Think About It

For much of the world, this Sunday represents one of the greatest feats in the history of mankind. Some call it Easter, others call it Resurrection Sunday – simply, it is best day in the history of the world. Just a few days before, all looked lost, “But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.” (Luke 24:1-3). We cannot tell the story of Jesus without including the darkest day – the day on which the Lamb of God was slain – but the true gospel must include “the rest of the story”, the resurrection! There are a lot of celebrations and traditions associated with Easter Sunday – some of which have their roots in a spiritual observance and others that are strictly secular – but no matter how you celebrate it (or even if you don’t celebrate it as a holiday) let’s all take the time to thank God for w...

Do we believe we are ever going to win the battle between good and evil? Okay, let me add a clarifying comment, will Christians ever win the battle between good and evil here on earth? Unfortunately, the answer is no – but maybe not for the reason we might believe. I hadn’t really thought much about is until I read an old proverb, “No sooner is a temple built to God but that the devil builds a chapel hard by.” You see it isn’t that we don’t have the “power” to succeed, it’s that satan doesn’t have any intention of giving up! The devil is committed to his cause and will not give in. He will keep fighting the bad fight and trying to seduce good souls. You can’t say much good about satan, but one thing for sure is that he will go down swinging! Do we have as much drive as satan? Are we committed to understanding that our battle with him is a never ending chore? Whether it is controlling our lives or evangelizing the world, we must have the commitment to keep going because he wil...

Jesus was riding the wave of popularity. He had been welcomed into the city of Jerusalem with, “Those who went in front and those who followed were shouting: ‘Hosanna!’ Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord; blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David; Hosanna in the highest!’” (Mark 11:9-10). It doesn’t seem like it could get any better than this – and from a human perspective, it didn’t. Within a week, some of those who had been praising Him were condemning Him with shouts of “Crucify Him!”. Popularity is fickle. It is built on an unstable foundation constructed by people who can be changed by the shifting winds of public opinion. About the only thing consistent about popularity is that it will eventually fade. While this is something most of us realize, I think it is important for us to remember it when we, as Christians, seek to gain fame and good favor in society. Sure, it is nice to be highly regarded, but we cannot rely on public opinion to keep us on top...

I like spring – I do not like pollen! For those of you who do not live along the eastern seaboard, you may think you have seen pollen, but the stuff here is second to none! When I lived out west, I feared cottonwood season, now it is that icky yellow stuff that layers over everything. Now that I have gotten that out of my system, one thing that I do like about the coming of the yellow film is that I don’t have to worry about another white layer of snow. Sure, maybe we could have another snow this late in the year, but it won’t last long! I hate to say it but the presence of the pollen reminds me that warm weather is just around the corner. The reason I am writing about allergy season is as a reminder of the grandeur of God as seen through His creation. Yes, we have to deal with pollen every spring, but that is what produces the greens of summer and the powerful foliage of autumn. When God created the world, He did so with a perpetual plan that not only keeps the earth alive, but...

For you college basketball fans, today is bitter-sweet. LSU just won the women’s finals in Portland and San Diego State takes on UConn in finals of the men’s basketball tournament is being held in Houston … but, then, the long drought begins. Being a baseball fan, I have something to keep me occupied, but those of you who are die-hard NCAA basketball fans, about all you can do is follow the recruiting news and wait for fall practice to begin. In a few hours, there will only be one men’s and one women’s champions, but come November there will be hundreds of teams with great expectations. One of the things I like about college basketball is that size is not as much of a factor as it is in other major sports. Unlike football, where you need dozens of top tier athletes to advance, a good basketball team can include just a handful of blue chip players and a few others who have the drive to keep the hope alive. When it comes to college hoops, commitment and dedication still count for so...

The story of the woman caught in the act of adultery (John 8) is one of the best known stories in the life of Jesus. Even people who don’t know their Bible will make reference to “not being the first one to cast stones”. I think people like the story because they feel they can relate to two of the three groups. Some of us feel like the woman accused of an immoral act. We have found ourselves in similar situations – we know we were wrong and are looking for a second chance. Unfortunately, we often don’t get the forgiveness we want. Other’s of us feel like Jesus in that we find ourselves caught between two groups vying for our attention or maybe even seeking our affirmation and occasionally our wisdom. However, there are times we may be more like the third group than we’d like to admit, the religious leaders. These are the “bad guys” in this story because they condemned the woman and tried to use the situation to their advantage. The most telling act of their nature is found in ...

Do you find yourself in conflict with people? Are there some folks you seem to be always be fussing with? if so, what do we do with people like that? There are a lot of books and seminars about how to deal with people in difficult situations (or how to deal with difficult people in any situation), but there is a pretty simple answer to the question – make them your friends. I realize this may seem like a no-dah answer, but hear me out. If we don’t want to be adversaries, the best thing to do is convert them to being on your team. I believe there are a couple ways to do this. First, when the potential for a conflict is present, find something upon which you can agree. It may be as simple as what kind of ice cream you both like, but by building consensus on one thing we might be able to make progress on something else – maybe something bigger. Interestingly, once we share that moment, then it gives us something to return to when additional disagreements arise. A second thing is...