Think About It

Today is Flag Day. Over the last few years our society has diminished the importance of nationalistic symbols, but today, I would like to pay honor to our nation’s flag. Flag Day pays tribute to the Second Continental Congress who passed a resolution on June 14, 1777 that stated, “the flag of the United States be 13 stripes, alternate red and white”. The document went on to say, “the union be 13 stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation”. While the banner would change to represent the growth of the United States, the same basic design remained and, in 1916, President Woodrow Wilson officially established June 14 as Flag Day. While our nation has experienced our share of challenges, one symbol that has stood tall is the American Flag. It is more than shreds of cloth sown together, it represents the fabric of our nation that is united in dedication to the concept of shared liberty and freedom. As I thought about the American Flag, I was reminded of another “b...

We recently had a situation at church that required some “innovation” and “cooperation”. Due to an unforeseen situation, we had to literally adapt and overcome. The thing that impressed me about the event was just how talented people really are and how much they are willing to do what they need to do to make sure good things get done. Some people put on their thinking caps, others volunteered for things at the last minute to make sure everything went smoothly. It truly made me thankful for the people in our congregation. As I stopped to think about what the teamwork put together on Sunday, I got to thinking about what could happen if we all put our heads together and utilized our talents to tackle some of the world’s more serious issues. What if, rather than fussing about society’s issues, we came together and decided to work toward resolving them? Could we make a dent in homelessness, addictions, immorality and injustice if we came together with a common goal and shared commitment? Im...

When the writer of the New Testament book of Hebrews reflected on the church he noted, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:23-25). There are several principles that pop out to us in this passage, but one of the most obvious is the need for us to gather together in worship. While there are some things that could and should be done individually, there are others that seem to blossom when we are together. First, when we come together, we build on a common commitment. We realize that we don’t have to do this alone, there are many other like-minded believers who are willing to join in the common good. Additionally, when we join in worship “I” don’t merely have to rely on what “I” bring to the gath...

Fifty years ago, Rapid City, South Dakota and the surrounding Black Hills were inundated by over a dozen inches of rain. In what had already been a wet period, the rains came down and overwhelmed the local river ways and dams. When the Canyon Lake Dam was compromised the community was flooded in one of the greatest natural disasters ever experienced in the area. All-in-all, almost 250 people lost their lives (including Rapid City Police Officer Daniel Wickard whose patrol car was washed away as he tried to warn people of flooding). Reports from fifty years ago indicate over a thousand homes and 5000 cars were destroyed in this rather modest-sized town. The loss (in 1972 dollars) was over $160 million. As the Rapid City community remembers the devastation from fifty years ago, it is a good reminder to us that we never know what the future holds in store for us. I doubt anyone could have anticipated what would happen that day, but thousands of people were impacted the devastatio...

A couple of weeks ago I watched a Division 3 Regional Baseball playoff game on my television in my office. While that might not sound too impressive, I want you to think about where I came from. While I don’t remember the initial television broadcasts of many of the major sporting events, I didn’t miss many of them by much. When I was a youngster, we had a black and white television set that might be able to pull in the three major networks (ABC, NBC, CBS). I watched the 1969 World Series between the Baltimore Orioles and the New York Mets on the first color television set we owned. Our remote control was typically telling the youngest member of the family to get up and change the channel. Not all of the channels came in clearly on the “rabbit ears” antenna, so it was often the task of the tallest person in the family to find the most effective place for the aerials to be place to get the best picture and the least amount of “snow”. (Now if you don’t understand any of these refe...

What are you doing to make this world a better place in which to live? As I read that question, it seems rather generic; so let me focus it a little bit more. What are you doing to promote the good of godliness and open up God’s will to the world? Yeah, that sounds a little more like it! It is easy to be content with “doing no harm”, but the key to godliness isn’t merely to cheer on God’s team from the sidelines, we must do our part to promote success. All of us have been given talents by God, it is up to us to put them to use. The Apostle Paul challenged Christians in the first century, “Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.” (Romans 12:6-8). We hav...

In an address to Congress in 1852, President Millard Fillmore discussed the development of the nation as it approached the end of its first century. A quick peek at the date will show that the nation was about to undergo a lot of change – some of it economic and some social. In his presentation, President Fillmore stated, “It is not strange, however much it may be regretted, that such an exuberance of enterprise should cause some individuals to mistake change for progress and the invasion of the rights of others for national prowess and glory.”. I have to be honest with you, I don’t sit around reading Millard Fillmore’s speeches, but I recently came across an abridged version of this statement that summarized his thoughts into, “It is not strange … to mistake change for progress.”. It was that version of this selection that got my attention. One thing for certain about our world is that it is going to change. We can’t help it. Yet, the question we must ask is does our change equ...