Think About It

On April 10, 1912, the “Millionaire’s Special” set sail from Southampton, England on its way to New York. It was the Titanic’s maiden voyage and was filled with a lot of excitement and expectations. In a modern era of luxury and jet service, it is hard for us to imagine the excitement surrounding the week long voyage, but it was big deal. While the lead-up to the event was news in 1912, it is how the trip ended that has been the story for the past century. In the early morning hours of April 15, the ship struck and iceberg and within a few minutes, the great ship was submerged in the icy waters of the North Atlantic. In the end, about 1500 people lost their lives. The sinking of the Titanic is an interesting tale, but I am also fascinated by the amount of time and energy put into assessing blame. In the aftermath of the tragedy everyone from the ship’s captain, Edward J. Smith, to another ship in the area, the Californian, were accused of adding to the tragedy – the captain for s...

Honestly, we don’t like to discuss it out loud, but we live in an era when there are way too many suicides. I know, I know, one is too many; but one of the major American health concerns is people taking their own lives. While this is discouraging enough, when we consider how many people attempt suicide, we have a huge issue. This is often addressed a public health matter (which it is) but there is another consideration – it is also a spiritual health issue. I understand the presence of clinical depression in people and believe that it is at the root of a substantial number of deaths, but there is another aspect of this – discouragement and hopelessness. I know there are some things that can be done to assist people with significant mental and emotional health issues, but I also believe that religion can play a role in many others. One of the struggles people cite as a reason for considering suicide is that they don’t want to live … but I wonder if there is a more complete answer...

Sometime today – somewhere in our nation’s midsection – someone(s) are going to get to experience something pretty cool – maybe. Now, if you go back and reread that previous statement, you might shake your head and wonder why the hesitation. Well, while the scientists are pretty confident about the eclipse they expect to happen, there are a few caveats to whether it is witnessed or not; the most likely of which is clouds. Oh, that might not influence whether the eclipse occurs, but it will definitely impact whether people in a particular area get to see it. I am sure that there will be some people somewhere who will be disappointed. As I thought about this event I was reminded of how little control many of us have over our circumstances. Sure, there are definitely things within our span of control, but there is a lot about life that we have no say in. Whether it is natural disasters, certain health issues, international fiscal health or a lot of other things, about the best w...

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 ...