All over Facebook folks remind me today’s Memorial Day. All sorts of memes tell me I’m supposed to remember, and I agree remembering is a good thing. Memorial Day ought to be more than an excuse for a three-day weekend. But I wonder–what’s the point of remembering, if all we do is remember? Seems like […]
Continue readingMore TagCategory: Living On Purpose
When Should You Seek Justice?
Paul and Silas were beaten and tossed into prison illegally. God intervened and used the opportunity to convert the jailer and his household. It’s a cool story until the following morning when the city officials try to get Paul and Silas to leave without making a fuss about their unlawful punishment. Why not leave well enough […]
Continue readingMore TagDo I Turn Toward The Need?
I’ve been thinking about compassion. I’m thinking about it because we live in a world filled with passion. We can summon passion for all sorts of ideas, causes, and groups. Over at Rich’s Ride yesterday I wrote: Passion might boil over into hatred and a demand for vengeance, or passion might lead to a decision to love and seek justice. I […]
Continue readingMore TagHope With My Fingers Crossed?
I heard someone speak about hope as an invitation to disappointment. “I’m hoping for something to happen when I know the odds are stacked against it. So when I say I hope it goes well, I really mean I’m worried it won’t.” We’ve all hoped that sort of hope. I hope my friend recovers from cancer. […]
Continue readingMore TagFollowing Jesus Is Like Training
Note: I originally posted these thoughts over at the Rich’s Ride blog. I thought they sort-of fit here as well. # # # Training always begins with individual growth. Might sound selfish, but that’s how it has to be. Training, initially, is an individual deal. Only strong, skilled individuals can comprise a strong, skilled team. So […]
Continue readingMore TagWhy We Need To STOP
I’ve been thinking a lot about STOP. That’s odd for me. I want to focus on moving forward, dreaming big dreams, taking risks. And lately, for some reason I don’t understand, I seem to hear STOP. I don’t think it’s about the big things, the HOME OF HOPE and the FREEDOM TOUR. I’ve no sense […]
Continue readingMore TagWhy The Foundation Matters
Appearances can deceive. We’re deluged with slick media campaigns aimed at promoting a message that places a shiny cover on something that might be a bit less spiffy when the lights are turned off. I reached back a couple of years for these thoughts. # # # A while back I watched one of those DIY shows. […]
Continue readingMore TagIn Search Of A Dark Bulb
Thomas Edison invented the light bulb. In most of our homes, you simply flip a switch and light fills a dark room. Pretty incredible, really. Let There Be Light! Now follow me in a thought experiment. Imagine it’s high noon on a bright, sunny day. Could someone invent a “dark bulb” so we could flip a […]
Continue readingMore TagAre You Real Or A Poser?
Ever hear the term “poser”? Occasionally you’ll see someone with a $10,000 bike, outfitted head-to-toe in the latest gear, with almost no wear-and tear on their equipment and little desire to climb even the smallest hill. They look the part, but apparently the fancy getup is all for show. They want to fit in, look the […]
Continue readingMore TagWhy Are We Standing Around?
Sometimes an event in the bible just makes me laugh. In the first chapter of Acts, Jesus gives His friends some final instructions before He leaves in a remarkable manner. After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into […]
Continue readingMore TagWhat Do You Do When You’re Angry?
I want to pound the table. I want to shout, throw things, start a fight. I want to fill my social media with angry, sarcastic, indignant reactions. That’s what I want to do when I see injustice, when the words and acts of others harm innocent bystanders. Human trafficking. Racism. Sexism. Religious intolerance. Poverty. Needless mass incarceration. […]
Continue readingMore TagGod And Baseball
Sandy Koufax is a quiet, reserved man. From 1960-1966 he was arguably the best pitcher in major league baseball. On October 6, 1965, Koufax declined to pitch the opening game of the World Series. Sandy Koufax is Jewish, and that day was Yom Kippur. I remember being dumbfounded by the news. Fourteen-year-old me would have traded […]
Continue readingMore Tag