Are we ignoring the signs?

I don't put a lot of stock in the preachers that stand on street corners and announce the world is coming to an end.  I think when the world is coming to an end - God will do the announcing.  On the other hand, for the past decade I have seen more reports of terrible storms, earthquakes and natural disasters than I can remember hearing about in the past.  Is there an "increase" like the Bible speaks of, or is there just an increase in the number of television stations reporting the news? 

Read more

A great lesson from The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby has opened to mixed reviews.  This is the fifth time someone has tried to achieve in film what the famous novel achieved in written word.  There is a Japanese proverb that says, "One written word is worth a thousand pieces of gold."  I think F. Scott Fitzgerald and King Solomon would agree with that.  Both men had a profound, compelling message they wanted to tell their cultures.

F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote The Great Gatsby for some of the same reasons King Solomon wrote the book of Ecclesiastes.  They both wanted the next generations to learn from their mistakes.  The Great Gatsby and Ecclesiastes are, in many ways, an inside look into the lives of the authors.  Interestingly, the themes of the novel and the book of the Bible are similar and still relevant today.  Why?  Because human nature does not change.  Culture is simply a reflection of human nature at its current trajectory.  How do the words of F. Scott Fitzgerald and King Solomon apply to our way of life today?

Read more

Amanda Berry is free now

Amanda Berry told the 911 operator: "I've been kidnapped and I've been missing for 10 years and I'm here. I'm free now."  Most of us take our freedom for granted in this country.  Most of us take our freedom in Christ for granted as well.  We don't tend to think about freedom until a story like Amanda's is in the news.  She went missing the day before her 17th birthday and most people had given up ever seeing her again.  Sadly, her mom died never knowing her daughter was still alive.  Amanda, her daughter and two other women are free today because of a neighbor who heard her screams and came to the rescue.  Their abductor, a school bus driver, is now in jail.  The neighborhood is rejoicing because those who had been lost, are found.

Jesus loved to teach using parables, simple stories with a spiritual lesson.  Surrounded by tax collectors, sinners, disciples and the Pharisees, Jesus told two of his most famous parables.  Luke 15:1-7 is the parable of the lost sheep and Luke 15:8-10 is the parable of the lost coin.  Jesus spoke to a diverse crowd of people, and his parables applied to each of their lives with equal diversity.  Chances are, you are surrounded by the same type of crowd that Jesus taught.  What parables are you teaching?

Read more

Patience: It's just good horse sense.

I love watching the Kentucky Derby.  The race is good - but the hats are just as fun.  This year's Kentucky Derby was a muddy mess and everyone's hats were a little soggy before the race ever began.  The horses lined up in the gate, the jockeys were ready to go, dressed in brightly colored silks - then the gates flew open and the race began.  Palace Malice (who thinks up these names??) took an early lead and I thought would win the race.  But there is a reason the Derby is called the most exciting two minutes in sports.  The race may only be about 2 minutes, but it is the last 30 seconds that make all the difference.  There is a life lesson learned from watching those horses.

Read more

What should we be proud of?

I tuned my television to Good Morning America , poured another cup of coffee and listened to the lead story of the day.  The cover of this week's Sports Illustrated is generating almost as much conversation as the swimsuit issue.  Jason Collins, "The Gay Athlete", is this week's cover story.  It was just another article about what has become considered "newsworthy" until this statement was made.  Jason Collins spoke about his conversation with President Obama, during which time the leader of our country told him how "proud" he was of him for coming out and how "brave" the basketball player is for telling the world he is gay.

My very next thought became the subject of today's post.  I imagined my two sons, during their junior high years, sitting at my kitchen table, eating their morning Cheerios, and hearing the leader of their country tell them what made him proud.  I wondered what I would have said to them. 

Read more