Think About It

Growing up as a sports fan, I have to admit that there were times when I had problems separating my teams’ efforts with my attitude.  Whether it was the Cowboys and the Dolphins in the ‘70s, the Broncos in the 2000’s or even the modern Texas Rangers, there are times when I put too much of the “fan” in fanatic.  The problem with this isn’t necessarily the passion, it is investing too much of myself in something over which I have no control.  They won’t let me play or make player moves, so really other than cheering louder, I can’t determine the outcomes of their games. As I pondered about this, I got to thinking about other areas where it is too easy to invest too much of ourselves in things over which we have little control.  Take politics, for instance.  Yes, we can vote for our people, but we don’t really have an impact on national or international policy.  What about the economy?  We can do some saving, spending and investing; but many of the econom...

Last week, one of the most influential individuals in American music passed away.  On Wednesday, Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys, died at the age of 82.  I have been around Wilson’s music all my life.  First, through the Beach Boys … and then, later – to a lesser degree – through his daughters’ group Wilson Philips.  I liked the Beach Boys’ music, but when I became aware of it, I was developing my own tastes in popular music.  Interestingly, as popular as the California sound was in the 1960s, there was another musical influence invading America.  The Beatles and the Beach Boys are synonymous with the Rock/Pop sound of the ‘60s.  Interestingly, Brian Wilson was quoted as saying, “There’s no outdoing The Beatles.”.  This didn’t mean the Boys weren’t going to try to sell records, but they also understood the realities of the day. What comes to mind when you hear the world “humble”?  For some people, humility has to do with thinking less of ourse...

I have been reading Acts 2 for almost as long as I have been reading.   Growing up when and how I did, the story of the conversions on Pentecost were an important part of my religious upbringing.   However, it wasn’t until recently – when someone new to studying the Bible pointed it out – that I realized I had missed an interesting observation.   Most of us are familiar with Luke’s introduction to Peter’s sermon, “But Peter, taking his stand with the eleven, raised his voice and declared to them: ‘Men of Judea and all you who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you and give heed to my words.’” (Acts 2:14); but I want us to take a closer look.   I would imagine that many of the people in the audience on this occasion had been in the crowd that called for Jesus’ crucifixion.   Now, here is the point I missed.   The handful of people who were about to preach to them had been personally impacted by their audience’s rejection of Jesus.   Becau...

Back in the day it was said that you could tell the “good” cowboy star in the movies because they always wore the white hats.  I am not sure if that was true or not, but “wearing a white hat” has become synonymous in our culture with being the good guy.  Interestingly, something happened along the way – a lot of people began wearing “gray” hats.  Throughout my lifetime, there has been a movement away from being a goodie two shoes and adopting a mindset of blending in with everyone else.  The rationale has become that we can do a lot more good if we look like (and are trusted by) those we are trying to influence.  I am not sure about that.  Wouldn’t it give those who are watching us the wrong message if they are having trouble distinguishing the good from the bad?  The closer we get to the edge, the easier it is to fall off the line and onto the wrong side. When Jesus was establishing His movement, He called on His people to make sure that people knew...

I have been thinking a lot about forgiveness recently.  While I am absolutely thankful that God has forgiven me for what I have done, I also realize the challenge it is for me to forgive others.  I know that the Bible repeatedly says something to the effect of, “Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” (Ephesians 4:32), so why is it so hard to let go of what people have done to us?  There are several reasons why we choose to hang on to offenses done to us – pride, emotion, selfishness, vindication – each one a powerful force.  Yet, I think there is something that might enable us to relinquish our perceived right of revenge – maturity.  Many of us have heard the phrase, “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48).  In our own way, we tend to process this in a variety of ways, but I believe this concept of perfection isn’t nece...

If there ever was an individual that seemed destined to failure, it was probably Andrew Johnson.  Johnson was born in North Carolina, but raised in politics in Tennessee.  He ran with Abraham Lincoln and was elected as vice-president in the 1864 election.  Then, just a matter of weeks into this administration, Abraham Lincoln was shot and killed and Andrew Johnson became president.  If the tragedy of the moment wasn’t tough enough, Johnson (the disenfranchised Southerner) had to follow the idolized martyred leader out of the Civil War and into the Reconstruction.  Honestly, I am not sure Andrew Johnson or anyone was up to the challenge – but, suffice it to say, that it really didn’t get much better and his impeachment trial began in 1868.  As you might imagine, Johnson was not reelected and Ulysses S. Grant became president in 1969. Johnson was able to make a political comeback, but by then his history was already being written.  Traditionally, Johnson...

Have you ever had someone say something to you that immediately raises your blood pressure?  You can almost feel the vein in the middle of your forehead stick out and feel the appearance of the redness on your cheeks.  When this happens, our tempers (and temperature) raises and we start calculating what we can say to defend our opinion and defeat the ignorance of what has been said.  When this happens, what do we do?  Maybe a better question is, what should we do?  It is so easy to lash out at people and teach them a lesson – but is that really the most effective approach?  I have learned that when I feel like I need to say something, it is usually a good reminder to say nothing!  It may take an incredible amount of restraint, but it is better to swallow our mean-spirited words than have to apologize for them later on. We live in a world where we are often judged by what we say but, often, we would be much better off if we practiced silence.  Most...