Think About It

  When you think about the United States Government, what comes to mind? It is easy to imagine the government as some well-oiled machine that keeps chugging along on a mission to keep the American people afloat, but the truth of the matter it is that government is the blend of polices and people. There are laws and standards that govern actions, but government is defined as the decisions of individuals. Interestingly, the same thing can be said about the Armed Forces. The American Armed Forces aren’t some machine that comes rolling out of a machine shed somewhere, they are the collection of men and women who have given of themselves to serve our nation. Sure, they have to work together to accomplish a common purpose, but they are individuals who have made a decision to put our collective national values ahead of their own personal quests. Centuries ago, the Apostle Paul told the early Christians that they should invest in those things that help them succeed in their individua...

How many times have you heard that our “system” is failing? Things that have built successful institutions like a constitutional form of government, a solid free enterprise system and even a moral society are now being called abject failures. In the wake of those proclamations are an overarching criticism that the “system” failed. In essence, what we once saw as good is now viewed as inept or even harmful. I will be the first to admit that not everything we have done in our nation or even as part of western civilization is the best way it could have been done; however, we must be careful not to throw the baby out with the bathwater. Again, nothing is perfect, but today we enjoy a solid economic foundation and get to experience modern advances that couldn’t have been imagined just a few years ago. This makes me wonder, are our modern struggles because the system has been wrong all along or is it because we have people who are failing the system? As I thought about this dilemma I s...

What is the difference between a predication and prophecy? A prediction is a guess as to what the future might hold while a prophecy is a statement of fact for something that hasn’t happened yet. A prediction might be based on information and intelligence, but it is still a guess. A prophecy is based on a knowledge of what will happen in the future. I have heard several people predict a harsh winter. They figure that we will have higher amounts of snowfall; but they won’t know if they are right until next spring. They might be right, but all too often these predictions don’t turn out to be very accurate. A prophecy, on the other hand, can be taken to the bank. We may not know exactly “when”, but there is no doubt about what will happen. An example of a prophecy comes from Peter who wrote, “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be di...

Throughout the years I have spent a lot of time involved in the Juvenile Justice System. Now, before we go any further, let me go on record as saying that I appreciate the value of the rehabilitative system. I believe that, contrary to the adult system that is based on punishment, there is value in in trying to fix children while there is still time to help them become productive members of society. It is unreasonable to hold children accountable to a mature standard as their bodies and emotions are developing. Now, having said that, I am afraid that in our effort to protect children from the harshness of governmental standards, we have gone too far the other way. It has become too easy to excuse their choices and not hold them accountable for their actions. Sure, a good child-focused system is based upon multiple chances to learn, but there is an obligation to learn. We cannot be content with a system that is overloaded with free chances. There has to be a good blend of accoun...

I promise not to bombard you with five months worth of Texas Rangers stuff, but as we head into the offseason, I did want to make one final observation. On Saturday; September 30, the Rangers secured their place in the playoffs. All they needed to do was win on Sunday and they would be assured as the 2nd seed in the upcoming playoffs and a few days of rest at home. Not only did they not win, they looked pretty inept and were forced to face the Tampa Bay Rays in Florida. Now, if you have followed the MLB post-season you probably realize the Rangers won all their road games and set a record on their way to their first World Series. I remember thinking on that last Sunday of the regular season that it had been fun, but it was about to be over. Fortunately, the team was able to turn things around – and I believe they actually benefitted from having to play so quickly after their rocky last series in Seattle. My point in this reflection is that, sometimes, challenges and even failure...

When the framers of a Constitution for the new United States of America worked on their document, I doubt they realized just how much they would impact history. While what was originally drafted in 1787 was insightful, some of the most compelling work has been done in fine tuning the document through the amendments. One of the first alterations came in 1791 when the American people were expressly given the right to worship as they saw fit. In what has come to be known as the First Amendment, our government assured, “Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion …”. Many have interpreted this as a call to a freedom from religion, but the true meaning seems to be a freedom of religion. We have the liberty to worship our God in our ways. While this freedom means a lot to the United States, it also follows a very natural understanding of the nature of spiritual matters. Worship – especially God-centered worship – cannot be dictated by government, it begins in t...

How do we see the people in the church? There are a variety of ways to look at other Christians. Sometimes, we see them as too aloof to be approachable. Other times, we might see them as rivals for programs or attention. Some might be perceived as holdovers from past generations that keep us from achieving our leadership roles. We might even devalue some as hypocrites creating issues in the church or giving us a black eye. Now, I realize that each one of our relationships will be different, but the other day I came across a passage of Scripture that can be used as a way to help formulate our relationships. Timothy’s mentor, Paul, reminded him, “Do not sharply rebuke an older man, but rather appeal to him as a father, to the younger men as brothers, the older women as mothers, and the younger women as sisters, in all purity.” (I Timothy 5:1-2). Simply, Paul challenges Timothy to treat Christians as he would a healthy family. It is often tempting to apply some qualities of a dys...