Think About It

When Dwight David Eisenhower stood before the American people for the first time as their president on January 20, 1953 he made an interesting observation, “A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both.”. As a military man, Eisenhower had seen firsthand what it took to keep people free – not just from a military viewpoint, but from a moral perspective as well. It is great to live in the land of the free, but we’d better be willing think about what that means to all of us. We can’t continually seek our own ways and expect everything to run smoothly. Unless we are willing to stand up for what’s right, our freedom is at risk. I am thankful that we have the civil rights we do. I am pleased that we can pursue the happiness we can. Yet, we need to make sure that we are willing to think on a higher level. What do we stand for? What is important to us – individually, as a nation and as an international society? Folks, we are all in this life together. Let’...

When we consider places where people look to find contentment, the list is exhaustive. Some seek out a job, while others turn to various forms of recreation. Some try to find the good life in healthy living, others seek out debauchery. Some seek solitude, while others hope to find it in the number of social media followers they can amass. When it comes to finding the best life has to offer, there is a never-ending list of possibilities; however, those that actually offer happiness is short. Interestingly, some of the places people search out to bring them peace actually produce chaos and heartache. They feel worse when they latch on to their quest than when they were searching. While there are all kinds of places to look for satisfaction, there is one that will never let us down. In contrasting what other pursuits can do to us with what He can provide Jesus observed, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” (Jo...

On April 3, 1882 one of the most notorious gangsters of his generation was unceremoniously shot in the back of his head. He was in a “safe house” and unarmed at the time. The bad guy was Jesse James – the assailant was part of his “gang”, Robert Ford. Much has been written about James and his desire to be identified as a modern day Robin Hood, but the fact was he was a robber and a murderer. He may have lived a notorious life, but he died a very common death. Have you noticed that it is to boast about how great and substantial some lives are – when in reality, they are no better than the rest of mankind and may, in truth, be worse. They may have big names or hold influential titles but when the façade is peeled back, their true colors show. They are bullies and bad guys! They may claim to hold out hope for others, but the truth is they care more about themselves than anyone else. Let’s not be duped by people who offer false hope and vain promises. When we use good common sense...

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...