Think About It

The other day I read a couple of phrases that got me to thinking. They weren’t anything new – nor, in and of themselves, are they radical. However, I believe that they have become phrases that may need some rethinking. The phrases that sparked my thinking were, “God Bless America” and “Make America Great Again”. Now, I want you to set aside your initial emotional knee-jerk reactions to what these phrases mean to you and hear me out. Honestly, not only is there not anything wrong with these concepts, when viewed with an open mind, they can encourage us to better lives. They are noble pursuits. However, what tends to get us in trouble is when we set these standards against the rest of the world. Are we hoping that God will bless us more than other people? Are we wanting to rebuild our nationalism at the expense of nations? It is admirable to be the best we can be, the challenge is not being so self-serving that we do it to the detriment of others. When God sent His Son to the ...

Well, today is the day that many of us dread. The holiday season is officially over and we have to get back to life. For some, this means getting back to work, for others it may mean that the school regiment is starting again. The sales are over, and unfortunately, for some people so is the holiday spirit. However, before we get too deep in our mid-winter blahs, I would like for us to take one more look around us. Before you take that star off of your Christmas tree, give one more thought to the peace that Jesus brought into the world. Before you put your inflatable Santa Claus into the shed, recall the good feeling of generosity to others. Before clearing your holiday play list, give one more listen to all the songs that brought you joy throughout the month. Let’s not get in too big of a hurry to get rid of the holiday memorabilia, in fact, what about trying something new this year. Why not leave out one small reminder of the holiday season throughout 2024? It could be somet...

I realize that the New Year is something someone came up with when they invented some new time-keeping system, but I have to admit that there is value in setting the past behind us and looking forward to something new. As we file away 2023 and begin afresh with 2024 we have the chance to refocus our efforts. Even if it is artificial, it can be valuable. So with this in mind, what do you want to do with 2024? Are there some old habits you’d like jettison? Is there a new focus you’d like to pursue? Whether it is physical, emotional or spiritual, is there a change you’d like to make? If so, the most important thing that we need to realize is that it will take effort. Sure, there are some things that can come through minor tweaks to our lives, but there are some that will require major adjustments. As I thought about this, I was reminded of something Jesus said centuries ago, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyo...

It may be hard to believe but Monday begins 2024. Is there something you need to accomplish in 2023? If so, you might want to hop on it. Today is the final weekday in this year, so today might be your last shot at getting it done. As I thought about this, I was reminded of something Jesus said to His initial disciples, “Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.” (Matthew 5:23-24). While His message was to those who were thinking about their worship, I wonder if the same couldn’t apply to our year’s end. Are there things we don’t want to take into the new year with us? Have we sinned against someone in the past and we don’t want that hanging over our heads as we enter 2024? Are their relationships that we’d like to have repaired so we can start the new year on the right f...

One of the things that I like about this time of year is the plethora of college football games on T.V. I especially like the opportunity to watch some teams I might not see throughout the year. I have to admit that I didn’t search out games played by Old Dominion or the University of Texas at San Antonio, but if I arranged my schedule correctly, I could watch them during the Holiday Season. The good thing about all the Bowl Games this time of years is that a lot of teams get to play – the bad thing about them is that with so many of them not everyone gets invited to a major bowl. For every New Year’s Day game, there are many more that don’t get all that much attention. In fact, for some teams that didn’t fare well (or those who feel like they got short-changed) they ended up playing in relative obscurity. While this is a fact of life, it does bring about an issue for each team – or more importantly, for each player. Since their talents aren’t being showcased, will they give it ...

Most of us who stayed awake in Science Class realize that the moon doesn’t generate any light, it merely reflects sunlight. There are times when the orb is all but dark, but then there are times (especially on a snow covered night) when its reflection lights up the countryside. We talk about the phases of the moon, but truth of the matter is that it is just indicating the impact the sun is having on it at that moment. Not long ago, I got to thinking about how much like the moon I am. When I am around positive people, I am more apt to be optimistic, but when I allow the pessimism of others influence me too much, I come across as a grump. When we take this one step further, we can see how people with bad morals can influence our behavior while those who are good can elevate our lifestyle. I realize that I am ultimately responsible for what I do and say and how I feel, but I have to admit that I am more of a chameleon than I’d like to admit. While this can be a challenge, there i...

I didn’t grow up in Europe, so a lot of what I think I know about the continent comes from television. I remember an episode of M*A*S*H* that made the case that Boxing Day (December 26) was a day on which supervisors and workers exchanged roles. I recently did a quick fact check and I didn’t find that as a standard in today’s society. What I found was that it is more a part of the extended holiday vacation (that includes super special sales). Another thing that I did find was that in years past workers received Christmas “boxes” from customers or employers for their good work throughout the year. So much for learning my history from a sitcom! While we don’t live in Europe, the idea of spending the day after Christmas giving something special to others who aren’t family sounds kind of neat. Maybe we could start a new tradition – helping out others. It sounds kind of fun to give the clerk at grocery store a small gift just for being at work on that day. What about giving a 50% ti...