Think About It

I recently did a sermon about “faith”. The focus of the lesson was that we are all going to believe in something, what will it be? Will we have faith in God and the Bible or in science and humanism? In our own ways, we can find things that tend to support our opinions, but at the end of the day, we will have to have faith in something. As I thought about this lesson, I also got to thinking about another belief – what we will accept about people. We have one of two choices: we can either believe that people are inherently evil and are destined to do bad things whenever they get the chance or we can believe that, for the most part, people are good and kind seeking ways to uplift the people around them. I realize that in each of these basic insights we will have to deal with exceptions to our rules, but how will we set our vision – seeing the good or looking out for the bad? Interestingly, we will end up finding what we are looking for – either good or bad. Being wary of the bad p...

I was a part of a discussion the other night that focused on violence in our community. While there were several good observations about the issue and suggestions designed to address the problem, one that struck me was employment. As the person put it, “How many acts of violence were being done while people were at work?”. Sure, there are isolated incidents of workplace violence; but, for the most part, they are the exceptions rather than the rule. Most violence occurs when people have too much free time so they get into trouble. As I reflected on this, two things came to mind. The first one was from the New Testament passage, “For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies.” (II Thessalonians 3:11). Even though we all need breaks from productive labors from time-to-time, idleness can lead to a lot of issues. The Apostle Paul points out “busybodiedness” here, but he could have just as easily inserted “violen...

I have never been a big fan of the social phenomenon known as April Fool’s Day. Maybe it was that I didn’t like the tricks people played on me, but I think that my bigger concern is that we have enough of a problem with telling the truth that a day dedicated to deception just didn’t seem like a good idea. Now before I get too deep into this, I guess there is no harm in a little good-nature fun, I am just not an advocate. We live in a world that struggles with truth. In addition to a propensity to mislead people for our gain, we have a tendency to spin the truth in a way that benefits our way of thinking. On top of that, it has become convenient to change the “truth” to fit a more modern agenda or belief system. (By the way, it might be tempting to make things fit our way of thinking, but no matter how much we want to alter the truth, the truth is still the truth). On this April Fool’s Day let’s keep in mind the importance of truth and transparency. The wise man of the Old Testa...

I like to be liked. It makes me feel good when people agree with what I say or write. It’s not that I think I know everything (which is painfully obvious), but it gives me a warm feeling to know that people think I am on the right track. While the previous statements are accurate, the converse is true as well. I don’t particularly appreciate it when people disagree with me or challenge me. When they take issue with one of my ideas, it’s almost like they are attacking one of my children – and I don’t take to kindly to that. Even though this is natural, it may be a bit over the top. While there is value in standing up for what we think or believe, there is also something good about not taking disagreement too personally. Our thoughts are just that – thoughts. They don’t have life in and of themselves, so it shouldn’t be a big deal when people challenge them. In fact, good ideas are the ones that are seasoned by reason. They have been explored by others and found to be valid. ...

What are we teaching our children about leadership? Now, before we go any further in this discussion, we have to define leadership. To me, a leader is someone who has a positive influence on others. Leaders infuse their talents and personality with wisdom and knowledge to help others be the best they can be. Are there others who use their abilities to manipulate or bully other people into doing what they want done? Sure, but I don’t consider them leaders. They may make disciples of themselves, but they aren’t truly leading people. Now, back to the question at hand … are we teaching our young people to lead? Are we showing them how to help others become the best they can be? Are they generating a positive aura that leads people to reach their potential? This can be done by modeling good behavior and teaching the skills necessary to encourage the people around them. However, we can also teach them how to be effective bullies and manipulators. When they hear us say that we mu...

Not long ago I found myself awake at an inconvenient hour. I have always been someone who liked to sleep – I could be on the Olympic Sleeping Team if we had one – but, the circumstances didn’t allow it. I realized I had two choices: I could fuss and whine about not getting my beauty rest or I could make the most of the opportunity. Again, I like to sleep but there is only one thing I can do when I sleep – sleep. However, this circumstance gave me the chance to get some other stuff done (not many people will interrupt your thought process at 4:00 a.m.). I realize that there are people who have a real issue with not being able to sleep, but for the rest of us who experience the inconvenience sporadically maybe we should see it as a blessing rather than a problem. Why not take advantage of a few bonus hours away from the routine? I don’t relish being awake when most of the rest of the world is asleep, but when we put the appropriate spin on it, it can be a valuable serendipity. I...

One of the more often misquoted verses in the Bible is I Timothy 6:10. On many occasions I have heard people say that the love of money is the root of all evil; however, the text actually says, “For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”. Maybe it is merely a grammatical nuance, but there are other evils that have their origin in greed. In essence, desiring wealth can lead to a variety of problems. Whether it is as blatant as robbery or theft or as seemingly innocent as rejecting our family to pursue the almighty dollar at our jobs, an unhealthy desire for wealth can lead us astray. Interestingly, one way that the desire for finances can cause problems is when money becomes more important than our relationship with God. In fact, the Apostle Paul cautioned the church to avoid greed “which amounts to idolatry”. There does not appear to be anything wrong with wanting t...