Think About It

If most of us were to be asked, I am sure that we would all say that we were concerned about something. If we were pressed a little further most of us would break down and admit that we were actually afraid of something. The list of things that might concern us could be anything from spiders to someone breaking into our house to our own death; but we are all probably tentative about something. On the surface this might appear to be a human frailty, but the truth is that it may be one of the most natural emotions we can have. As humans, we realize that we are both imperfect and fragile. Not only are we susceptible to outside influences, we also make mistakes that render us vulnerable to bad things happening. Being afraid isn’t as much a sign of cowardice as it is one of acceptance. While fear can be natural, it can also be overcome. No, we won’t defeat fear by arming ourselves to the teeth, confidence comes when we hide ourselves in the Lord. There are a lot of impressive inf...

On July 4, 1969 our family was changed forever. We were all at a church camp when my five-year-old brother was killed in a freak accident. As you might imagine, this tragedy defined our family for a long time. Initially, the impact it had on us was almost completely negative. Things changed and people changed. However, after several years of working through the sadness, guilt and grief something happened. This tragic event became a foundation for members of our family to begin working in trauma and crisis. My parents, especially my Dad, emerged from this event with the willingness to walk with people through their challenges and the resiliency to help them deal with their own issues. Not only were we sensitive to the hurts that others endured, we came to believe that there was hope – and we had the insight and background to be able to guide people through their own process. The reason that I share this is not to brag, rather it is to continue to offer hope. You see, life is ...

There are a lot of people who are afraid of dying. I get it. Death is something that none of us have experienced. We don’t know how the process will go nor what will happen to us when we get to the other side of eternal life. I think a lot of us find consolation in a spiritual perspective of death; but it can be a scary thought. While a fear of death can be intense, there is another fear that can impact us – the fear of living. You might be wondering where I am coming from (and where I am going), but it is easy to be afraid of going out and living life to its fullest. Some of us are afraid of making a mistake, so we constantly do what we have always done. We never try anything new and, while this gives us some security, it also limits experiencing certain joys. Some of us are afraid of disappointing others. We are so concerned that we will do or say something that might be misinterpreted that we constantly fret about what people think about us. I am in favor of limiting our ...

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...