Think About It

One of the most interesting discussions among people who believe in Jesus surrounds the end of the world. There are several passages in the Bible that seem to describe some type of cataclysmic worldwide event. Interestingly, there are several interpretations of these passages: some believe these describe events in or around the 1st Century while others apply them to a future date. Some believe these events will happen in an instant while others teach that it will take centuries for the events to play out. There are some passages where believers seem to have come to a universal agreement, this is not one of them! We tend to create a lot of dissention when we discuss the “end of the world”; but I wonder if we aren’t missing an important, practical application. Interestingly, when Peter is adding information to this discussion he seems to stop and challenge his readers, “Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and g...

Can you imagine trying to lead 3 million independently-minded people? That was the challenge for the first president of the United States. When George Washington took the reins of the new republic (that has just been united after revolting against Great Britton) he was tasked with leading diverse groups toward a common goal. If that sounds incredible, imagine the task today with 330 million people! It is easy to be critical of our presidents over the last few decades, but they do have a difficult task. As I thought about this challenge, I got to thinking about leadership in general. It can be a difficult to be a leader; but, if we are going to be effective one of the most important qualities of leadership is impartiality. True leaders – those who hope to make the most of the responsibility – care for what is best for their people. No, there is no way that we can please all people all the time, but when leaders work for the common good, they can be effective. However, when they...

Do you have a hobby? Do you have a happy place you can go and get away from the negativity of whatever is going on in the world? Do you have a way to refresh your mind – and your spirit? Most of us do a pretty good job of pursing our goals and moving forward in our existence, but I believe that we all need to take some time to get away from the day-to-day concerns of life. (Oh, and by the way, our getaway shouldn’t create more pressures than they attempt to solve.) Life is not necessarily easy, but when we find some simple pleasures that can refresh our minds we can at least avoid making it harder than it needs to be. I wonder, in our quest for getting the most out of our existence, have we lost the ability to relax and refocus? I want to challenge us all to seek out something fun to do this weekend. It doesn’t have to be exhilarating or expensive … it just needs to be something that will give us the ability to restore some peace to our spirits. Then, once we find out what it is...

The other day I was reading through Proverbs and found this gem, “The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer, but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things.” (Proverbs 15:28). As I reflected on this observation a couple things came to mind. First, haste makes waste. In other words, there is wisdom in a slow response to whatever we encounter – especially when the situation is adversarial. By carefully choosing our words, we can help keep emotions from spiritually out of control – both ours and theirs. In contrast, when we allow our emotional responses go unchecked a lot of bad things can happen. When we react without restraint we are apt to make things worse. As I thought about this, I was reminded of more words of wisdom, these attributed to James, “This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.” (James 1:19-20). Let’s take the time to hear people ...

Happy Valentine’s Day! I am not all that certain where Valentine’s Day comes from, but I do know that it has become an economic boom in our country. Untold millions of dollars are spent making our valentines feel special – and maybe even loved. While there is something neat about feeling love, too often the feeling that is passed off as love is something far more superficial. It makes us feel giddy when someone demonstrates a romantic gesture; but there is another, deeper type of love. There are a variety of words used in the New Testament that are translated as “love” in English, but one of the most important is one that is defined as wanting the best for another person. This is what Jesus seems to mean when He said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35). This type of love makes another person f...

I have recently been reading a book about the two-sport Florida State University player, Charlie Ward. Ward came to Tallahassee from South Georgia as a promising football player, but made a more lasting impression as a basketball star. Even though he won a Heisman Trophy on the gridiron, he made his living for a decade as a point guard in the NBA. There are a lot of great things that could be said about Ward because of his talent, but it is his personality that sticks out to me. Almost everyone who watched him play commented on his calmness – especially during adversity. Again, just about everyone who knew him also talked about on his spiritual life and goodness as a person. It is good to read about someone who really was a good guy and finished first! We live in a time that seems to spotlight caustic characters. While these folks tend to draw attention to themselves, the people who exhibit consistent character are the true leaders. Let’s find them in our world and follow them ...

Through the years, I have heard that there are two things “nice” people don’t discuss in public – politics and religion. Have you ever thought why that is the case? Is it because there is something unsavory about the topics? No, the answer is that these two topics tend to highlight the differences between people and are apt to create hard feelings. Now, I want to delve into this a little bit more – why would a couple of well-meaning people be afraid to discuss religious or political topics? The reason could be that, too often, the discussion is not between two well-meaning people – it is between people who are promoting their own agenda. It isn’t the topic that is creating the issue, it is the undercurrent for the discussion. Too many people aren’t interested in the exchange of information as much as they are in projecting their opinion or disparaging those who might disagree with them. Interestingly, this is nothing new. Centuries ago Matthew saw beneath the surface of a conv...