Think About It

One of the things I haven’t heard too much about this year is the commercialization of Christmas. Maybe it is because I haven’t been in as many retail stores as I typically am this time of year or maybe it is because people are doing more online shopping, but the typical lamentations aren’t as prevalent this year. I really believe that fewer people are stressed by the typical holiday issues – multiple holiday parties, finding space for all the presents under the tree, how to fit all the family and a few close friends around a table in our dining rooms – but, could there be another reason … maybe even a more mature one? Could it be that we are realizing that stuff is not as important as other things in our lives? We aren’t fretting about getting the perfect present because we are so focused on maintaining the gift of health. We aren’t stressing out over how many people will be gathering at the house this year because we are saddened that we can’t all be together. We aren’t as busy...

It was on this date in 1917 that the 18th Amendment to the United States Constitution was passed and sent to the states for ratification. For those of you who might not remember, the 18th Amendment ushered in Prohibition. For the next several years, much of the use of alcohol was regulated by the government. This created quite a stir until it was repealed by the 21st Amendment on December 5, 1933. While you might look at the preceding paragraph and think we are going to be talking about alcohol, I want to take this in a bit of different direction and talk about influence. The Prohibition Era brought together two viable (and powerful) influences: government and social morality. The decade and a half challenged the limits of government and the power of the people. As I look back on this footnote in our nation’s history a couple of things come to mind: First, government legislation can’t make something either “right” or “wrong”. Sure, it can make things “legal” and “illegal” (and...

We throw around a lot of religious words – some of which society understands others are a bit more obscure. Typically, people grasp the concepts of faith, forgiveness and peace – and many even capture the nuances of love. Yet, there is another word that many people tend to misunderstand, and that mix-up has caused quite a bit of confusion. The word is the antichrist. Often, when people imagine the antichrist, they either envision some mythical monster with 666 tattooed on their forehead or an evil influence armed with the purpose and power of destroying the God’s people. Yet, when we look at the New Testament use of the phrase, the imagery is a bit less intimidating, but a lot more deceptive. The word “antichrist” is used exclusively in the writings of John (in I and II John) and is applied both singularly and plural. It is used of those who will come the future, as well as those who were influencing the world during John’s day. Yet, maybe one of the most significant applica...

Not long ago, I heard a friend of mine use a phrase in a sermon – weasel words. I won’t give you the whole modern definition of the term, but basically it is language we use so that we can “weasel” out of things in the future. For example, we might tell someone that “We might try to do something with them (or for them).”. When we phrase it this way, if we don’t do it, we can’t be accused of breaking a promise. Another example is, when challenged with an improvement that needs to be made in our lives, we respond with “Yes, I know that I should do better.”. By using these weasel words, we cognitively assent that something needs to be changed, but we stop short of making the commitment to do so. Another phrase I got to thinking about is the promise, “I will do my best” at something. Again, we give vocal recognition to a promise, but since we all know that none of us can actually do our best, it gives us an escape when we don’t. We may not intend it this way, but when we use weasel...

Fear is one of those two-sided words. On one hand, fear is a positive emotion – it keeps us from doing things that might cause us harm. A good, healthy dose of fear may be the best antidote to recklessness. When we fear physical harm or negative consequences, we are more apt to stay safe. On the other hand, fear is a threat to joy and contentment because it has the ability to keep us bottled-up. Whether it makes us hermits in our houses or prohibits us from enjoying a full and rich life because “something bad” might happen, fear can suck the life right out of us. In essence, fear can be both good and bad – even in the same person. So, what we do with fear? We manage it. Like all of the emotions we have been given by God, we must apply wisdom and use it appropriately. We need to rely on fear to be an element of our good common sense to keep us out of bad situations. We must listen to its warning when are facing potential dangers. However, we must be willing to override it w...

          One of the most often prevalent discussions these days is, “Will you get the vaccination?”.   There are many who believe it has preventative powers and would volunteer to be first in line.   Others aren’t so sure and are apt to wait to see how it goes.   Then, there are some who just won’t do it – they will not get vaccinated.   Everyone has access to the same information, but they will process it individually.           As I thought about this scenario, I got to thinking about another decision we will all make in our lives, a belief in Jesus.   We all have access to the information about Jesus as written in the Word of God and evidenced in the natural world but it is up to us to decide what we are going to do with it.   Some people believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and accept Him as Lord of their lives.   Others may develop a limited be...

The other day I was thinking about this whole COVID mess and I had a revelation – I need to be careful how and when I express my opinions. What really got my attention was thinking about someone who had lost a family member to the disease hearing people argue about whether the virus is real or is just a political ploy. Honestly, it doesn’t matter what others think, for that individual, it is serious! For them, it isn’t rhetorical debate, it was a life and death issue and death won! The more I thought about, the more I realize how important it is to tame our tongues. Imagine someone who has a child in a drug treatment program having to overhear a heated debate about whether someone with a chemical addition should be incarcerated or merely left out on the street to fend for themselves. What would it be like to be the child of a solider who was killed in Viet Nam to have to hear someone call the conflict a politically irresponsible waste of time and resources? How about being a st...