Think About It

I spent enough of my life in cold country that snow is not that big of a deal to me. In fact, I believe that I have moved beyond taking it for granted and am more likely to be annoyed by it. While I don’t get too excited about snow, I am still amazed by what happens when an uncountable number of individual snowflakes come together to create a blanket of snow. When we look across a field completed coated in the white stuff, what we are seeing is the result of tiny little snowflakes joining together. When we see a branch on the ground after a snowfall what we are really seeing is the impact of the combination of individual crystals of snow. As I watched my world turn white with snow a couple days ago, I got to wondering what would happen if millions of Christians decided to work together to influence the world? What good could be done if a bunch of us decided to join in a collective effort to make things better? Several years ago, President George Bush talked about the value of “...

  When I was growing up, there was a popular refrain from a song that encouraged, “Give me that old-time religion, Give me that old-time religion, Give me that old-time religion, It’s good enough for me.” While the roots of this classic are buried deep in history (even dating back to the mid-19th Century) it gained a lot of popularity in the changing religious landscape of the mid-20th Century. Christianity appeared to be on the move and a lot of people didn’t like where it was heading! Nostalgia (a fancy word for longing for “those good old days”) is appealing because we like what we like and we feel comfortable with the way things have been. Yet is history always better than growth? Is it better to live in the past or can the potential of new thoughts lead to better ways? Like most people, I like what I like, but I also need to have the wisdom to seek to move beyond where I am. No, growth at the expense of truth is never the answer, but neither is never investigating the p...

We live in a world that promotes tolerance. The ability to accept the thoughts and actions of others are often perceived to be more important than maintaining truth. There is a perception that it’s okay to have our beliefs – what isn’t okay is when we don’t allow others to express their beliefs. While there might be some logical value in some of these principles, history and human wisdom teach us that not everyone can be right. There has to be a moral and spiritual code that serve as a standard. If there isn’t, anarchy is bound to follow. Now having said that, it is also important that we are careful not to be disparaging about what others believe. No, not everyone can be right, but that doesn’t give us the right to make fun of other people’s beliefs or be antagonistic about what others profess. Sure we can (and should) challenge erroneous doctrines, but as we do we must be careful to not denigrate individuals. Righteousness and respect must co-exist. Let’s stand up for t...

I assume most people of heard the adage of “slower than molasses in January”, but have you ever heard of the Great Molasses Flood of 1919 that killed 21 people in Boston? On January 15, 1919 a storage tank containing 2 million gallons of molasses burst and sent a wave of the goo some 15 to 40 feet high and 160 feet wide through the city. The speed with which the liquid traveled leveled buildings and destroyed automobiles, but the most tragic impact was that almost two dozen people were killed and 150 injured. It’s hard to believe, but something that seemed so sweet (and slow) created a tragedy that haunted the city for a long time. While this story seems almost surreal, it’s truth reminds us that seemingly innocent situations can cause serious problems if we aren’t careful. It is tempting to look at potential dangers and discount them because, after all, what’s the worst that could happen. Allowing a bit of immorality to slip in here or giving into some hate there can’t hurt us, c...

Throughout his ministry, Dr. Martin Luther King was known for his call for unilateral justice. In fact, he is quoted as saying “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”. In essence, justice is a universal concept not just a collection of isolated individual events. The more we pursue justice, the more it will infiltrate our society. Yet, the opposite is also true. If we ignore incidents or pockets of injustice, it will creep into our social norms. Over the last few months, I have been thinking a lot about this in a separate, yet parallel aspect of our society – violence. If you will allow me to adapt Dr. King’s thoughts, “Violence anywhere is a threat to security everywhere.”. When we do not call out acts of violence for what they are, we are guilty of ignoring – if not initiating – a downward spiral of social morality. Unless we are willing to stand up to acts of violence, we are putting all of our communities at risk! Centuries ago, a man of God challenged hi...

I don’t know about you, but it is hard for me to believe we are in the middle of January already! It seems like the last couple of months have been a whirlwind. Between holiday gatherings, days off, traveling, winter weather events and an occasional bout of not feeling well, I feel like I have lost several weeks. Thankfully, this is not just this year. Typically when I get to this time of year, I usually feel this way and I begin to look forward to returning to normal. One of the things that has a tendency to be put on the back burner during the holiday season is our spiritual focus. Sure, some of us will make time to attend special events at church or go out of our way to do something nice for someone, but our day-to-day spirituality can get put off to the side. If this is the case, now is the time to restore it. In addition to redoubling our efforts to keep up our new year’s resolutions, let’s get back into our old “good” habits. I doubt that the early church faced the ...

While I am not going to tout Richard Branson’s morality, you have to admit that he is continually on the lookout for something new and different. The other day, I come across a quote of his that got me to thinking. Branson was credited with saying, “If someone offers you an amazing opportunity but you aren’t sure you can do it, say yes – then learn how to do it later.”. As I thought about this I got to wondering how many future opportunities we have missed merely because we questioned our potential. Often, opportunities come with the time to grow into them. We may not be ready today, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t learn what we are supposed to do when it comes time to be put to the test. Potential is a difficult thing to measure, especially when it is our own. Typically, it is easier to expect more from others than we see in ourselves. The result is that we are more apt to say “No” when we as asked to stretch our abilities. Yet, imagine the possibilities we have when we...