Think About It

Have you ever been wound up about something and had someone say, “Just let it go!”. Most of us have sought counsel about something (or more probably, someone) troubling you and had a confidant say let it go. It’s not only common advice, its pretty good advice … but what does it mean? One of the issues with this type of advice is that even if we admit it sounds good, do we really understand what people are trying to get us to do? Are they telling us to just forget about what has happened to us? Even the best of us will struggle with forgiving and forgetting, so how do we let it go? As I thought about this quip from a deeper level, I don’t think the point is to try to forget what has happened as much as it is for us to just take the emotional pain out of it. We may remember the details, we just don’t feel the hurt. Troubling situations can help us to grow and develop, but when we can extract the lesson without harboring ill-will we will be much better off. Is there something bothe...

A few days ago a preacher-friend of mine was conducting a funeral service and chose the story of Jesus and the disciples traveling across the Sea of Galilee in the midst of a storm as his main text. The minister did a good job of comparing the tempest on the lake with the storms of life, but as he related the story from Mark 4 he mentioned something interesting. Have you noticed what Jesus was doing when the disciples were fearing for their lives – He was sleeping in the back of the boat! Mark puts it this way, “Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke Him and said to Him, ‘Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?’” (Mark 4:38). These full grown men had to wake Jesus up to get Him to do something for them. While they were worried about their uncertain future, Jesus was leisurely sleeping. In a sense it kind of reminded me of parents who are awakened by their children to get rid of the monsters under their beds. The parents (like Jesus) have to ...

If someone came up to you and asked what it would take to be saved, would you know how to answer them? A lot of us have some pretty strong opinions about religious things, but how many of us could succinctly explain the basics of what it would take to be saved? I think we have done ourselves a disservice by thinking that most people know what to do to become a Christian, but the truth is that there are a lot of people who are unchurched and even more who don’t have a grasp on the basic, saving gospel. I am not talking about understanding all the nuances about the nature of God or even being able to explain Revelation, the most important question we can answer deals with the process of salvation. When Jesus left the earth and provided the instructions upon which His disciples would depend for the rest of their lives He told them, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and...

I don’t know the whole history and purpose behind Leap Day, but I kind of get the impression that it had something to do with correcting some of the inadequacies of our calendar. Now, while there may be some scientific aspects to the presence of Leap Day, I am aware of some of the social elements to it. I believe that when I was child – back before an emphasis on equal rights – it had something to do with the Sadie Hawkins traditions. (Some of you younger folks may need to Google that.) In my mind it was a reminder of the Olympic years. When both winter and summer Olympics were held in the same year, they were held in a Leap Year. With the current Olympic cycle, it appears to precede the Summer Games. Come to think of it, it also reminds us that we have a national election coming up … I guess we can’t blame that on the Leap Year, though. As I thought about Leap Years, I got to thinking about another potential use for them – what if we take the extra day to go the extra mile? ...

When you think about Jesus, what comes to mind? It is the Suffering Servant who endured life so that we didn’t have to spend an eternity in hell? Maybe it is the Perfect Son of God who was ready to defend the good life at the drop of a hat. For some it might be the Powerful and Perfect Judge who is sitting on the throne of heaven waiting for us to line up at His feet for our eternal judgement. In a sense, we could make a case for each of this images, but let me give you another one – He is the purveyor of joy! When Jude reflected on the power and presence of Jesus he observed, “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.” (Jude 24-25). Jesus is more than our Teacher and Savior, He is also the one who brings meaning to our lives. Are you looking for a way ...

Have you noticed how closely related our emotional health is to our physical condition? There are constant reminders all around us about taking care of our bodies, but what would happen if we took care of our minds as well? Things like stress, anxiety, overwork and not getting enough sleep can wreck more than our minds. When we worry about things, our hearts are forced to work harder. When we hold grudges our blood pressure is apt to stay higher. When we don’t take time to relax and enjoy the world around us we are always on edge which detracts from a healthy diet and a good sleep pattern. While it is advantageous to maintain a good exercise routine and good eating practices can benefit us, so can changing the way we see our world. Do you have personal conflicts that you could get rid of? Do you have days off of work that you could take? Are there shows that you could stop watching and help you enjoy life more? A quality life is a gift we can give ourselves. What changes can ...

Have we ever set out to point out someone else’s mistakes? Whether because of personality or perspective there are times when it is tempting to set our sights on proving someone else is wrong. There are times when this idea might be based on a matter of fact, but there are also a lot of other times when it could be a difference of opinion. Another consideration in this is the necessity for the confrontation. While there are times when someone being in error is important, there are a lot of other times when other people’s mistakes aren’t all that important. We may feel the need to correct the record, but does it really matter? There can be value in correcting other people; however, there just might be a difference in being accurate and being right. In other words, there is proper time, place and attitude in pointing out someone’s mistakes – and all too often, even when my facts are correct, my attitude isn’t right. When the Apostle Paul warned the early Christians about correctin...