Think About It

In his book, This Is The Day: Reclaim Your Dream. Ignite Your Passion. Live Your Purpose , Tim Tebow discusses his faith and personal philosophy set against the backdrop of his journey through baseball’s minor leagues. Tebow had been a major success in college football and made a name for himself in the NFL. He was already making a lot of money and influencing a lot of people when he decided to pursue his dream of playing professional baseball. In hindsight most of us know how his endeavor ended, but it was fun to read about his journey as he was making it. Particularly, it was inspiring to read about his quest of wanting to do something and seeing how he allowed God to influence his life as he did it. One of the neat aspects of the book was how this guy who had known a lot of success approached failure. He had been on top of the college football game and now he was riding a bus in the lowest of baseball’s minor leagues. Throughout this trek he struggled, but he never lost sig...

Do we ever feel like the world is pummeling us? Have we ever felt the constant pressure of society sucking the life out of us? Sure, I don’t know anyone who isn’t influenced by the difficulties we feel; but let me ask us a question. Even though we feel these pressures influencing us, are they serious enough to paralyze us? Oh, they can make us feel uncomfortable, but seriously, are they enough to destroy us or just create an uncomfortable feeling? As we go through life, it is tempting to feel the stressors of life – and because they make us feel bad – we feel like we are going to be overwhelmed. Yet is being overwhelmed inevitable or is the worst that can happen merely some temporary pain and inconvenience? As I was reading through the New Testament the other day, I saw Paul’s philosophy of life that said, “… we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the ...

You would think that if there was a stalwart in religion, it would be the Ten Commandments. After all, this iconic section of Scripture has become larger than merely being a set of verses in the Old Testament – it has become one of the best known and most loved sections of text in all of literature. Yet, even though it has endured thousands of years of use (and sometimes abuse) it isn’t without some debate. One of the sections of Scripture that is often discussed is the commandment, “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.” (Exodus 20:8). Some modern religious beliefs translate this to mean that worship should be conducted on Saturday (the last day of the week) while others have applied this concept to how Sunday is to be approached in Christianity. Some people believe that since this ordinance is not repeated in the New Testament, it is not applicable to godly people today. Our space doesn’t provide us with the room to fully discuss this issue, but I do believe that no matte...

Through the years humans have done some really good things. In my lifetime we have eradicated some diseases and made many more manageable. We are working on feeding the hungry and housing the homeless at a rate that rivals any other time in history. Yet, there is one thing that we can’t seem to get a handle on – war. From the beginning of mankind, when humans have been at odds with one another we have resorted to physical conflict and violence. At times this is settled one-on-one, but all too often we muster an “us” vs. “them” mentality and we march off to war. Through the years there has been a lot of discussion about war in general and individual wars in particular, but the fact remains that human beings are still settling differences on battlefields. Most of us realized this, but the events of last week served as a painful reminder that it is still with us. Today’s thought is not about the value or even the morality of war; rather it is about something altogether different. ...

If my family has a legacy, it is probably education. My grandparents were educators, my father was a minister (in other words a spiritual teacher), and some of my cousins are teachers. Interspersed in the latest generation are people who are working in education. Throughout my careers even I have been involved in education in a variety of ways. I say all that to say this – back to school time is special for me. Unfortunately, the beginning of this school year is filled with so much drama and chaos that it has been too easy lose focus on what education is all about. Political, health, safety and sanitation issues have overshadowed the opportunity for teachers to teach and students to learn. I hope that we get all this figured out soon or else we might really lose the focus of the value and purpose of education. As much of the nation begins the start of a new school year, let’s keep the ultimate goal of education in mind. Several years ago, an advertising agency captured a corner...

I have been watching the Little League World Series this week. I think I got drawn into the tournament because there are two teams from areas where we used to live (South Dakota and Abilene, Texas); but it has been the game that has made me stay. I have always loved the game of baseball, but have gotten a bit soured on it with some of the things that have transpired at the Major League level. The Little Leaguers have reminded me of how much fun the game can be when it is played at its purest level. These youngsters are very talented and when you combine that with a genuine interest in the game and the lack of self-serving “prima donnas”, it is just fun to watch. As I thought about Little League, it got me to thinking about Christianity. I believe that, too often, we get so caught up in what people perceive to be “advanced” religion that we lose sight of true, pure Christianity. Sure, it is great to read the latest book written by an intellectual or listen to the inspiring words ...

I have been pretty open about my frustration with modern communication and social media; however, I have to give it the credit it deserves. Through things like Facebook and email, I have been able to get to know people I wouldn’t have otherwise. Several of the people I have never personally met or have only seen a few times continue to inspire me. Last week I had another one of those nuggets dropped into my “Inbox” when I received an email that stated, “Long before Zacchaeus couldn’t see Jesus, the tree was planted to meet his need.”. Many of us are familiar with the story of the Zacchaeus, the shorter man who found himself swallowed up in a crowd who had come to see Jesus. Not to be deterred, “… he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree in order to see Him, for He was about to pass through that way.” (Luke 19:4). Jesus recognized this man’s dedication by inviting Himself to enjoy Zacchaeus’ hospitality. While the story of Zacchaeus reminds us that salvation is avai...