The Insanity of Vanity
As we travel through life, we acquire things. It starts early in childhood with baskets and cabinets filled with toys throughout the house. Then, in our teenage years, the focus shifts to clothing and other items to feed our interests and hobbies. In young adulthood, our attention turns to cars and houses. As we age further, it is a never-ending cycle of upgrading everything we acquired previously. We get more expensive cars, more expensive homes, more expensive clothes, and more…
Do Your Best To Be Blue
“We are the Blue Family,” Father Blue proclaimed to his first child. “We color the rivers, lakes, and seas, and we paint the sky on the most beautiful days.” The first child left home, went out on her own, and became red. And her color filled the sky with ominous and scary imagery. “We are the Blue Family,” Father Blue proclaimed to his second child. “We color the rivers, lakes, and seas, and we paint the sky on the…
Be the One, Not the Nine
Although the Thanksgiving holiday traces its roots back to the 17th century and was first observed nationally under the presidency of George Washington, it did not become an annual holiday until 1863 by the proclamation of Abraham Lincoln. In Lincoln’s address regarding the Thanksgiving holiday, he noted that all blessings “are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.” His statement is reminiscent of Habakkuk 3:2…
The Faith of the Blind
In Mark 10, we see a passage of scripture that illustrates the beauty of Jesus and the incredible faith of an individual. This story begins in verse 46. “And they came to Jericho. And as [Jesus] was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside.” We are quickly introduced to an individual whom many of us would avoid: a beggar sitting next to a well-traveled…
Keep No Record
Love is the most complex discussion in this world in which we live. Seriously, take a moment and think about the thousands of books written, movies filmed, and TV shows produced surrounding the idea of love. The very definition of love is a challenging one to come by. If you start by saying “love is a feeling,” what you could be describing is “puppy love” and not the true lasting love that you would see in a healthy marriage. To…
Humility At The Jordan
In II Kings 5:9-14, Naaman, a friend of the king of Syria, arrives in Israel seeking a cure for his leprosy. His journey brings him to the home of a prophet of the Lord named Elisha, who tells Naaman that he must wash seven times in the Jordan River to be cured. Through their dialogue with one another, not only does it become apparent that Naaman’s pride is perhaps his most destructive disease, but also we all learn…
Comfort Zone Caution
The story goes that a mother ran into the bedroom when she heard her seven-year-old son scream. She found his two-year-old sister pulling his hair. She gently released the little girl’s grip and said comfortingly to the boy, “There, there, she didn’t mean it. She doesn’t know that it hurts.” He nodded his acknowledgment, and she left the room. As she started down the hall the little girl screamed. Rushing back in, she asked, “What happened? The little boy replied,…
God the Creator – Have You Met Him?
Has there ever been a sight so beautiful it just takes your breath away? Perhaps you have gotten the chance to stand at the edge of the Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls, or overlook the Rocky Mountains, and those stunning sights have caused you to find yourself speechless; you have been unable to put the beauty you see into words. In those moments, it is almost impossible to avoid breaking out in songs of praise to our God. He has…
The Most Important Thing You Will Hear Today
There are many things you will hear today. Some will be more important than others. You could hear anything from an alarm clock to an “I love you.” Our ears hear everything that is going on around us, even if our minds don’t take the time to listen. As you read this today, I pray that you will not only see the words with your eyes but that you will hear the message resonate within your heart. You will hear…
Just Like Pluto
For 76 years, Pluto was a planet. Then one day back in 2006, it wasn’t. On August 24, 2006, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) downgraded Pluto to the status of a dwarf planet based on their newly refined definition of a planet.1 The demotion of Pluto to the status of a dwarf planet was influenced by the fact that Pluto acts differently than the other eight planets. In particular, Pluto’s orbit is different. It is elliptical rather than circular…
A Friend Loves At All Times
A small town has a unique way of honoring folks who have supported others who are going through tough times. On the wall which surrounds a park near the city’s center, the name of a citizen experiencing some type of difficulty is written inside of a circle. At some point down the road in this person’s trial, he/she is asked, “Who are those who have been there for you through it all – all of your suffering, anxiety,…
Faith Stronger than Facts
We put our faith in the strangest things sometimes. Have you ever ignored the facts about a situation in favor of your faith in it? Let me show you what I mean. You may know the relationship with your significant other or long-time friend is toxic, but you ignore all the alarm bells because of your faith in that person’s potential. Your favorite sports team may have never proven they can win anything. Still, you ignore all that disappointing history…