Think About It

What can be said that hasn’t been said?   Over the last few days, a lot of people have made a bunch of statements about what has been going on and why it happened.   Interestingly, this is nothing new.   This has been going on for a long time – the only change is probably that it is a bit louder and there are many more venues through which we can express our opinions.   So, here is my question, if we have all of these ideas out there, why haven’t things changed?   If we believe we have the answers and have been sharing, why are we still struggling?   Could it be that we are doing more talking and less listening?   Interestingly, I don’t believe that solutions are found in declarations – they are found in communication.   The key isn’t in finding the answers as much as it is in working together to implement resolutions.   I believe there are a lot of smart people who have incredible insights.   That’s great … but what we need are even m...

Through the years I have preached a lot of “bear one another burdens”.   This phrase from Galatians 6:2 has been a launching pad for a lot of my sermons and lessons.   Now, before I move on, let me make it plain that I am still a big believer in this admonition; however, I have learned something along the way.   Often, to be able to help people we need to communicate with them.   When we see people struggling, we have to be willing to ask them what’s going on – and then listen to them.   If we wonder why people have changed, we need to ask them and patiently await their honest response.   Often, helping comes by beginning an investigation and often requires listening to commentary.   There have been times in my life when I have shied away from this pursuit of truth, but I am trying to learn that with genuine care for others difficult discussions don’t have to be that tough. The other day I found another passage about helping others, “Now we who are s...

          When I was a child, I would read about the attack on Pearl Harbor and the ensuing World War and think about how far away and distant that seemed to be.  That date that lives in infamy and those events that followed shaped my growing up years and influenced my worldview.  Even without a memory of it, December 7, 1941, changed my life.  As I look at today’s date, my thoughts immediately go back to where I was on September 11, 2001.  It still seems like yesterday that I was shocked by what was happening.  That day has influenced not only my life but our national and international relations for the last two decades.  The other day as I got to thinking about it, I realized that a growing number of our young people don’t remember that day.  Many of the people in our armed forces and emergency services were not alive when the towers and the planes came down and, even those who were, may be too young to remember the impa...

Chaim Witz is an Israeli-born musician who was born in Haifa, Israel.  Witz’s mother, Flora, was a Holocaust survivor who moved to Israel from Hungary.  Flora and her brother, Larry, were the only members of her family to survive the Nazi regime. Flora and her husband moved to Israel in 1947, and Chaim was born in 1949.  Witz’s family spent his early life scraping by until his parents divorced when he was eight years old.  After the divorce, Chaim and Flora moved to New York where he completed his education and even graduated with a bachelor’s degree in education.  After school he worked at a variety of jobs including a stint at Vogue magazine and a short time as a sixth-grade instructor in the city.  It kind of seems like a rags-to-riches story, doesn’t it?  Yet, you haven’t heard the rest of the story – you see, Chaim Witz transformed into Gene Simmons … yeah, the guy from KISS.  When I heard this story recently, I was surprised and intrigued....

One of the cool things about our society is that we can always find someone to blame!  While this is an especially fun game for partisan groups, it is particularly effective for us as individuals.  If I do something that was wrong, evil or inappropriate, it is easy to fall back on the old standby – he/she/they/it made me do it.  (The pronoun isn’t important because it is apt to change with our intended audience.)  We can excuse ourselves and condemn our favorite villain all in one fell swoop! Now, I hope you realize that the above was written as a tongue-in-cheek response to how easily it is to try to shirk our personal responsibility.  When it all comes down to it, whether it is the words that come out of our mouths, the sentences that come off our keyboards or the bullets that come out of our guns, we are responsible for the decisions we make.  It might be convenient to try to blame someone or something else, but at the end of the day (and even more impor...

Have you noticed how easy it is to say we just need to love one another?   In all honesty, the key to a better world for all of us is simply to love our neighbor.   If the answer is so straightforward, why aren’t we doing it?   I think the answer is that love is hard.   Love is such a fun word, filled with all kinds of positive imagery – but it takes a major commitment and a lot of effort.   Love requires forgiveness, respect, tolerance, wisdom, understanding and a lot of other concepts that demand personal surrender and sacrifice.   When it works, it can be fun and rewarding, but getting to that point takes a lot of patience, purpose and persistence. Now, having said all that, I still believe the key to an abundant life and advanced society is love.   Do we really want to have a more fulfilling life?   Do we really want a safer and more affirming community?   Then let’s make it a point to seek the best for each other and demonstrate love. ...

The Germans have hosted the Summer Olympics on two occasions – once in 1936 and once in 1972.   Interestingly, each of these events is noted for more than the athletic competition.   In 1936 there was a Nazi presence on display – the same mindset that would lead to a World War.   However, to me, the most personal were the ones I watched unfold in 1972.   On September 5, a group of terrorists besieged the Olympic Village and, before it was all over, 17 people died.   The events were tragic enough, but maybe the thing that makes it memorable for me is that it was played out on live TV.   Some fifty years later, just the thought of the Games generates a strange feeling for me. I am sure that there are lot of lessons that have been and could be learned from the events in Munich, but one that sticks with me is how easy it is for our reputation to be scared.   When I think of Munich, I think of death and devastation.   I am not sure I will ever shake ...