Think About It

When I was a youngster and had a bad day – or a series of bad days – the joke was that I was going to run away and join the circus. I have grown older and am not all that fond of circuses, so my response to difficulties these days is that I am going to run away and buy my own island. The issue to this sort of problem-solving (other than all the good islands are either take or unaffordable) is that wherever I go, I am there. In essence, I can run away from a lot of things, but I can’t run away from my personality. Wouldn’t it be easier to change the way I look at life (and the way I actually live it) than to try to hide from my problems? I remember a song I used to hear when I was a younger that encouraged, “Brighten The Corner Where You Are”. The moral of the song was that we all have the opportunity to reflect positivity – but our influence starts inside us and emanates from within our small area of influence. Our impact may not be expansive, but it is real. Even if we don’t ch...

When Lynyrd Skynyrd came out with their classic song “Sweet Home Alabama” two characters seemed to take a direct hit. The band musically “boos” Alabama Governor George Wallace (“Boo … Boo … Boo”); but the one who seems to take the most heat is Neil Young for his song “Southern Man”. When the band publicly called out Mr. Young, they set in motion a perceived sense of animosity that continues fifty years later. However, when we look at the backstory, neither the band members nor Neil Young got all that worked up over the incident. In fact, throughout the years, Skynyrd’s and Young’s path have become intertwined. However, while the principles might not have upset with each other, their perceived animosity has probably caused issues with their fans. I have never really been a fan Neil Young’s music … and maybe this is why. The reason I bring up this fifty year old “feud” is to remind us that when we get involved in other people’s issues, we may make decisions based more on perception...

From our earliest memories most of us have been raised to tell the truth. When we went to Sunday School, we were taught the need to be truthful. When we were caught in a lie at home, we were punished. While honesty has been reinforced throughout our lives, the pull to deceive is always there. Sometimes a personal reward is sought in the lie, but there are other times we might even try to convince ourselves that lying actually helps others. Maybe we reason that if we tell the truth, we might hurt someone’s feelings. Could it be that if we tell them the truth about their lifestyle, they will be driven further away from the people who care about them? Even in one of the most basic tenants of morality and Christianity, there is a temptation to take another route. While lying might actually appear to be a positive, we must remember the teachings of the New Testament, “… but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ …” (Ephesia...

It has been three years since we were introduced to this thing that would come to be known as COVID. I remember the pressure of trying to figure out how we were going to navigate the changes we expected to be with us for a few weeks. Maybe it was good we didn’t know what to expect – we might have just given up then and there. While the pandemic challenged a lot of what we didn’t and believed, one of the challenges was the importance of worshipping together. I know that some of us came out of the pandemic more committed to attending church services, but others have been slow coming back – some even questioning the need to worship together. One of the most often referenced verses over the last three years has been, “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 al...

Every so often I will have one of the moments where I will feel like I am on the verge of shutting down. It usually happens when I have been going at a pretty good clip, then someone asks me to do one more thing. I can feel the muscles in my jaws tighten and a pain radiating from the top of my head into my shoulders and down through my back. When I get to this point I typically think, don’t people realize that they are asking too much from me? Don’t they know how much I have going on? It is interesting that, when I am in the right frame of reference, the answer is “No, they don’t!”. The people who are asking something of me have no clue what I have been doing – they aren’t intentionally overloading me – they are just making a request of me. Interestingly, the only person who can control the pressures of my schedule is me. I am the one who has the insight into how full my plate is and when I need to take a breather. The problem is I am not very good at it! Whether it is fueled ...

I have recently been reading, “Principle-Centered Leadership” by Steven R. Covey.   The book is a bit older, but no worse for the wear.   As I have gone through the beginning of the book, one of the points he has woven into the text is how there is no limit on the amount of goodness that can be done.   Specifically, when it comes to praise and affirmation, the well is endless.   There is no finite limit of accolades, kind words or even encouraging opportunities so there is no need to be jealous of what others receive.   It is tempting to promote ourselves and downplay the accomplishments of others for fear that they will get the kudos that we should get, but as the old saying goes, there is no telling how much good can be done when we don’t care about who gets the credit.   When we believe that appreciation is unlimited, we no longer have to pit our accomplishments with what others achieve.   We can not only share the credit, but we can feel good for e...

As former President Jimmy Carter’s days on earth appear to be coming to an end, it is appropriate to go back and consider his legacy. Honestly, I am not as inclined to look at his political record as I am what he has done for his fellow man. Governor Carter’s rise to the White House was rapid – almost overnight – but since then he has dedicated decades to tasks with people in mind. The other day I came across a quote of his that struck me, “We must adjust to changing times and still hold to unchanging principles.”. Honestly, the minute I read these remarks, I found myself right back in a self-struggle I had been wrestling with for a while. I will be the first to admit that I like traditions – I like what I like and I like to do what I like to do. Yet, just because I like things done a certain way doesn’t mean that is only way they could or should be done. Like President Carter, I believe there are certain “unchanging principles”, but those are fewer and further between than what...