Author: kenlassblog.net

When I was working as a local television news anchor, I learned something about prestige that stuck with me. If I walked down the streets of my town, some folks would recognize me and treat me like a local celebrity. But if I got in my car and drove two hours in any direction, then got out of my car and walked the streets, nobody knew who I was, and nobody cared.

It taught me that prestige and “celebrity” aren’t real. They just exist in the mind of somebody else. If you’re depending on status and notoriety to make you happy, you will be truly disappointed. They disappear like dust on a windy day.

Better to remember Luke 14:11. “He who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

When I am babysitting my nine and eight year old grandkids, their favorite thing to do with me is play school. They want to be the teacher. They want to give me math tests and spelling tests. Sometimes I make mistakes on purpose because they take great delight in correcting my errors. They absolutely love to be in control, to make the rules.

Our need for control starts early in life and only seems to grow stronger as we age. Perhaps that’s why it’s so challenging to give up control of our lives to God, and to allow Him to take us in His direction. To acknowledge that He makes the rules, and, just like my grandkids, He is testing me every day.

I won’t make mistakes on purpose on His tests. I do that enough unintentionally.

I’m sorry.

Two small words that change everything. There are so many times we can have a bad interaction with someone. We might be left with bitterness, hurt feelings and anger. Friendships are threatened. Family members are estranged. We can carry that negativity around in our bellies and let it fester and grow.

Or we could just say “I’m sorry”. Even if you are convinced you were in the right. You could say I’m sorry this has caused strained feelings between us. I don’t want to fight. Let’s work this out.

When someone has apologized to me, I find that any ill feelings I have instantly melt away. Pride has a way of keeping you from making the first move. Swallow it. You’ll love the after taste.

Against the back wall of my writing room, sitting on a small end table, is an old record player. I never use it anymore. Today you can just pull out your phone and dial up any song or album you want to listen to, all for the price of a subscription.

But record players are coming back. They are selling like crazy. It’s being called the vinyl revival. The popularity is generated by nostalgia, and what is being termed as a “physical connection” to the music. Turns out folks enjoy holding a record and/or the album in their hands, then playing and listening to it while perusing the cover. Some think the audio quality is better on vinyl.

Whatever the reason, it takes them back to a happier, simpler time of their lives. I’ve still got some of my old records. Maybe I’ll crank up the turntable. Everyone needs a little nostalgia in their lives. Find a good memory, and a song that goes with it. Like the old tune says, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.”

I recently watched a TV biography about actor Burt Reynolds. Among other things, it detailed his battle against drug addiction. It seems that every day you hear of a famous celebrity dealing with addictions. Matthew Perry, Ben Affleck, Brad Pitt, Charlie Sheen, Robert Downey Jr., the list goes on and on.

Clearly, fame and wealth don’t meet all of your needs. Those things are fragile and often temporary. People need a solid foundation, a reliable source of love and support, guidance to make positive moral decisions, relationships that hold them accountable and encourage them. Those things can usually be found in a good church.

It’s possible to live a sober, happy, contented, fulfilling life without a church family.

But the odds are against it.

My eight-year-old grandson has a gift. He seems to have the ability to look at a bunch of loose parts lying on a table or floor, and see in his mind how they fit together. He loves Legos. We buy him various sets complete with instructions on how to build everything from dinosaurs to race cars to airplanes. He dumps the tiny pieces on a table, looks at them for a few minutes, and then correctly assembles them in a flash without looking at the instructions.

My prayer is that, as he grows into adulthood, he will have the same vision when he observes the pieces of his life. That he will be the finished product God has designed him to be. That he will assemble his path with honor and spiritual wisdom.

Sometimes we observe our circumstances, and have trouble seeing how they fit together to accomplish His purpose. Fortunately, there is a book of instructions for that as well.

When a child is taught how to read, the instruction starts with the letters of the alphabet. Vowels and consonants, each one has a sound. The sounds combine together to form a word. Long words can be broken down into pieces (syllables), and then joined together. Words become sentences, which become paragraphs, which become essays or novels or biographies or poetry or any great piece of literature. Yet it all begins with that single letter of the alphabet.

God builds His kingdom that way. One person at a time. There are great congregations, massive revivals, missionaries, disaster relief crews. Christianity is the most popular religion in all the world. But it is nothing without each individual answering the call.

So be a letter of God’s alphabet today. What sound do you make?

The other night we were sitting in the den watching TV when suddenly the power went out in our house. Apparently, a tree had fallen on wires and knocked out electricity to much of our neighborhood. As we sat in the dark, I was struck by how helpless it felt. Couldn’t watch television, couldn’t read, our phones worked but the internet was out. No air conditioning. No refrigeration. The only light was from the flashlight function on the phone, but that was only going to last so long.

Feeling powerless is scary and uncertain. Our fate was in the hands of the power company. We had no control. Kind of like life without God. There aren’t many functions that work without Him.

After a few hours the electricity came back on. Life was normal again. The power of God never turns off. You just have to make sure you are properly wired to receive it.

Worrying is a wasted emotion. You can worry about a problem all you want, but the problem will still be there with nothing changed, except that you are more stressed and anxious. Worrying should be replaced by concern. Being concerned about your adversity will help you prepare for it, develop a plan to deal with it, think through the possible results and be ready to react to them. Once you’ve done that, relax. Don’t worry about what might happen.

Recently a famous football head coach was asked if he worries the night before a big game. He said no, he sleeps like a baby, because he has prepared his team as well as he can, and that brings him peace.

It’s good advice. With God’s help, you are stronger than you think. And you never have to worry about His presence.

Let’s say you are walking through the parking lot of your grocery store. You look down and see a $100 bill on the pavement. Would you pick it up, put it in your pocket and go about your business? Or would you turn it in and seek its owner? You might be tempted to keep it, but you would probably resist that temptation and do the right thing.

What if it was a $50 bill? A $10 bill? A single dollar? At what point would temptation convince you it would be okay to just pocket the money? Satan wants to find that point in your mind and build on it. Not just with money, but all matters of honesty and morality.

It’s a good idea to know your threshold. Giving in to little temptations always leads to bigger ones. That’s how he gets a foothold.