Think About It

Last week was a good week for our church.   We took part in housing the homeless at the building during the evenings.   It was a church wide effort that could not have been pulled off by just a few.   Dozens of people pitched in and helped make the week safe for a vulnerable population in our community.   Through it all, I didn’t hear any complaining from the members of our congregation.   Even when things didn’t go the way we thought they would (or should), people just did what needed to be done.     The reason I bring this up is two-fold.   First, I am thankful for and proud of my church family.   They are a giving group who demonstrates their love for their neighbors.   Second, an incredible thing happened throughout the week.   As long as we were busy working, people seemed to be full of energy and enthusiasm.   Even though a lot of people put in a lot of hours (many of which were outside their typical “awake hours”) they...

What is your favorite Christmas song?   For some, it might be a traditional hymn.   For others, it might even be pop song that they heard on the radio as they grew up.   Still, others, might like something a little more Avant Garde, like “Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer” or “Rusty Chevrolet” by the Da Yoopers.   (That last one is a shout-out to my friends from Michigan.)   As I look back at my own Christmas music catalogue my favorite Christmas song is “The Christmas Song” (the version by Nat King Cole).   In his snapshot of the holiday season Mel Torme paints an incredible picture of the joy and peacefulness of this time of year.   Whether it is the smell of chestnuts roasting on an open fire or the feel of Jack Frost nipping at our noses, this is a special time of year.   As we approach the final weekend before Christmas, let’s not get so wrapped up in the stress of the week that we forget to stop and listen for the sound of yuletide caro...

How many urgent messages do you get in your email?  It seems like just about every day I am getting a message marked “Urgent”.  While most of them are just sales ploys to get me to open the message and read it, but every once in a while I will get something that is legitimate and some of them are even urgent.  Typically, these messages outline the need to do something because a deadline is approaching.  Again, there are times when even these are just a ploy to get my attention (and my action), but there are times when they are true and there is a need to act.   As I thought about this, I wondered if there shouldn’t be some passages of scripture marked “Urgent” in the Bible.  Sure, everything in there is important, but there are some things that should get and hold our attention because they are pressing – they need attention and need it now!  One of the verses I think should be marked as urgent is Paul’s message, “For the Lord Himself will de...

This time next week there will be a lot of excitement.  Some of the thrill will come from the giving and receiving of presents.  However, many others will be taking the time to remember the coming of Jesus to earth.  Traditionally, a lot of people have focused on the birth of Jesus during the Christmas season.  While I am not sure about the historical accuracy of Jesus being born on December 25, I do like the idea that people from all over the world are taking the time to remember the birth of our Savior.  Now, here is where I am going to deviate from tradition a bit.  Why are we waiting until next Wednesday to express our thanksgiving for the birth of Jesus?  Why not do it today or July 25 or any other day of the year?  The coming of the Savior is worth remembering and celebrating every day of the year.   The other day I heard the old spiritual, “Go Tell It On The Mountain” (I think it was Smokey Robinson’s version) and was struck by the s...

The other morning I asked my Artificial Intelligence device to do something for me and she did.  I was feeling giddy that day and flippantly said, “thank you” to which she responded with “You are welcome” and some other platitude.  In all honesty I knew that she was going to respond in some way – the device is not human, but it has been programmed to respond to certain prompts.  It is obvious that “thank you” is one of them that gets a set answer.   Now, you may be wondering why my morning routine generated an article.  No, it isn’t because my life is so shallow that I have to carry on a conversation with Alexia, nor is it that I am overly impressed with modern technology.  As I reflected on this interaction it reminded me that if we want to raise grateful children, we need to help program appropriate responses to compliments and expressions of gratitude.  No, I am not comparing our children to an electronic device, but what I am saying is that if we...

Over the last couple of weeks I have been doing some research on a concept called “intrusive thoughts”.   Basically, this is an emotional condition where certain thoughts get struck in our mind and you can’t seem to get rid of the them.   You stress and worry; but since they are just “thoughts” there is no real solution, so the process continues and anxiety sets in.   In all honesty, I have struggled with this for a while, but I never really understood the cause nor the process; however, I recently came across a book that has helped.   In their book, “Overcoming Unwanted Intrusive Thoughts” Sally Winston and Martin Seif set out to help people work through these challenges.   While I won’t try to reduce the book to one summary statement, one thing they did bring up was that a “thought” is just a “thought”.   Now, while on the surface this seems to a no-brainer, there are a lot of people who become anxious or stressed by thoughts that they treat as reality. ...

Do you like this time year?   Most people I know like the spirit of the season, but there are some people who may be opposed to how free people are with their money – especially in buying gifts for children.   There are some who believe that by giving gifts to children without vetting whether they are truly deserving is a bad idea and might even promote bad behavior.   Hey, if Santa is knows who is naughty and who is nice, shouldn’t we do some background investigating of our own?     While I can appreciate the pull of wanting to reward children who are truly needy (and have kept their noses clean), I also believe that helping out those borderline children can have a positive impact.   Maybe they already have enough toys or maybe they have been involved in inappropriate behavior – but who knows whether our acts of kindness might be just what they need to adjust their focus and get their lives back on track.   Will it happen every time?   No, but ...