Think About It

Happy Independence Day! Okay, okay … I realize this may need a little bit of explaining. Yes, I realize July 4 is our national independence day; but for those of us in Maryland today is the first day in a year and a half that we haven’t had some type of COVID restrictions hanging over us. While things have been gradually relaxing over the last few months, today we are basically free to restore our lives. Just a few short months ago I could not imagine this day; now I can’t tell you how happy I am to put this in the rearview mirror – but before we do, we should probably take a few minutes to express our appreciation. First, I am thankful for the health and well-being of most of the people around me. I had some friends contract the disease, but overwhelmingly, my core group remained safe and relatively healthy. Second, I am thankful for the response of the Lord’s church in dealing with the pandemic. Not only were we able to continue being involved with church-related activities ...

How will we be able to tell if we have won at the game of life? As we participate in this journey, we are so often obsessed by the day-to-day struggle that we rarely look at the scoreboard. We are typically so busy doing this or going there that we don’t really think much about our progress. But, humor me for a minute, how are you doing in your life? Are you winning? If so, how do you know? Periodically, we need to stop, come up for air and figure out if we are any closer to the finish line than when we started. If we had to respond to an assessment of our condition, it might be tempted to look at things like our health and welfare. Maybe we are on track to be able to financially retire at 65 and, if we are fortunate, live a healthy life well beyond that until we fade off in our “golden years”. Yet, is that the ultimate victory? Is merely dying comfortably at the end of our days enough to be called a winner? I really don’t think that is what it takes to be successful. ...

Have you ever told someone who was in crisis to call you? Typically, the exchange begins when we discover someone is struggling with an issue, then we get the opportunity to help and what follows is the declaration, “Call me if you need anything. I mean it, call me if you need anything, anything at all!”. When we make this type of appeal, we are dedicated to helping out where we can, even if it means that we have to dip into our bank accounts, experience raw emotions or stretch ourselves to tap abilities we haven’t used often (or ever). In essence, when we ask people to call on us we mean it and we are willing to answer their call – physically and practically. Have you ever read Romans 10:13? When the Apostle Paul attempts to draw people into a relationship with the Lord, he quotes an Old Testament promise made by God, “… for whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”. Do we believe this? Are we willing to accept the word of the Lord on face value? Here, we ha...

Not long ago I saw an article in a religious publication that sought to discuss the question, “Can we find God in nature?”. I understand the purpose of the article and see the logic in proving God’s existence by looking at the world. Yet, something struck me about the concept of finding God in nature … can we find the Creator through studying the created? Can we understand the infinite by looking at the finite? While it is refreshing to see how smoothly our world functions and inspiring to take in the majesty of the mountains or the beauty of the oceans, is that really how we go about appreciating our Lord and Savior? When Moses makes the statement, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1) he begins the process of praising God and calling people to believe in Him as the Creator and Sustainer of life. From this verse forward, the Holy Spirit of God begins to lay out a case for the presence and power of God – including how mankind can appreciate Him...

Isn’t it great that God is filled with grace? Amen and amen! I think we could stop right there and enjoy the moment of praise, but those of you who know me understand that I won’t do that. Before we go any further; however, I would like to commit to how much I believe in the first sentence of this blog. God’s grace in incredible and incomprehensible. Yet, I think there is another side to the issues of grace – while it is available to everyone, it will not be accepted by everyone. There will be people who will choose to reject the grace of God. The other day I heard a discussion of I Peter 4:18 that states, “And if it is with difficulty that the righteous is saved, what will become of the godless man and the sinner?”. This seems to stem from Proverbs 11:31 and reminds us that, while believers will be able to experience the grace of God, those who don’t will be held accountable for their unbelief. As I read this, I was reminded of what the Apostle Paul wrote, “… work out your s...

I heard a lot of advice when I was growing up but one of the most consistent bits of wisdom was to figure out how be a good loser. Interestingly, another gem was to be a gracious winner. Isn’t that interesting? Could it be that winning and losing isn’t as important as doing it with dignity? While the value of these two philosophies has been debated through the years, I believe they are both solid principles. When it comes to winning, we should be pleased with our victories and maybe even proud of our accomplishments, but when we tout our own superiority or belittle someone else’s limitations we not only set ourselves up for a fall, we also have a negative impact on others. It is great to feel like a winner, but rarely does anyone gain anything by making someone else feel like a loser. I like Colin Powell’s quote, “Control enthusiasm in the face of victories, large or small.”. Putting others down doesn’t make us any better, but it can make them bitter. Very few good things ha...

Most days I have trouble remembering what I had for lunch the day before, but I can tell you where I was fifteen years ago – I was giving our daughter away in marriage. I wasn’t sure how I would react as the father of the bride, but as I look back on that day, I actually think I did a pretty good job. Jeane and I had prayed for the day when she would find someone who made her happy and would be a positive influence in her life. As we watched Amanda and Aaron become husband and wife I felt like we were seeing our hopes unfold before our eyes. Fifteen years later, we are still thrilled with the choice they made. As I find myself thinking about marriage today, I feel compelled to make a couple of suggestions as to what parents can do to help their children find good spouses. There aren’t all that deep, but I believe they are important: 1. Make marriage look fun and rewarding. There is a lot of negativity in the world about marriage, but honestly, it can bring about a lifetime of...