Think About It

When I was a young adult, I would look at people who were forty and older wondering how they had made it that far in life! Yes, I considered them old – but I also wondered how they could be that mature and still not understand life! I was barely out of my teens and had all the answers! The older I get the more I cringe when I think about that “other self” from decades ago. Now, I wonder how I escaped being derailed by my opinions and how I avoided being punched in the nose for my cockiness! It is tempting to try to pick an era of life as the best, but thankfully God has allowed us to co-exist in a mutually beneficial society. We are at our best when we blend the zeal of youth with the caution of age. We can make a real difference by capturing the idealism of young people and the experience of maturity. We build bridges on the brawn of youth and the insight gained through the decades. When I was younger there was a lot of talk about a “generation gap”. As I look back on the dec...

Throughout the years people have tried to describe love. In fact, if it weren’t for the quest to understand love, I am not sure we would have a music industry. From the classics to modern music, people have poured their hearts into trying to describe love while others have opened up their ears (and their souls) to try to understand it. I think it is noble for people to seek to understand love, but there are times when we overlook some of the basics of love – at least godly love. While there are several levels of romantic love, Christian love is basically wanting the best for others and doing what needs to be done to provide it to them. With this in mind, the Apostle Paul defined love with, “Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, beli...

As a brash adolescent, I was not happy when President Gerald Ford pardoned Richard Nixon in 1974. The two years between the discovery of the Watergate break-in and the pardon had divided the nation and brought our national integrity into question. As a know-it-all teenage, not only did I think it was a bad idea, I wasn’t sure it was legal to pardon someone before they had been convicted of the crime. Through the years I have not only softened on President Ford’s decision, I actually support it. I am still convinced that Richard Nixon was culpable for what happened in his White House; but what we needed at the time wasn’t vindictive accountability as much as we needed national healing. It was time to move forward and years of public litigation wasn’t going to help us accomplish it. Gerald Ford’s political career would never the same, but thankfully, our nation wouldn’t have to go through the divisiveness and public humility of the conviction of a disgraced president. As I think ab...

Are you happy? If not, why not? At first glance you might be thinking I am wanting you to list a series of reasons that stand between you and happiness; but that’s not really my point. You see, the key to happiness isn’t not having anything that makes us unhappy, rather it is a choice to be happy no matter what. We will never eliminate all the roadblocks of happiness: health, economics, personal failures, disappointments, etc. so it is incumbent on us to choose to be happy no matter our circumstances. Happiness won’t come to us, we have to go out and capture it! The Apostle Paul had several things that could have stood between him and happiness; but he decided to be contented. When his co-workers sent him a gift, he thanked them, then reminded them of what was really important, “Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.” (Philippians 4:11). He would later reflect on his state of mind by noting, “For we have brought nothing into ...

Is there anything wrong with being proud of what we do? Is it okay to think that we have the right answers to the challenges being faced? While there are warnings against pride and overconfidence, such as “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before stumbling.” (Proverbs 16:18), I don’t think that being confident in what we are doing and what we believe is wrong. However, I do believe that when we are so partisan in our opinions that we set out to ruin others we have a problem. When we make disparaging remarks against the programs of others or belittle people who disagree with us, we have gone beyond supporting our opinions – at that point our goal is to destroy them and that just isn’t right. Good-spirited debate is one thing, mean-spirited character assassination and intellectual sabotage is dangerous – both to us and them. Let’s trust what we believe, but let’s not take it to the extreme of crushing the ideas and ideals of others. It’s natural to want to supp...

At 9:02 a.m. on April 19, 1995, the bomb that exploded in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma resonated throughout our nation. In the hours and days that followed there was a lot of speculation about who could have done such a horrific act; but it would soon be learned that Timothy McVeigh had been the mastermind of a twisted plan that killed 168, 19 of whom were children. In the nearly 30 years since this tragedy a lot of people have dissected the events that led up to the sabotage, but through it all, one word seems to come to the surface: hate. How could someone do something like this – and actually attempt to justify what they did? The answer is an uncontrolled and misguided hate for someone or something. Interestingly, much of the pain caused was not felt by McVeigh’s primary targets but by those who were caught up in what he would later call collateral damage. According to those who are in the know, McVeigh’s “last words” were a copy of a poem by William Ernest Henley called “Invictus...

Can you imagine what that post-resurrection Monday was like? I know that the Sunday Jesus was raised from the dead had to have been incredible, but what about the next day? I am sure people were still in shock, but the reality of a new way of life may have begun to dawn on them. Not everyone was on board (Thomas still had some doubts), but for the most part the others were on their path to doing what needed to be done. The surprise was giving way to the new possibilities. Sunday was inspiring, Monday was when the work would begin. Easter is a great time of year for many people, but we need to make sure that we don’t just “celebrate” the fun day – we need to capture its spirit and get to work for the cause of Christ. Honoring the risen Lord doesn’t stop after a nice lunch on Sunday afternoon, it must become the essence of every day of our lives. I hope you had a great Easter season, but I think we should be just as excited about the opportunities that lay ahead for us this we...