Think About It

I have never been one to file my income taxes early. Because of our incomes through the years, we don’t end up getting a tax refund, so we wait until the last minute to pay in our final share. So, as you might imagine, I was pretty thankful when they moved the filing deadline to May this year. No, it doesn’t save us any money; but it puts off the inevitable a little longer. The IRS is just the latest in a long line of agencies that have either postposed or offered some kind of moratorium on payments. From highway tolls to student loans, many organizations have given people a break from collections. Folks, I am not complaining, but we need to remember that, eventually, the bill we become due. For now, convenience is the key; but there will be a day when accountability will be the word of the day. As I thought about conveniences and postponements, I got to thinking about the final judgement of mankind. Even though we don’t know when it will be, we can be certain that the day will...

Last week we visited about the “Cinderella Stories” that could be found in the NCAA tournament. When I wrote that, I didn’t realize how many there would be or that one of them would be my alma mater, the Abilene Christian University Wildcats. The guys from ACU overcame their 14th seed to stun the Texas Longhorns. I don’t know how long the Cats will last, but their first trip to the Championships have been memorable. I don’t know much about the team, but as I have been playing catch-up to hop on the bandwagon, two things have stood out. First, they score a lot of points off of assists and they create a lot of turnovers (2nd highest in the nation). No, they don’t have a star player, but by playing together they have compiled a 24-4 record and beat a Top 10 team in the tournament. The reason for this scouting report is to remind us of the value of teamwork. While it works in basketball, it is also important in spiritual activities. Frankly, Christians are outnumbered by a socie...

Does it seem like our world is upside down? Does it feel like people just don’t get the fact that there is good and there is evil? Have we gotten to the point where there is no hope for the world? If so, we are probably where we ought to be. You see, ever since the beginning of mankind this has been the case. This is not a 21st Century problem, this is a human problem! Thousands of years ago a Hebrew prophet revealed these words, “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight! Woe to those who are heroes in drinking wine and valiant men in mixing strong drink, who justify the wicked for a bribe, and take away the rights of the ones who are in the right!” (Isaiah 5:20-23). No, Isaiah wasn’t prophesying about today’s world, he was condemning his world. While we can commiserate with the prophet...

I am not a big fan of basketball (being short and slow may have something to do with that), but I do like March Madness. Now, some people like the NCAA Tournaments because they get to see the best take on the best, but I like it because of the upsets. We don’t know who it will be in 2021, but there will be some David who will bring down a Goliath on their way to a Cinderella season. (I know, I mixed a lot of metaphors on the way to that cliché; but it just seemed to flow.) What makes March Madness so special is that, not only do underdogs get a chance to take on the big names, it is done in an environment that spotlights their talents. These aren’t some games played in a half-full arena on a Tuesday night in the middle of a cold spell, these games are played out on a national stage that showcases everyone’s talents. The reason I am bringing up this event isn’t to get you to tune into the games this week, rather it is to see if we can use these tournaments as an example to encour...

Have you ever heard the phrase “The Great Awakening”? If so, have you ever wondered what it was? According to history.com, the Great Awakening was sort of a spiritual revival in the English American colonies in the 1730s and 1740s. It appears that some of the preachers of the day saw a need to invigorate what had become stale religion. Institutional religion needed a shot in the arm that individual accountability would bring. Several historians believe this movement shaped much of how Christianity came to light (and life) during the early part of our nation’s history. The reason for this history lesson was a passage I came across the other day. The Apostle Paul challenged First Century Christians, “Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed. The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave pr...

One of the challenges I face trying to be a good person is coming to grips with the struggles other people have had. While I am mindful of the challenges some people face today, it is easy to get carried away with historic issues of how people have been mistreated. As I think back on the last few centuries we have seen Jews annihilated in Germany, African slaves brought to Europe and the Americas, Native Americans captured and killed as well as regional minorities tortured and killed at the hands of rulers in power. This is not an American-thing, this is a people thing! Now, this brings us back to the challenge – I didn’t participate in these atrocities nor do I don’t condone what has happened, so what can I do other than feel bad about them? As I thought about what I can do to come to grips with these tragedies two things came to find. First, I can treat people with love and respect. No, I cannot make others “play nice”, but I can control my approach to dealing with others, esp...

What does it mean to be persecuted? The dictionary definition is “hostility or ill-treatment, especially because of race or political or religious beliefs”. As you might expect, I would like to focus on religious persecution. First of all, few of us in this country have felt – or will ever experience – true persecution. Sure, people might make fun of us because of our beliefs; but having our feelings hurt doesn’t amount to persecution. Secondly, have you ever considered the difference between feeling persecuted and being a Christian with being persecuted because we are Christians? Sure, like with anyone, Christians experience mistreatment; but how much of it is because we have taken a stand and how much is it just because we live in a mean world? One final question to ask is are we persecuted because of our righteousness or does the pain come when we stray off the straight and narrow? The other day I came across on interesting passage about persecution, “For what credit is th...