Think About It

I have recently started driving a different car. There are several things I like about it, but soon after I started driving it, I heard a strange sound as I was backing out of the driveway. I stopped and rolled down my window and realized it has one of those back-up beepers on it. Whenever put it in reverse it sends out a warning. At first I thought about disabling it – I didn’t want to sound like a garbage truck when I was backing out of parking space – but the more I got to thinking about it the more I liked it. When I set my preconceptions aside, I figured there was value in letting the people around me know when I am backing up. Even if I forget to look behind me, they have a chance to get out of my way and avoid being hurt. Backing into a pedestrian or bicyclist would make for a terrible day. Giving them a little extra warning could keep them and me from experiencing a tragedy! As I reflected on this, I got to wondering if applying an “early warning system” might be a go...

I was at a meeting last week where I caught up with several people I hadn’t seen in a lot of years – in fact it had been over a decade since I’d seen some of them. The great part of the visit was that we picked right back up where we left off years earlier, the troubling part was that these people had gotten older! They were still their same selves – they just looked different (okay, they had grayed). At one point I joked, “You guys have gotten older – even though I haven’t changed a bit.”. One of them challenged my statement and said that he had come across a photo of both of us recently and, yes, I had changed, too. The reason I bring this up is not to lament the aging process – it tends to beat the alternative – rather it is to remind us to make sure we look at ourselves honestly. While this is important when it comes to accurately assessing our physical appearance, it is more important to do a spiritual assessment. We shouldn’t criticize the faults and failings of others wi...

Last week I shared with you an observation from Jacula Prudentum – a book of wisdom from centuries ago. Well, here is another one: “One enemy is too much.” As I reflected on this observation, several things came to mind – including wondering if anyone can really be enemy-less. Very few people I know (if anyone I know) can go through life without making an enemy. Even if we don’t intentionally set out to do it, merely by our reputation or what we believe, someone is going to take issue with us. However, a quick reminder about proverbs – they are guides by which to live, not necessarily absolutes. With this in mind, maybe the real application is that we should do our best to not set out to antagonize people. The point may be less about being liked by everyone, rather we should strive to avoid being unlikable. In essence, let’s not live in such a way that it makes it easy for people to dislike us. (Do you know people who seem to be intent on making enemies? Let’s not be those t...

Yesterday, as much of our country was celebrating our nation’s birthday, some of us spent at least a few minutes in quiet reflection. I am thankful to be able to celebrate with fun and festivities, but something happened on July 4, 1969 that shrouds our family’s July 4ths. On an outing at a church camp, my five-year-old brother was killed in a freak accident involving a hay wagon. Even though it has been over 50 years since the incident, the date will forever be stuck in our psyches. I often wonder had the event happened on some unremarkable date, such as October 22, if it would be so memorable. Maybe so, but for years the 4th of July has brought a dissonance to our family. Through the years, our family has found a way to cope with this tragedy, but the day is a reminder to me that even when times are filled with fun and games, someone is suffering. No matter how many are celebrating, there are those who have suffered loss. I am not saying we should temper our joy just because...

Happy Independence Day – 2022! There are several reasons to like July 4 – the picnics, the fireworks, the day off from work, the time with the family and maybe an afternoon visit to the old ballpark. If there is one quintessential American holiday, it would probably be July 4. Because of when and where I grew up, the Fourth of July holiday has been special to me because it represented what America stood for – freedom, democracy and capitalism just to name a few. Yet, over the last few years, pride in American and the American way of life has taken a hit. Due to struggles with unity, partisan politics and a loss of nationalistic pride, Independence Day does not shine as brightly as it did before. Now, I am not here to criticize what the day has become, but I would like to make a few suggestions to help us restore some of the joy in our nation and our national day. First, we should remember just how blessed we are. No, the USA is not perfect – and we have had our share of proble...

Centuries ago, the Apostle Paul wrote a letter to a minister working with the Christian church on the island of Crete. While my understanding of Cretan history is not extensive, I get the impression that they were a lot like 21st Century Americans. They seemed to relish independent thought and did not take their own morality as seriously as they should. In fact, Paul even quotes one of their own as saying, “Cretans are always liars, evil bests, lazy gluttons.”, then goes on to affirm the observation (see Titus 1:12-13). So, how did Paul instruct Titus to work in this type of environment? His words were relatively simple, “But as for you, speak the things which are fitting for sound doctrine.” (Titus 2:1). In essence, stay above the fray and focus on things that are worth your time. It is easy to get wrapped up in arguments and discussions that don’t really matter very much. It is tempting to become entwined in discussions that don’t have a whole lot to do with anything of sign...

Last Friday afternoon I was out with a group of people who were on a Prayer Walk through our local community. The event had been in the works for several weeks and was designed to get religious people from various spiritual perspectives to come together to pray for our community and our nation. Interestingly, this was shortly after the Supreme Court’s announcement on the abortion issue – and what was a Prayer Walk was perceived by some in the community as a protest march. I would imagine that the judicial decision might have been on the minds of some in the group – but their primary focus was on God’s intercession into our lives. As I reflected on the misinformation, I got to thinking about how often the world misunderstands the hearts and minds of Christians. They see a gathering of people and, rather than listening to the praise, they assume there is protest. They turn our words around to suit their agenda. They miss our point and are quick to point out what they perceive be ou...