Think About It

When most of us open Proverbs 22, we head right down to verse 6.  After all, one of the best-known proverbs of all time is, “Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it.”.  Now, even though that is insightful and encouraging, there are a lot of other words of wisdom in this section.  Take, for instance, verse 1, “A good name is to be more desired than great wealth, favor is better than silver and gold.”.  Living in the modern world, we are apt to be taught to pursue financial security (and we begin to get uncomfortable when the market and other fiscal concerns begin to wane); however, our bottom line isn’t necessarily the bottom line.  To live a rich, full life we need more than financial security we also need to maintain our reputation and relationships.  We need to be trustworthy and we need to work together. The ability to make our way through modern economics can produce a sense of long-term security, but let...

Since baseball season is officially off and running, I thought it was time for a quote by one of the great minds of baseball – Yogi Berra.  Now before we open up the words of wisdom, I want to remind you about the guy.  Berra wasn’t just some ballplayer, he was elected to the Hall of Fame – not as a “character” but as a star.  As a career New Yorker, he had a batting average of .285 and hit over 350 home runs.  He was an 18-time All-Star and won ten World Series Championships as a player and three as a coach.  Not bad for a kid who grew up in The Hill in St. Louis.  Yet, maybe one of the least known facts about him was that he was married to his wife, Carmen for 65 years.  (Maybe that qualifies them for the Marriage Hall of Fame.) Okay, enough of the serious stuff.  According to Sage Yogi, “The future ain’t what it used to be.”.  Now, before I let that sit a bit, I want to point out that even though on the surface it might seem nonsensical, I...

One of the earliest “parables” I remember is one my dad (the preacher) used to tell.  A little girl and her father went to a barnyard and, while looking at the critters, she asked, “Daddy, is the mule a Christian?”.  The father, confused by her question asked, “I don’t know, honey, why do you ask?”.  The little girl said, “I guess I just figured he was because he always has such a long face.”.  Now, while this story is meant to teach a lesson, I do wonder how people see Christians.  We spend so much time talking about what is wrong with our world and complain about how hard it is to be a believer, I wonder how much of an influence it is having on our children.  We fuss enough amongst ourselves that I wonder if unbelievers see any value in wanting to live the “fulfilling” life we preach to them?  I realize that life isn’t all kicks and giggles, but I do believe we miss out on way too many times to laugh and smile.   Years ago, the wise man of ...

What is the difference between cynicism and skepticism? On the surface, they seem to be synonymous; but I believe there is a fundamental difference between them. Skepticism is looking at something to determine the truth. It is a defense mechanism to gullibility. It is openly and honestly considering the information and determining if it is accurate or useful. In a sense, being skeptical can be healthy and can keep us out of trouble. On the other hand, cynicism is distrusting just about everything. It is starting from the perspective that everyone is out to deceive us. It isn’t seeing the glass as half full or half empty – it is believing that someone is trying to steal our glass from us! Cynicism limits the relationships we can have and will cast a darkness on the world – whether it deserves it or not. I believe there is value in seeking the truth, but let’s be careful that we don’t convince ourselves everyone is out to get us. When we buy into that belief, we won’t be able t...

I have gone on the record on more than one occasion about how much I dislike April Fools Day.  Even though I am not a big fan of practical jokes, my biggest objection to it is how it gives people a license to play fast and loose with the truth.  Not only is lying allowed, it becomes socially acceptable.  I know, I know – I am being way too literal with this, but with as much untruthfulness as we have going on in our world, what we really need is a day when people are required to tell the truth!  We have enough foolishness going on in our world today, we should be lauding the truth and sanity that still exists. It irritates me when people lie in court, in government or in business interactions, what really gets me irate is when people do it in religion.  Of all places where transparency is  valued, the spiritual world should reign supreme.  Now, it is easy to start pointing figures at those religious groups who disagree with us, but the truth of the mat...

It has been said that April comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.  (Now, depending on where you live, this is said about March as well … but, hang in there with me for a minute.)  The point to this analogy is a lot can happen in a short period of time.  Springtime weather can change … and change … and change in a matter of weeks.  In fact, how many people have heard it said, “If you don’t like the weather around here, just wait a few hours and it will change!”. The reason I bring up this weather-related mantra is because it reminds me of what happened when Jesus came to earth.  Jesus was born in barn with little social fanfare.  Sure, there were some people who knew something special was brewing, but for the most part, the peace the baby brought into the world was subdued compared to the chaos that accompanied His return to heaven.  In the final weeks of His life, He not only changed the spiritual climate of humanity, but He shook up the relig...

What makes worship pleasing to God?  I realize that most people will come up some kind of answer – and many of them will focus on some functional aspect of worship.  In other words, we need to do this or that in our assembly to do religion correctly.  Now, while I do believe there are “Bible ways” to do “Bible things”, I also believe that acceptable worship starts well before we get in our cars and drive to the church building.  Even if we get our actions correct, if our attitudes are off, we aren’t going to be pleasing to God.  The Old Testament is filled with warnings about “heartless” religion including Isaiah’s warning, “Because this people draw near with their words and honor Me with their lip service, but they remove their hearts far from Me, and their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote …” (Isaiah 29:13).  So, how do we make our worship pleasing to God?  I think a lot of it boils down to our relationships.  If we want our...