Think About It

The New Testament book of III John is one of the shortest ones in the Bible, but it is packed full of spiritual lessons. In 15 verses, the Apostle John contrasts two individuals – one who represented what it meant to be a Christian and one who not only abandoned the faith, but in arrogance led people away from God. The good guy, Demetrius, is praised for his positive reputation while Diotrephes is condemned for his arrogance and bullying. Demetrius is held up as an example of righteousness, Diotrephes is painted as being ornery, cantankerous and abusive. While this is the background for the lesson, the challenge comes in the impact these who lives would have on the people who read the original letter. John tests them with these words, “Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen God.” (III John 11). I am sure the early Christians inherently knew who they should follow, the question was would they? ...

While it has become chic to berate and belittle many of our early national leaders, I still believe that they understood something important about humanity. One of these prolific writers and thinkers was Thomas Jefferson who included an important observation in the Declaration of Independence that stated, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness …”. Again, these words have fallen victim to a lot of criticism recently, but have you ever really taken a look at what is being said? The truth of the statement transcends the times in which they were written and screams to us today! All life – all human life – is valuable. It doesn’t matter if the person is an eighteen-year-old kid living on the street or a millionaire living in a gated community. It doesn’t matter if the person has a job, is living on welfare or off of a tru...

  Like most people, one of my favorite passages is the 23rd Psalm. There is just something so comforting about David’s poem that features a trip to a peaceful pasture and an invitation to a royal banquet. As both a shepherd and a king, I imagine David was quite familiar with being at peace and being honored. While the whole psalm fills my soul with spiritual hope and peace, there is a passage that I have come to appreciate as much as any of the images, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. (Psalm 23:4). As I reflect on the picture David paints I can imagine walking through a dark, treacherous place filled with natural hazards as well as the hidden dangers of the enemy. We can imagine the anxiety of starting off down the path certain of the lurking hazards then, all of a sudden, feeling the comfort of the safety and security of God walking beside us carrying the biggest sti...

I realize that New Year’s Day is an artificial point designated on a community calendar, but I also believe there is value in celebrating new beginnings. Sure, there are a few actual changes that go into effect today but, in all reality, it is just this Friday that follows the last Thursday. However, I think it is good to emotionally clean the slate and start anew. Again, while there is nothing really significant about January 1st, it has been traditionally viewed as a day for resolutions, and believe me, I probably need them more this year than ever before. So, here goes: 1. I will read more substantial materials and fewer current events. Whether they are self-help books, biographies or spiritual pick-me-ups I need to invest more time in being intellectually fed than merely being daily informed. I invested a lot of 2020 following the news, and in all reality, I didn’t change a whole lot of what happened. My best opportunity to develop my life is finding a deeper understanding...

Well, we made it – the last day of 2020. When we began this year, I think most of us were already a little bit stirred up. We were inundated with the news of the presidential impeachment process. Most of us were dreading the upcoming elections that were still almost a year away. The vast majority of people had not heard of George Floyd, but there was already an undercurrent of social disunity. 2020 did not necessarily get started on a positive note; but once we got a quarter of the way into the year, we realized how bad it was going to get! Folks, I am going to do everything I can to put 2020 behind me, but before I venture into 2021, I think I need some reflection. So, what do I take away from the past year? Maybe the most important lesson I have learned is to understand that human life is fragile and unpredictable. We can make all the plans we want (and, believe me, I did); but our plans are just expectations that we will be able to do something in the future. Planning is ...

How do we deal with all the negative information out in our world? While I would like to blame today’s society for inventing negativism, it has always been around. Ever since mankind began to assess life, pessimism has been a constant nemesis. In fact, every so often I like to go back to Jacob’s assessment of his life to help regain perspective on mine. Here is one of the great men of faith of the Bible and this is how he described his journey, “So Jacob said to Pharaoh, ‘The years of my sojourning are one hundred and thirty; few and unpleasant have been the years of my life, nor have they attained the years that my fathers lived during the days of their sojourning.’” (Genesis 47:9). Yep, part of the human condition is seeing a half empty glass. So how do we deal with the temptation to see the worst in life? Here are a few suggestions: 1. When you hear negative news, consider if it will directly impact yo u. While we need to be empathetic, we cannot carry everyone’s burdens ...

In a normal year, I would probably be encouraging you to relax, take some time away from the people around you and relax. Typically, the holidays are filled with the stress of appointments and visitors, but this year, we are craving those things. We wish we could enjoy those family gatherings and office parties; but the reality is that we are probably still several weeks (if not months) away from larger gatherings. So, as we approach those cold, dark days of winter without the ability to interact the way we would like, how do we maintain our connections and overcome our loneliness? 1. Keep continued contact with people . If you feel comfortable with small socially distant interactions, take advantage of them. Rather than hosting a huge weekly gathering, spend a few minutes every so often visiting with people. Again, it doesn’t have to be a long time, but even a couple minutes spent interacting with living, breathing people can have a positive effect on us. 2. Write letters . L...