Think About It

On this day in 1815, Mount Tambora in Indonesia erupted in what has been called the largest volcanic eruption in recorded history.  In all honesty, I had never heard about this until a couple of days ago, but what I read was pretty impressive.  In addition to all the typical fall out from a volcanic eruption and usual devastation, the long-term effects seemed to last for months.  According to one article I read the usual killing frosts and snows of the winter of 1816 in North America and Europe extended into the summer months – which led to crop failures and starvation.   It’s hard to imagine how one event could have so much of a lasting impact across such a vast region – or is it?  On a spring day about 2000 years ago a convicted criminal (who had been executed a few days before) was seen walking around Jerusalem.  In addition to creating some excitement on that day, the presence of the risen Jesus continues to influence our world today.  His tea...

What is the best way to deal with people who disagree with us?  I don’t know if things have gotten more adversarial than they were in the past, but I do know they don’t seem to have gotten much better.  Maybe it just seems worse because there are so many different ways to proclaim our dislike for our adversaries, but there is no shortage of ways to tell the world who we don’t like and why we don’t like them.  Even if we don’t use names, it is pretty easy to get our point across.  Over the last few years, I believe that we have identified diversity, unfortunately, we haven’t done much positive with it. If we are willing to look for a way to deal with our conflicts, the Bible provides a blueprint; however, it is probably not going to be a popular strategy because Jesus taught, “But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” (Luke 6:27-28).  Jesus was not One to advocate gett...

I am having one of those weeks.  If you were to look at my calendar, it would look like a multicolor puzzle.  I have all kinds of different things going on in all kinds of different places.  While I like to keep busy, this week is kind of testing my limits.  In fact, if allow myself, I can get a little overwhelmed by things.  Now, the reason I share this with you is not to impress you or even solicit your sympathy, it is merely to remind myself to take things one day (and one event) at a time.  I need to be prepared for what is going to happen and put myself in position to do what I am supposed to do by being where I am supposed to be.  The only way to do that is plan each day and work that plan.  If I would allow myself to overthink things, I would probably be tempted to do it, so what I need to do is slow down my life by taking each day and each thing at a time. Are you feeling overwhelmed?  Are you worried that you are going to miss out on...

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...