Think About It

Have we ever done an inventory of what we talk about?  If so, how much time did we focus on what was going right with us and how many of our words described our difficulties?  I am sure that most people spend most of their time focused on positives, but some of us struggle with seeing the negatives.  Now we all go through times when we have major challenges in our lives, but some of us tend to overemphasize how tough we have it! Interestingly, the true issue isn’t what comes out of our mouths, the real struggle is how we perceive life.   The more we look for the problems, the more complaining we do.   When the Apostle Paul discussed perspective, he observed, “ Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.   For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison,   while we look not at the things which are see...

What do we do when someone misstates something? If you are like me, I want to correct them so they get it right. I mean, after all, people don’t want to sound ignorant do they? Now, while that might be a rationale for correcting people, I wonder if that is really what is going on? When I correct them, is it because I want to make sure everything is correct for the record, or do I do it just to show others how smart I am? Let’s take this one step further. Why do we correct people when they are mistaken on things we have personally seen or heard? Again, is it to make sure that the true facts are known or is it to brag about how much “in the know” we are? I am sure there are times when correctness could probably be more important than kindness, but too often we speak too abruptly and pointedly. Rather than help people get things right, our desire is to show our superiority. It’s not the desire for veracity that is behind our interjection, it is arrogance. Let’s be smart enough ...

In 1974 Chaka Khan and Rufus had a hit with the song, “Tell Me Something Good”. The song had a funky vibe that was punctuated with the phrase, “Tell me something good”. Like many of the songs of my youth, I am pretty certain that the song was not an anthem for moral reform, but the older I get the more I long for someone to “tell me something good”. It is all too common to be bombarded with all the negativity in the world. Not only are we surrounded by troubles and tragedy, we also have to listen to all kinds of people make disparaging statements about others. Quite frankly, I am tired of hearing the bad, tell me something good! What could happen in our families, our churches, our work places, our schools, our communities and even our nation if we made more of an effort to tell something good? Sure, there will always be tales of heartache, but how would things change if those where the exceptions rather than rule? Interestingly, if we focused on routinely relating the good and s...

Martin Luther King was a man with a vision. Dr. King was also a man who was driven. Yet, one of his most compelling characteristics was the way he used words to convey his message. Not only was he focused, he was also very quotable. Throughout the years there have been several Kingisms that have made their way into the American consciousness, one of them came from a 1963 speech that advocated, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.”. I would like to think we have advanced in our social consciousness in the past fifty years – but I believe this is one with which we continue to struggle. There is still a lot moral darkness in our world, but we will fail if we try to change it with our own brand of immorality – especially when it is wrapped up in hatred. We cannot try to become a better society by becoming meaner and nastier than those who hope to overcome! Centuries ago, when Jesus confronted the darkness of ...

So … how are those New Year’s Resolutions going? We are almost two weeks into January, are you still on track to make a change? If you are like most of us, you may have started off strong, but old habits got in the way of a new commitment and – we’ll let’s say there is always next year! One of the problems most of us have with resolutions is they are tied to actions. We want to start or stop something, so when we fail to keep it up, we tend to give up. What would happen if, rather than focusing on actions, we decided to change our thought process? Take for example, weight loss. Rather than setting a goal of losing 50 pounds we decided to eat healthier. How about our language – rather than stopping cussing, what if we decided to speak less and think more about what we say? When we are focused on improving our attitudes, our actions will probably follow. I hope the new you is continuing to improve, but if not maybe it is time to restart – this time with a focus more on why we do...

One of the things I need to work on is tolerance. I realize you couldn’t see me as I wrote that last sentence, but as I did, I cringed. I have known for years that when we ask for patience, God is apt to put us in a position where we need it – and that can be an uncomfortable setting. That is why I consciously chose the word tolerance! What I need is the ability to deal with people as they do what people do. I really believe that I have a pretty good handle on being able to work with people who are going through really tough times, my issue is tolerating them when they aren’t going through those major difficulties. In other words, I need to work on being okay with the warts and inadequacies we all have. Now that I realize this is what I need to do – and I have confessed this to you – I need to find a way to do it. Not long ago I was reminded of a New Testament passage that challenged me, “So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, k...

Growing up when and where I did, I was never a big Vince Lombardi fan – and I think I can trace it back to one day – December 31, 1967. On that day Lombardi’s Green Bay Packers beat my beloved Dallas Cowboys in what has become known as the “Ice Bowl”. I know it’s probably not nice to hold grudges – but when it comes to football, well … let’s just say I have a permanent blind spot. In all honesty, Vince Lombardi was such an effective coach that they have named the Super Bowl trophy in his honor, so as we begin the NFL playoffs, I thought it would be appropriate to revisit one of his quotes. Decades ago, the coach observed, “It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get up.”. Interestingly, as I think about this quote, I can only speculate if it was made after a game or after a practice! Lombardi was known to be tough – not just on his opponents, but on his own players as well. I wonder if he was that way prepare his teams for the upcoming game or if it was to test t...