossible to multi-task. Their point was that our brains can really only focus on one thing at a time so, while we can get pretty good at shifting gears, we can only have one primary thing going on in our minds at a time. I wasn’t an early advocate of this philosophy (probably because I prided myself on being able to keep several things juggled at one time), but the more I thought about it, the more I believed it to be true. We can only have one priority at a time, so when we are busy with a lot of tasks, we are actually taking time away from our priorities. Now, you might want to argue about the possibility of multi-tasking, but the reason I bring this up is not to debate, but rather to discuss prioritizing. Dealing with multiple things all at once is possible, it is not productive because it diverts our attention away from the other things – the important things. If we are going to be the best we can be, we have to be willin...

What is the role of the church in today’s society? While it might be tempting to consider this previous question and answer “Well, no duh, it is to preach the gospel of Jesus”, but the point of the question centers around our willingness to do this rather than get distracted by everything else going on in the world. Through the years, Christianity has wrestled with its place in the world – often getting dragged into the political and social arenas – and today’s world is no different. It is easy (and fun) to view the church as a place to argue which candidate most represents us or whether mask-wearing is a religious responsibility or if churches should demand constitutional rights, but we must remember that these are not our primary functions. Do they deserve to be discussed – probably, but they are not the function of the Lord’s Church! That focus should go hand-in-hand with our Lord and Leader’s comment, “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” (Luke...

December 7, 1941 … a date which will live in infamy. Most of us are familiar with this quote from President Franklin Roosevelt, but have you ever thought about the impact the event and the statement had on our nation? The attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii and the call to action shaped our nation for years to come. The dedication to overcoming this obstacle gave the U. S. a reason to defeat tyranny and a battle cry to build on. Much like the way the phrase “Remember The Alamo” inspired Texans; the mention of December 7 focused Americans. People who have overcome hardships are those who were willing to confront the challenges head-on. They didn’t back away, nor were they content to allow others to go into battle for them. They took a stand and dedicated their lives to make a difference. There are several challenges facing our communities today – some of them are health-related, others are spiritual and quite a few are moral. The challenge is standing right in front of us, are we ...

The other day I was doing some research on a quote and it led me to an interesting discovery. The quote is “A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still.”. Several people have utilized this quote, but maybe the best known is Dale Carnegie in his book, “How To Win Friends And Influence People”. As I bounced around in cyberspace I landed on a site called “Universal Ethics” that appears to be hosted by Arthur de Leyssac. The reason I am going to this much effort to cite my source is because I believe that someone with a good idea deserves to be recognized. On their site I saw this quote, “A public debate might convince the audience but it generally won't convince the opposing debater. If you really want to convince a specific person rather than an audience, do it in a one-on-one conversation, don't do it in public, and treat it as a joint initiative for discovery rather than a contest.”. The author goes on to say that sometimes people aren’t interested in ch...

Do we ever struggle with things getting done, just not being done in the way we want them done? The goal is reached, it is just that the path that was taken wasn’t the one we would have followed. Maybe you aren’t as petty as am I, but I have to admit that there are times when I get bent out of shape because people didn’t do things my way. If I were to be even more honest, sometimes I get into a snit because someone else gets the spotlight – even for things that are my primary responsibility. When I get to this point, I need to remember a couple of things – one is corny and the other is Scripture. First of all, I need to keep in mind that there is no “I” in “TEAM”. Yes, I realize that this is kind of cliché, but it is also true. When we are all working toward the same ultimate goal, it really shouldn’t matter who gets the credit or makes the accomplishment. Yet, maybe the most powerful lesson comes from the Apostle Paul who was humble enough to accept that even if things were do...

Forty-one years ago, I had a steak dinner; then a chocolate milkshake and a cherry pie for dessert. I believe I was wearing a pair of cream-colored pants, a brown Qiana shirt and my best cowboy boots. I spent the majority of the evening watching the Nutcracker Ballet and a good portion of the rest of the evening at McDonalds. Now, if you know me, you realize I have trouble remembering what I did yesterday; so how can I recall with detail what I was doing over four decades ago? Well, it was my first date with Jeane. That date (the event, not just December 2) is such an important part of my life that it is stamped in my memory! I am not the most sentimental person around, but every December 2nd I try to take a minute and remember the excitement of that night. Sure, we have had our challenges along the way, but my life was forever changed for the better on that night and I am thankful for it! We live in an era where we seek out things that are bigger and better. Unfortunately, ...