Think About It

The other day, I was visiting with one of my friends who reminded me of an incredible story from the New Testament. One day Jesus invited Peter, James and John to go with Him to a mountain with Him. At some point on their trek up the hill Jesus’ countenance changed right in front their eyes and He was joined by two righteous men who had led the Children of Israel centuries before: Moses and Elijah. This event inspired Peter to suggest they build three monuments to these great figures. While this might have sounded like a legitimate way to mark the occasion, a voice out of heaven said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!” (Matthew 17:6). My friend reminded me of the uniqueness of the moment – but even more importantly of the importance of the message. God told His people to listen to Jesus (even more so than to the word of Moses or the prophets). Have you noticed how many voices are vying for our attention in today’s world? Some people have ...

One of the things that has interested me throughout my lifetime is how hard we have tried to make Christianity cool. It seems like we believe that if the principles of godliness could be presented in a relevant way by trendy people that we will have success in changing the attitude of the world. While this sounds compelling, I am not sure that’s the answer. One of the most successful preachers of all time was also one that out of step with his community. When Matthew described John the Baptist he observed, “Now John himself had a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey.” (Matthew 3:4). This guy was definitely not one of the cool kids! He looked odd and acted strange – but man could he preach. Matthew went on to say, “Then Jerusalem was going out to him, and all Judea and all the district around the Jordan; and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, as they confessed their sins.” (Matthew 3:5-6). The trut...

You might have noticed an uptick in my frustrations with violence over the last several weeks. Recently, our community has had its share of crimes of violence and it has been wearing on me. If that wasn’t enough, I have been struggling with wondering why someone isn’t doing something about it. Well, a couple of days ago, things took a pretty drastic change for me. Rather than an act of violence happening in our community it happened in my neighborhood – on my block – during broad daylight – when I was at home. Folks, I can no longer ask why “someone” doesn’t do something about the problem that plagues “them”. I have come to realize this is “my” problem. No more excuses, no more wondering who was going to step to the plate … I am now at the epicenter of the need to make a difference. I share this with you for two reasons. First, I invite you to work with me on dealing with violence in our community (whether that community is the block we share, the neighborhood in which we l...

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...