Think About It

The other day I was sitting at my office when a couple of people from a local restaurant stopped by and dropped off some samples and a few coupons.  A few days later, right before church services started, another vehicle from the same eatery dropped off more goodies and a few more coupons.  So, when I was looking for someone to partner with for an upcoming event guess who came to mind … and, yes, they agreed to work with us.  I come from a marketing background and for years American advertising has focused on telling us how good they are – but what got my attention was someone who was willing to show me how good they can be.  Claims are easy to make; actions really do speak louder than words.            As Christians, we have some really good rhetoric at our disposal, but are we willing to follow through with it by doing good?  Saying the right things provides us with a positive foundation, but a lot of people withhold their opinion...

Our world seems to be in chaos.  There are a lot of people who are running around (figuratively and literally) trying to be seen and heard.  We post, we protest, we preach.  While there are times when this can be appropriate, I also believe there are times when we need to back off and take a breath.  In the midst of crises, there are times when it might do us good to chill and regroup.  Again, this may seem to be counter-intuitive when we feel like we are in some kind of conflict, but maybe that is where we are struggling.  Who are our enemies – and are they really opposed to us?  Do we really have to stand up for the Lord – or is our place in support of Him?  One of my favorite bits of spiritual wisdom comes from Psalm 46:10, “Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”.  Many of us may have heard this translated as, “Be still and know that I am God …”;...

Are you ready for some good news?  We can always use some glad tidings, but I think we are in a time when some positive vibes could do us all some good.  Well, if you are wanting to hear something good, here it is – Jesus loves us and wants to save us!  There are times we spend a lot of time working out the mechanics of salvation – and we should make sure we are doing what we are supposed to be doing.  But for just a minute, I would like to step back and take a very broad look at the gospel (that’s just another word for good news).  As the Apostle John reflected on what he had learned through Jesus’ lifetime, he reminded us of what he had discovered, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16).  I have to be honest with you, growing up in and around church, I am quite familiar with this passage, but periodically I need to go back and b...

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....