kenlassblog

I am a fan of old movies, especially those of the “golden age of Hollywood”, thought to be 1940 to 1960. Movies, of course, are a reflection of the pop culture of the times. It’s fascinating to see how trends and acceptable behavior change through the years. Smoking was considered sophisticated. Patriotism was the rule. Graphic violence, language and sex were only implied, never shown. The stories almost always ended happily and upbeat.

Most notably, Christianity was always portrayed in a reverent and positive light. Not only was belief in Jesus Christ as savior acceptable, it was prevalent. Over time, the film industry has drifted away from these values, believing it had to evolve to match the increasing liberal influence in our culture. It’s not mine to judge whether the changes have been beneficial.

But understand that right and wrong doesn’t change. Movies may reflect where we are going, but that doesn’t mean it’s the right direction.

I’ve detected what seems like a bit of a trend lately and, unlike most modern trends, this one is encouraging. Have you noticed that more and more athletes, when they are interviewed after a big game or a big performance, are giving all honor and glory to God? This used to be very rare until sports figures such as Tim Tebow started doing it on a regular basis.

To say the least, this is incredibly powerful ministry, considering how kids look up to and emulate athletes. It’s also a great example for us to follow. We may not have TV cameras in our face every day, but we can still make it a point to give God the credit when we speak to others about the blessings in our lives.

Athletes take a lot of criticism for being self-centered, greedy, immoral and poor role models. But more and more of them are getting it right. We should too.

I don’t have the building or fixing gene. I am no good with tools. I watch with envy and amazement as some of my male friends build their own porches and fix their own lawnmowers. The three words that strike fear in my heart are “Some Assembly Required”.

I have long been at peace with the knowledge that I will never be a do-it-yourself kind of guy. I can barely use a hammer or a screwdriver. When something breaks I call someone to come fix it. I’m not lazy. I just lack the confidence and know-how to do the job.

Whatever talent God has blessed me with lies in other areas. And that’s okay. Don’t waste time worrying and feeling badly because others have abilities you wish you had. You’ve got your own skill set. God is ready to put it to work.

Money is like water. It can be either beneficial or dangerous. Water is essential. Our bodies are roughly sixty percent water. We need it for drinking, bathing and laundering. Yet water can be devastating. You can drown in it. It can seep into your walls and floors and destroy them. It can flood your streets and take out your neighborhood. Too much water can cause problems.

Money is essential. We need it to pay for food, shelter and medical care. But too much of it can be troublesome. It can lead to excessive self gratification, drug and alcohol abuse, greed and shattered relationships.

Don’t obsess over money. You can drown in it if you’re not careful.

When it comes to food, most of us have little problem understanding what is good for us and what is not. At least we know that, generally speaking, protein is good, carbohydrates are bad. Fruits and vegetables and unprocessed foods are good. Fried foods and sweets are bad.

This is a challenge, because the foods that are bad for us are more pleasing to the taste than those that are healthy. So we try to come up with a compromise. We eat some of the bad stuff, but try our best to limit it. Sometimes we’re not good at this. We indulge ourselves more and more until we have gained too much weight. Then we must diet and forego the bad stuff completely. Life can become a constant struggle to keep the weight off.

You are not born with willpower. You learn it. It comes when you get your mind off of food. Prayer is an excellent way to create a diversion.

As I write this, there are storm clouds gathering outside my window. There are bolts of thunder and flashes of lightning. A thunderstorm is on the way. I had outdoor plans this morning, but I’m going to have to cancel them. You can’t control the weather. So there’s no point in feeling angry or frustrated about it. Perhaps it’s just an opportunity to find something more useful and helpful to do.

Can you recognize the things in your life you can’t control? And can you stop worrying about them? You can trust that God is in charge of those things. And He always makes the right decisions.

He’ll bring you in out of the rain.

Weeds are amazing things. They pop up in your lawn and garden from out of nowhere. And they are relentless. You can trim them, pull them out or spray poison on them, but a few days later, more of them return. If you put down a tarp around your plants the weeds will grow right through it. They’ll even spring up in the cracks of your sidewalk and driveway. You just can’t keep them down.

As much as they drive me crazy, a small part of me kind of admires them. They survive any effort to obliterate them. Knock them down, they come right back. They have a resiliency that human beings can learn from. No matter what adversity life throws at you, just get back up and keep going. The world may try to cut you down but show it you can’t be stopped.

Keep growing. Be a weed.

Let’s face an inconvenient truth. Doing the right thing is generally not as much fun as doing the wrong thing. Eating broccoli is much healthier than eating potato chips. But it doesn’t taste as good. You just have to trust that the broccoli is going to reward you in terms of internal health, in ways you cannot immediately see or feel.

Living a good, honest, moral and spiritual life is not as much fun as indulging your every whim and focusing on self gratification. You just have to trust that being in a right relationship with Jesus and walking a proper journey with Him is providing for your well being and eternal future, even though you may not be able to see it or feel it now.

The broccoli is for your heart. Jesus is for your soul.

Sometimes I look in the mirror and say to myself “who is that old person?” We all have an image in our mind as to what we think we look like. And it’s usually a vision of ourselves as younger and more attractive. Ever see a video or a photo of yourself and realize you look quite different from your self-image?

Aging is something we can’t stop. Our exterior looks will change over time. You can fight it off with procedures and dyes, but eventually, no matter what you do, you will look older.

Better, then, to focus on how you look inside. There’s no time limit on a kind heart.

I find it interesting that the word used most often in the bible (King James version) is “Lord”. And it’s not even close. The word “Lord” is written 7,365 times. That is 3,000 times more than the number of the second most mentioned word, which is “God”. The third most written word is “man”.

Maybe I’m reading too much into it, but it strikes me as instructive that the three most common words in the bible are Lord, God and man. It reinforces to me the purpose of the Good Book is to reveal God to us. To explain who He is, where we come from, how we are connected to Him, and what acknowledging him as Lord looks like in your life.

So it would seem a good idea to read that book, study that book, give that book to the ones you love. And to get it to as many people as possible. By the way, “people” is mentioned 2,271 times. Fourth most.