Category: Uncategorized

Have you noticed that lawyer commercials have pretty much taken over local TV? It seems every commercial break there are attorneys cajoling you to call them first if you’ve had an accident or an injury. But all lawyer commercials usually require that familiar disclaimer that runs in tiny letters across the bottom of the screen. You know the one. It says something like “no representation is made that the quality of legal service is better than that of any other lawyer.”

And yet, that is exactly what the attorney on the commercial claims, isn’t it? Call me and I’ll get you the most money. I’m the best lawyer.

So what do you believe, the lawyer’s promises or the disclaimer? Which one can you trust?

Aren’t you glad you don’t have to worry about such decisions when it comes to spiritual matters?

I have a weakness for all-you-can-eat buffets. They are my favorite type of restaurant because of the variety and the unlimited portions. Plus your food is ready as soon as you arrive. My problem is, I eat way too much there, and I especially eat way too many carbs and sweets. It’s hard to resist all those desserts, just sitting there calling to you.

So I had to develop a new strategy. Now I build myself a huge salad first, just healthy stuff, take it to my table and consume it immediately. That fills me up and leaves little room for the fattening, sugary options.

Or I suppose I could just stop going to such places…………..

Nah.

Your spiritual walk could work the same way. Fill yourself up with godly activities and relationships, and you won’t have time to submit to evil influences. Now there’s a buffet that will never leave you hungry.

When you are driving your car, do you sometimes find your patience tested by bicycle riders on the road? Do they annoy you by slowing you down and by not getting over far enough to allow you to safely pass? It’s understandable.

But I assure you the bike rider is not intentionally trying to get in your way. He (she) wants you to go past even more than you do. Cars and trucks are terrifying to bikers because they know if there is any type of contact, they lose. Possibly even their life. But chances are there is little if any smooth paved shoulder to ride on. And the busy street is the only way they can get to the less travelled backroads. They just want a safe, enjoyable ride and workout, and they completely acknowledge that the roads were built for cars, not bicycles. Their desire is to get out of your way as quickly as possible. They don’t need to hear the sound of your horn blaring behind them.

I know this to be true because road biking was my choice for exercise for many years. I gave it up because too many drivers didn’t understand the preceding paragraph.

Your dog can never lie to you. It is physically impossible. Think about that for a moment. If you treat it properly, your dog will spend its entire life loving you unconditionally. And never tell you a lie.

It will let you know if it’s sad, or if it’s sick, or if it wants to play, or if it just wants to curl up in your lap. Complete honesty. No deception. Do you have any human relationships like that? Doubtful. Even your spouse may keep a few things from you, or tell you a little white lie on occasion. As you likely do to him/her.

Dogs can be completely honest because they are just happy and grateful to have the simplest things in life: shelter, food, and someone to love. We could learn a lot from our dogs.

A young man friend of ours had an extensive surgery on his leg recently. My wife Sharon sent him a get well greeting card. The next time we saw him, he gushed over how grateful he was for the thoughtfulness. Then when we saw him a second time, he thanked us again. Then the next time and the time after that. Clearly, the card, and the effort behind it, was meaningful to him. More than we could have imagined. It brought a positive thought to his heart during a difficult time. It literally made his day.

Yet it took only a few minutes to fill out that card, address it, put a stamp on it, and mail it. I’d say that was a pretty good return for that investment of time.

Whose day can you brighten today? A card, an email, a text message, just a supportive word. The return is worth the effort.

Tragedy seems to drive people to one extreme or the other when it comes to their faith. I know a couple who lost their teenaged child in a car crash. He was their only child. His dad subsequently told me he no longer believes in God. That God would never allow such a heartbreaking thing to happen.

Another couple I know lost a child to cystic fibrosis. The mother told me she chooses to dwell on the blessings of the time they had the child, and praises God for taking him up to heaven. The terrible loss seems to have somehow strengthened their faith.

It makes me wonder how I would respond to a similar loss. Would it push me closer or further away from God? What about you?

The other day I was watching an episode of the old Perry Mason TV show from the late 1950’s. I was stunned when Perry’s rich client presented him with a ten thousand dollar bill. This must be a bit of Hollywood fantasy I thought. There’s no such thing as a $10,000 bill.

But out of curiosity I did a little research and was surprised to learn that, yes indeed, there was a $10,000 bill. The government stopped printing them in 1934, and withdrew them from circulation in 1969 because nobody was using them. Today they are very valuable and a collector can get more that $400,000 for one!

There also used to be a $500 bill, as well as a $1,000 and a $5,000 bill. All were discontinued because people apparently didn’t want to carry that much money around. Today, all forms of cash are slowly being replaced by credit and debit cards. I guess all things go out of style at one time or another.

Just don’t let your faith go out of style for lack of use.

I’m trying to drink more water. Water is good for you. I’ve been drinking diet colas with my meals for as long as I can remember. I guess I’m a bit addicted to the flavor and carbonation. But people tell me if I can just break the cola habit and get used to water, eventually I won’t be tempted by colas any more.

Well, so far, that hasn’t happened. I still want my diet drinks with my meals. Temptation doesn’t go away. The struggle against it continues every meal, every day. That’s true in your moral life as well. The desire and impulse to do things that are less than virtuous is always there. We can’t win that battle alone. God wants us to ask Him for support.

With His help, maybe there will come a day when I am satisfied with drinking water with my meals. A day when I am no longer tempted to stray from sinful behavior.

I’m still waiting.

Did you ever do something so stupid that you just have to laugh at yourself? Recently we were spending the night in a hotel room during a trip. When we heard a knock on the door I peered through the peephole but couldn’t see a thing. “This peephole doesn’t work” I told my wife Sharon.

Whereupon she burst out laughing uncontrollably, as she pointed out there was a little metal cover over the opening to prevent visitors from seeing inside. All you have to do is slide the cover up. I can’t imagine why I couldn’t figure that out in the moment, and my ignorance struck me even funnier than it did Sharon. We both laughed til our sides hurt.

Never take yourself too seriously. And if you do or say something embarrassing or ridiculous, just own it and laugh along with the crowd. It happens to all of us. This, too, shall pass.

The other day I was writing down the date on a form. When I came to the space for the current year, I wrote in 2025. It got me to thinking. The entire world, and all of its people, regard it as the year 2025. It is a global standard.

What is 2025 really? Of course, it denotes 2,025 years since the birth of Jesus. It is curious to me that much of our modern culture is trying to move away from God, and the need for God. And yet, the most basic universal measurement in all of humankind, the measure of time, is still based on the birth of God’s Son. Oh, I know that some of the secular world uses BCE (before common era) and CE (common era) instead of BC (before Christ) and AD (anno domini, after Christ). But their time frame is still based on the life of the Savior. All they’ve done is change the name.

So, in a way, every time you write down 2025 on a document, you are affirming that God and His Son are still the foundation and the basis of the universe.