Think About It

Have you ever wanted to make a difference, but never knew what to do? Maybe a more direct way of asking this question is have you ever thought about making a difference, but never got around to doing it? A lot of us have good intentions, we just never quite follow through. It is a common issue – and it is one that is pretty easily fixed. To make a difference in people’s lives, we must have two things. First, we need to have the attitude – we have to want to help people. There are a lot of reasons to do good – tax deductions, political agendas, guilt, etc. – but the most compelling reason is because we want to be good neighbors. We just want to help people. While this is probably the best starting point, it is also where the road to good intentions can meet the path of least resistance and we end up just “wanting” to do something. To make a difference, we have to add action to our attitude. It isn’t enough to just think about it, we must act on it. The good news when it comes ...

Today is one of my least favorite days of the year. I have never been a big fan of April Fool’s Day. Maybe it started because I never liked being the butt of practical jokes, but it has morphed into something even deeper than that. These days, we are mean enough to each other the other 364 days of the year, why should we highlight a day for hijinks? Our society has enough trouble dealing with truth and honesty the rest of the year, why in the world would we want to dedicate a day to intentionally trying to deceive one another? I know, I know … often it is done in good fun, but I am just not a fan! While the modern idea of April Fool’s Day doesn’t do much for me, I do see a way that it can be an asset. The Bible reminds us that, “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God,’ they are corrupt, and have committed abominable injustice; there is no one who does good.” (Psalm 53:1). What if, rather than trying to trick each other, we dedicate this day to the wisdom of faith....

The day had been filled with all kinds of excitement. There had been a trial, the potential for a riot, mass chaos and executions. Weird stuff had happened – the sun had gone out, the earth had quaked, dead people were up walking and the temple curtain had ripped. People cried, screamed, pondered and died. The day that lead up to the Sabbath had been one for the ages. Now, it was time for rest and reflection. Some would recount the day as a tragedy while others saw it as a victory. It was all a matter of perspective – but one thing for sure, Sunday was coming. Oh there had been other first days of the weeks, but this one would be something special. Luke would describe it this way, “But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.” (Luke 24:1-3). How is your day going? Are you happy or sad ...

Today is the day I have been looking forward to since November 1, 2023. Major League Baseball is back and my Texas Rangers are the reigning World Champions. Honestly, I never thought I’d get to write that – but it feels really good! As I look back on the 2023 season, the thing that stands out to me is how much of a marathon the baseball season is. It is full of ups and downs – ebbs and flows – wins and losses. A season that is 162 games long will be filled with good and bad streaks. Then there are the playoffs where the difference between quality teams is miniscule. As I look back on 2023, I can smile … but only for a little while … because here we go again! I believe baseball emulates life as well as any other sport because it requires stamina. Even the best batters fail two-thirds of the time; but at the end of the day, the stats are put in the book and we try again tomorrow. You can’t carry yesterday’s win into today’s game nor do you have to overcome yesterday’s loss a...

You might find it odd that I compared Judas to Peter and Paul in last week’s sermon. Noticed that I chose to use the word “compared”. Peter, Paul and Judas were probably a lot more alike than what we’d expect because when it came to their relationship with Jesus, they failed. We are quick to point out that Judas betrayed Jesus, but Peter denied he knew Him and Paul persecuted His believers. Each one of their relationships with Jesus left something to be desired. However – and this is a big however – the difference between Paul and Peter and Judas was that Judas gave up. Peter and Paul hung around long enough to seek forgiveness; Judas quit. Peter and Paul sought a life after their rejection of Jesus; Judas was so overwhelmed with guilt that he killed himself. As I was thinking about this, I remembered something Paul wrote, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the ...

A popular scripture on sin is Paul’s observation, “… for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God …” (Romans 3:23). This is one of those complex concepts – should we take comfort in the fact that we are all sinners and feel like that when we sin we are in good company or should we feel the sting of the realization that we are all a bunch of mess-ups? In all honesty, I think the answer is “yes” to both of those concepts. While most of us have embraced this from an individual perspective, I think a broader concept can be seen. Not only have all people (individuals) sinned, so have all peoples (nations, genders, religions, etc.). None of us – no matter who we are or where we’ve come from – is innocent; we all have issues that need to be resolved. It doesn’t matter if we are Asian or American, black or white, male or female, we all have enough sin problems to need the help of Jesus. It is hard to be arrogant and bigoted when we have to accept the blame given to everyone. L...

Every so often I will see something and my mind will immediately go back to something that was engrained in me when I was small. It might be a thought, a rationale, a word or a concept. I may not have thought of that particular idea for a long time – I might have even outgrown the belief that was instilled in me, but there it is popping out of somewhere deep inside me. I may not act on it, but it’s there. As I thought about this phenomenon the other day, it reminded me of the importance of raising our children correctly and properly. Deep seeded thoughts are established early and may not be properly evaluated by the immature brain. Even in the years to come, we may have to work twice as hard to overcome what we were exposed to in those early years. Thousands of years ago, the wise man Solomon reminded us, “Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6). Even though each one of us will eventually make our own choices abo...