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The Lesson of the Seasons of Life
As I sat in the sunroom this morning with my coffee, I was amazed at the beauty of the leaves as they fluttered to the ground. The sun was shining and gold leaves fluttered down like raindrops of gold. It’s autumn and this beautiful season is all around us – the colors, the harvested fields, the cooler temperatures, the geese flying south for the winter. My mind turned to the other seasons of the year: spring with its new life and beautiful green colors, summer with the blue sky and the deep colors of beautiful flowers and trees, and winter with the black branches of a barren tree against the winter…
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Don’t Just be an “About” Christian
Christianity is far more than an “about” religion. Let me explain. There are countless books “about” the Bible. From commentaries to study helps to various other writings, shelves are filled to overflowing with books about the Bible. And, for sure, a good number of them are helpful. But nothing can replace actually reading the Bible. The same would be true with not just reading, but studying the Bible. It is one thing to watch videos or listen to podcasts “about” studying the Bible. That can be helpful and can give you both information and motivation to study. But it is another thing to actually do it; to actually study Scripture.…
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It May Be a Lot of Things, But It is Not That
I’m not a “bumper sticker person.” I don’t feel compelled to “decorate” my vehicles with my preferences about certain things. An example of this is that most people who know me already know who my favorite athletic teams are and people who don’t know me don’t care. I seriously doubt that anybody’s allegiance would be changed merely because they saw a bumper sticker or decal on a vehicle. Apparently, not everybody agrees with me. I’m sure I’m not the only person who has seen vehicles “plastered” with so many stickers, decals, etc. that it almost seems like there is no room for any more of them. Some of the messages…
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Double-Edged Knots
Some knots are necessary. If you want to keep your boat at the dock, you need to tie a sturdy knot. On the other hand, some knots are annoying. Knots in your hair or a favorite necklace can make you run late. This type of knot isn’t the only one that can make a big difference based on where it is found. Sunday in Bible class, Michael Grooms, our preacher, pointed out that shifting a couple of “nots” in the Bible makes a big difference in eternity. In Genesis 2, God clearly told Adam that if he ate of the tree of knowledge of good and evil he would “surely…
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Bitterness
I am going to try to introduce this without giving away the situation, because, when you write about bitterness, you don’t want to come across as…bitter! Here goes. A number of years ago, what was probably just randomness put me in a very difficult place, emotionally. For a stretch of time, due to those random circumstances (or, “perhaps,” God’s providence!), I had to be around a number of people who had truly caused me and my family pain. The pain had been emotional and, no doubt, had led to some spiritual struggles also. Now, unbeknownst to any of us, we would have to be around some of those who caused…
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What Would You Have Noticed?
Many who read this will probably be very familiar with the account of a miracle found in Matthew 9:1-8, Mark 2:1-12, and Luke 5:17-26. If so, you will remember that some friends of a man who was paralyzed carried him to a house where Jesus was. The obvious supposition is that this was done in the hopes that something could be done about the man’s condition. As you may remember, the hopes were realized much beyond their expectations. Not only did Jesus make it possible for this man to walk, He did something far greater. He told the man that his sins were forgiven. In fact he did this before…
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I’ll Be There for You
He was a dork. He was the king of sarcasm. He was a “transponster.” He was a character on a TV series, but to many, he was the favorite “Friend,” myself included. Chandler Bing was a figment of someone’s imagination, and yet Matthew Perry’s portrayal of that character made him real to millions of people. So, when Matthew Perry, the actor, died a few days ago, many mourned not only the real person, but the “friend” they feel they knew, Chandler. I have seen many posts of sadness and grief over the loss of this man. I read one article where Perry said he was known more for work he…
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When Perception is Not Reality
I’ve seen it many times, both in conversations and in social media posts. Frankly, I am sure that I have been guilty of it myself. In fact, I would guess that each of us has at some point–or many points–in our lives. I saw it again in the relatively recent past and it got the idea for this article started in my mind. I was reading a social media post that was connected to an event that I had at least a connection to. As I read, I was struck by how there were many facts right beside many things that I knew to be false, but that were presented…
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Their Best Customers
I’ve been thinking lately about some businesses/industries which “somehow” fail to use their best customers in their advertising. I’m thinking of two in particular. Some who read this may be old enough to remember commercials on television that advertised products for their brands with catchy slogans “informing” potential customers that their particular product “…tastes good like a cigarette should” or had “less tar – more taste.” Depending on what apparently was the target audience, the actors in the commercials and/or the models in the magazine and newspaper ads were portrayed in such a way as to encourage others to emulate them. One icon of the tobacco industry back then was portrayed…
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Someone’s Confused
Very recently I turned on a news program on TV and, of course, most of the news had to do with the war in Israel. The video, the comments, the sad faces, the rubble, and the commentary on this war were hard to watch and listen to. I did hear one commentator make some statements that caused me to stop and think for a few moments. Now before I tell you what he said (to the best of my memory), I want to tell you that this post has nothing to do with me taking sides in this war. It has nothing to do with the leaders of these nations and…
