Think About It

What are you doing this weekend? If you are like most people, your summer weekends are probably jam-packed. Whether it is vacationing, day trips, activities or yard work, it is easy to find something to keep us busy. While this is good for the most part, we need to make sure that we take some time for something important – and fun. Each weekend we have a chance to worship the Lord and we need to take advantage of it. Attending what has become known as a “church service” is important. It isn’t so much that God needs us to be there for Him, it is vitally important that we spend time with Him. By making time to worship Him we establish a priority for who we are and what we do. It is not only important for that day, it can carry us throughout the rest of the week. The other aspect of attending worship is that surrounds us with good people who share our priorities. We are exposed to a lot of folks who tend to drag us down throughout the week so we can benefit from spending time wi...

Do you know some Negative Nellies? I am not sure where the title comes from, but we all know them. These are people who constantly keep the pot stirred by talking about people, circumstances and situations. They not only see the bad, they are more than willing to share it with everyone around them. While these folks tend to keep themselves in a funk, they are also instrumental in deflating the people around them. The problem with these folks is not spotting them – they are plentiful and obvious – the issue is what do we do with them? If we leave them be, they will continue to produce negativity; so we can’t just ignore them hoping they’ll go away because they probably won’t. So, what can we do? Interestingly, the wise man of the Old Testament provides a plan, “Drive out the scoffer, and contention will go out, even strife and dishonor will cease.” (Proverbs 22:10). We must actively deal with these folks before they get to us. Whether it is asking them to move on from being ar...

When you look into the Bible, you can find a lot of good role models – some are famous, others are not quite as well known. Among those in the latter category might be Ezra. While there is an Old Testament book named for him, the story of Ezra is somewhat unknown; but it is important and inspiring. Ezra was instrumental in attempting to restore godly religion back in Judah following the Babylonian Captivity. In the book of Ezra we find a resurgence of national commitment to the spiritual restoration, but I want to focus something a bit more personal. In his biography, it is says, “For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the Lord and to practice it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel.” (Ezra 7:10). When we dissect this statement we find a formula for making a difference. First, we need to study the Word. Spiritual growth comes from learning the message. Then we need to commit to putting the information into practice. It isn’t enough to “know it”, we must...

One of the things I have found about growing older is that age tends to bring about some limitations not faced by younger people. I remember when I was younger and felt like I could do anything! My mind and body was sharp and I was fearless! I relished the opportunity to confront and change the world. As I have aged, I wake up with more pains and less confidence. I don’t feel that I am afraid, but I do know that I am not nearly as confident nor as cocky! While I am not saying I am helpless, I am saying that it is tempting to slow down – especially when it comes to helping people. The problem with this is that it doesn’t need to be this way! I may have more pain and fewer possibilities than I had decades ago, but that doesn’t mean I should put myself out to pasture. Wisdom and insight has given me an opportunity to serve in different ways. Knowledge and contentment have helped me become more focused. It has become too easy to excuse our inactivity and start to become comfortab...

While Juneteenth is a relatively new federal holiday in the United States, it has its roots in an incident decades ago. On June 19, 1865 word finally reached Galveston, Texas that the slaves had been freed by the Emancipation Proclamation – some two and a half years earlier. We didn’t have 24/7 media back then, so it wasn’t until Major General Gordon Granger delivered the message that these Texans realized they were free! On one hand, it is tragic that the slaves had to wait so long to hear the good news, but that didn’t dampen the message of freedom! As I have thought about Juneteenth, I have been pondering another type of freedom people are missing out on even today. When Jesus died on the cross, all people were freed from the bonds of spiritual consequences. Jesus not only paid the debt for our iniquity, He also provided a way for everyone to experience inner peace and contentment. The shame of this truth is that too many people have never heeded the good news. They haven’t...

I have been thinking about God lately – that is God the Father. There are so many ways God is described in the Bible, but one of the most often used is as our Heavenly Father. Have you ever thought about what kind of a Parent He is? Well, think about this. Most of the time I was growing up, there were two children in our family. My sister and I had different personalities, but we were similar in a lot of ways. Jeane and I had two children – again, they were each their own person, but shared a lot of the same values and characteristics. Even though both my sister and I and our children were similar there were enough differences that made parenting challenging. Now, imagine this – God has had billions of children throughout the history of the world. Some were calm, some are go-getters. Some were even-keeled, some are moody. Some were easy to like, others have required lots of extra attention. Yet, no matter their personality, God loves them! He recognized the value of each a...

Until Cal Ripken broke his record, Lou Gehrig held the record for most consecutive major league baseball games played. Cal had more than 500 more games in his streak – which is impressive – but before Mr. Oriole came on the scene, Gehrig, the original Iron Man, had an almost 800 game lead on Everett Scott. When you get into that type of rarified air you would think that winning would be a catalyst for that type of record; however, Gehrig didn’t necessarily see it that way. In one quote he observed, “I love to win; but I love to lose almost as much. I love the thrill of victory, and I also love the challenge of defeat.”. While that sounds a little wishy-washy, I do see some wisdom in his processing. If the love of winning is what keeps us going, a decent losing streak will suck the drive out of us. However, if we find something to learn from both winning and losing, we will always have something to keep us going! It is the process more than the results that keeps things interest...