Think About It

Have you noticed the inverted relationship between accountability and blame? While you would think that there would be a parallel – people assessing blame and those accepting responsibly – the adverse seems to be true. Traditionally, when we see a dip in personal accountability, we find a corresponding increase in blame. Additionally, when we hear more people trying to assess blame, there is a decreasing willingness to accept accountability. As I pondered this, I got thinking about how the two seem to reside on two separate plains. Accountability is based on logic and reason. When I accept personal responsibility, I do so fully aware that I am responsible for my own actions. Blame, however is more often based on emotion. When we don’t feel like people are accepting responsibility, we start looking to assign blame – whether it is justified or not. If we ever hope to encourage a broader acceptance of accountability, maybe the best place to start is by limiting the blame game. ...

It is hard to believe it has been twenty-two years since the attacks on the U.S. on September 11, 2001. A lot of us can remember where we were on that day and many of us can recall the impact the day had on us. For some, it produced a sense of sadness, while others participated in an indescribable national pride. Some people were overwhelmed by grief while others found themselves standing in line to join our national defense. As I look back on those days, one of the things that I remember is an incredible sense of the fragility of life. Not only did I realize how quickly life can change, I came to an appreciation of just how quickly it can be taken away from it. One of the most often quoted passages during that time was, “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.’ Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and th...

I am not sure if I should admit this, but one of my “guilty pleasures” is the music of Jimmy Buffet. I realize some of his songs don’t align with my own personal values, but I enjoy the way he blended pop, county and Caribbean vibes. If you haven’t heard, Buffet passed away last week at the age of 76. I am sure that over the past week most of you have heard a lot about Jimmy, but did you realize he never had a #1 pop hit? His best charting single in the traditional US Charts was Margaritaville (which reached #8 in 1977). His two #1 hits came on the County Charts in collaborations with Alan Jackson ( It’s Five O’clock Somewhere ) and Zac Brown ( Knee Deep ). Now, while Buffet didn’t have traditional commercial success, he parlayed his musical styles and concert performances into an incredible musical empire. The reason I bring up Jimmy Buffet is to remind us that personal effectiveness doesn’t always come through traditional ways. We may not may not look like other successful ...

One of changes in society recently has been the legalization of marijuana. Many of us who grew up in the 1970s and 1980s could not have imagined that we would live in a time when marijuana could be used publicly and legally – but here we are – so what do we do with it from a “church” perspective? Throughout recent American history the use of marijuana was a violation of law, so it would fall under the condemnation of criminal activity; but now – in some places it is legal – so some of us will need to revisit our arguments. I am not sure where we’ll land on this issue in the future, but one thing that we need to keep in mind is the idea of its impact on our ability to logically process information. The Bible has warned against the use of any intoxicants – whether it was wine or hard liquor, so I would assume that cannabis intoxication would fall under the same heading, “Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and whoever is intoxicated by it is not wise.” (Proverbs 20:1). As we l...

I was recently working on a project that led me back to some of my college mates. Now, for some of you, that might not seem like that big of a deal; but for me it was a rather significant trip in the way-back machine. Being as I graduated from college over forty years ago, it was a pretty sentimental journey. After visiting with some of the people I was struck by how many of them were still married after all these decades. There were several of us who were married within a year or two of each other and it is pleasing to see how many of us are still married to their original spouse. As I thought about these relationships, I was reminded of the some of the advice I was given as a youngster. Often I was warned, “Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.” (I Corinthians 15:33); but the converse of this could be “Good friends will build solid foundations”. There is no doubt that the group I grew up with helped shape my opinions about marriage and are a part of the reaso...

Boldness can be a virtue – but boldness is also not for the faint of heart. It is pretty easy to express our opinions, often with emotion and emphasis; but when we do, we also need to be prepared for pushback. Just because we are convinced we are right doesn’t mean that everyone will immediately jump on our bandwagon – in fact, you can almost be assured that someone out there will try to derail it. Additionally, the louder we push back at their disagreement, the more intense they can become. Now, back to my original statement. Boldness can be a good thing, but it also comes with a price. Boldness can create conflict and may damage relationships, so we must consider the cost before drawing any lines in the sand. When we face an opinion there are two things we must ponder. First, are we right? Boldness should only be reserved for those things we are certain are correct. It’s okay to have opinions (even strong ones), but boldness should be reserved when there is no doubt ours is ...

Happy Labor Day! I find it interesting that on the day we honor the value of working, most of us take the day off. Even though that is ironic, I am glad we have a day to celebrate work and have the ability to enjoy a day of relaxation. Ever since the Adam sinned, work has been a drudgery for mankind. There are times we can find value in what we do, but so often work becomes a necessary redundancy. We do what we do as long as we need to do it and can’t wait until we don’t have to do it anymore. While it is easy to see how we have gotten to the point we have gotten, what would happen if we could be re-energized by our jobs? While this is possible, the key may not be in changing jobs – what would happen if we changed attitudes? The Apostle Paul spoke of this when he wrote, “Whatever you do in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.” (Colossians 3:17). When we work to make a living and pay our bills it is easy to get ...