The people's voice of reason
The people's voice of reason
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Of all the people in the world, what group enjoys the greatest amount of freedom? “Americans” might be the preferred answer, although some people in other places might disagree. Strangely, however, the answer has nothing to do with borders within which someone lives. Of all the people in the world, those who enjoy the greatest amount of freedom are Christians. In fact, Christians living under an atheistic dictator enjoy more freedom than a person without faith living right in America. Of course,...
I went to the business office to get a purchase order for office supplies; I think it was a box of file folders or paper clips, and the attendant questioned me like I was Oliver Twist asking for more gruel! I felt anything like a professional. My face began to burn and I stepped outside before saying something I might regret. Most of us have been in similar situations and know the body language of anger. Our face flushes, our jaws tighten, our eyes become narrow slits and often our voices are...
Continued from page 1A Evil exists in our world today! It always has existed and always will exist until the Lord calls a halt to this world as we know it! Theodore Roosevelt once said, “The times are evil; that is, there is much that is evil in them. It would be to our shame and discredit if we failed to recognize that evil; if we wrapped ourselves in a foolish optimism and failed to war with heart and strength against that evil.” We have been timid too long and failed miserably to app...
I read the story in "The Christian Century" last spring. The author and her husband held three teacups in their hands after the husband's mother downsized and moved to a smaller apartment. The couple talked about which items to keep, if any, or whether they should keep all three in a home that was already full of things. The question they asked about each item was, "Does this item spark joy?" The writer said she got this concept from Marie Kondo who's written extensively about de-cluttering one'...
America is at a crossroads again. We are watching the system designed by our forefathers in the Constitution strained like never before. Instead of choosing between good and better in leadership, we find ourselves bitterly divided so that compromise to find the best direction for the country whoever is elected this fall as President seems unlikely, if not impossible. The same kind of unrivaled partisanship filters down through both houses of Congress and the Supreme Court where the choices boil...
I vaguely remember the high school dating scene with multiple cases of “going steady” and break-ups. Some of these on-again, off-again relationships were hard to keep up with since they were on-again today and off-again tomorrow! Sometimes the break-up would be a note passed in class, or a tense telephone call. Break-ups were always hard to do, as Neil Sedaka used to sing. I heard on the news lately about a new break-up service for those too timid to do it themselves. For a fee the service will...
One of the most sobering events of life for me was becoming a father. There is obvious responsibility that goes with marriage, but marriage is also about partnership and sharing life's ventures. However, with a child, there is a weight of responsibility like nothing else in life. A parent has one chance to shape a life which will affect what happens for generations as well as an eternal destiny. Unfortunately many homes in America are suffering from the phantom father. A man is present who may...
Canadian Army Lt. John McRae was in the line of defense that withstood the German assault in Belgium in 1915. The Germans resorted to chemical warfare using chlorine gas but the Canadians held fast. Later McRae officiated at a colleague's burial. In the ensuing days he noticed how quickly the poppies grew over the newly-dug graves. He wrote “In Flanders Fields” that became the national poem of Canada, and a loving tribute to all the dead in World War I. My mother had three brothers who ser...
The question was asked in a class of eager preschoolers, “What makes a happy home?” “A cat,” answered one four-year old. “Brownies,” answered a blue-eyed blond with cute pig tails. “Lots of love,” stated another. Finally the teacher’s eyes fell on a hand in the back corner of the room. “Yes, Dennis,” she said. “What makes a happy home?” “Lots of peanut butter and ants in the kitchen!” came the reply. You don’t have to be a psychologist to imagine what must have recently happened at his house....
An ABC tribute to Gilda Radner some time ago reminded me of the number of people we’ve lost in the last few years who made us laugh: John Belushi, John Candy, Phil Hartman, Bob Hope, Grady Nutt, Rodney Dangerfield, Jerry Clower and others. Humor has great value. Solomon said laughter is medicine for the soul (Proverbs 17:22), and sometimes the most spiritual thing we can do is to have a good laugh. Lincoln, a man who suffered depression or "melancholia" as it was called in those days, talked a...
Everyone has a pet peeve. One of mine is telemarketers. Telemarketers are both resolute and resilient sales professionals. Their job is to get on the phone to make cold calls and try to sell a product or a service. They do not give up easily. If you do not pick up the phone they will call you again. If they encounter your answering machine, they may leave a recorded message but you can be assured they will call again. Perhaps you are like me. You don’t like professional sales callers and just as...
It was an unusual comment. He was with a group who came to our church to use our facilities for a civic event. I was fairly new at the church and he told me he went to a neighboring church. "We don't worship like you do," he said with a smile. I got the impression he was making a judgment about our worship. His comment, however, reminded me that every church I've known worships differently. Every church is a unique mix of folks with unique social and denominational traditions. I've been to a...
In a speech made in 1863, Abraham Lincoln said "We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven; we have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity; we have grown in numbers, wealth, and power as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced...
I must admit I found it just as addictive as I'd been told. When I began watching "Making A Murderer," I could hardly stop until I'd digested all ten hours. The series tells the story of Steven Avery of Manitowoc, Wisconsin who spent 18 years in prison for a rape he didn't commit. A single strand of hair provided enough DNA evidence to exonerate him. He proceeded to file a lawsuit against those who prosecuted him and suddenly found himself accused of another murder. Avery's mentally-challenged...
In his book, Mastery, Eli Stanley Jones says, “The art of living is the least learned of all arts.” We have learned the art of existing, working, getting by with half-answers, but we know little about how to live up to life with all its demands, and have a sense of adequacy. Unfortunately, many who claim to be Christians seem to have about as much trouble with life as unbelievers. This is in contrast to the words of Jesus when He promised, “I have come that you might have life and that you m...
I'm convinced the greatest detriment to faith is the problem of pain. "Why do the righteous suffer?" is a question as old as the book of Job. And it still befuddles serious-minded people who consider faith. The apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians about his "thorn." We think of a thorn as a slight irritation easily removed with fingers or tweezers. But New Testament scholar William Barclay argued that the word can also mean "stake." It was common to impale one's enemies or criminals in the Roman...
Christmas is past, and the new year is upon us. And what a year 2016 promises to be. A year of challenge. And opportunity. Every new year’s sunrise represents the dawning of fresh opportunity. Have you compiled your list of resolutions yet? Almost half of American adults make resolutions. We commonly vow to lose weight, stop smoking, get better organized and keep better financial records. But consider a few more possible resolutions for the new year. (1) Go on a TV diet. Turn off the t...
Nikos Kazantzakis is an odd Greek name some of us may not recognize. Perhaps you know his work better than his name. Among other books, he wrote Zorba the Greek and The Last Temptation of Christ. In his autobiography he outlines three prayers. The words go like this: “I am a bow in your hands, Lord, draw me, lest I rot.” “Do not overdraw me, Lord, for I shall break.” “Overdraw me, Lord, and who cares if I break.” Let me explain these words as I understand them. They are like three kinds of pr...
As we have now arrived into the Christmas season, I heard a new word describing these weeks before the big celebration. It is “anticipointment.” You won’t find it in a dictionary or thesaurus. But I suspect all of us can identify with what it means. The coined word reminds us this season is filled with a wide array of emotions from excited anticipation to frustrating disappointment. During this season, perhaps more so than any other time of year, our emotions are stirred in so many ways. Conside...
It was a modest motion picture released in 1983 without much anticipation that it would be a block-buster, but the star won both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe award for best actor the following year. In "Tender Mercies," Robert Duvall played Mac Sledge, a washed -up country and western singer ruined by alcohol. Sledge found a new family when he married a widow, Rosa, played by Tess Harper, and new faith when he was baptized at the local church. He also reached out to his long-lost...
It is a pretty simple conclusion to make. Good habits bless us and bad habits hurt us. For example, brushing your teeth, regular exercise, wearing your seat belt and watching your spending will help you immensely in the long run. Likewise, the opposite is likely to bring heartache and suffering. This month we are thinking of one of the most important habits you can ever develop. It will always bless you and others at the same time. It is the habit of thanksgiving. One writer described it as the...
Teachers take care to include every conceivable guideline in the class syllabus. I suppose years ago syllabuses used to cover pulling a girl's pigtails and chewing gum, but these days other issues are addressed. At one school we carried on a running dialogue about cell phones. Some teachers thought they should be banned outright from the classroom and others thought this was a losing battle, especially when students could quickly look up a fact or a date if the teacher needed help. And it's impo...
Although the election of a new President for this great country is just over a year away, the pushing, shoving, and promoting of candidates is well under way. This fall we will see a number of political debates from candidates in both parties. While few of us find pleasure in the give and take of politics, it is a time of testing to find the ones who will become the candidates from which we select our leader. My real concern in writing this article is that the Christian community does not get...
Bob Harrington, the former "Chaplain of Bourbon Street," preached one night and advertised his sermon title in the local newspaper: "Three Places Where There's No Problem With Racism." This was in the civil rights era and our nation was fixated on this problem. Hundreds came that night to hear Harrington. He touched on his announced theme only in the first paragraph of his sermon: "The three places where there's no problem with racism are heaven, hell, and the heart of a Christian." Then Harring...
Just in the last few days we have heard again about a surfer on the beach who saw two girls in trouble in an undertow just down the beach. Immediately he went into the water and was able to save the girls who were almost out of strength from fighting the current and who would have certainly drowned. We don’t know if there were any red flags up on that beach to warn swimmers of the danger. We do know that swimmers who ignore such warnings are often in trouble and some of them lose their lives b...
