Recently I talked with a young man from Louisiana who had participated in short-term missions in Belize. The trips shifted his values paradigm. “All the things I had heard growing up that are supposed to make you happy – none of those things were present, and yet the people were joyful,” he noted.
Viewing news coverage of last week’s earthquake in Haiti reminded me of his comment. Amid great pain and despair, we witnessed people rejoicing just to be alive. They weren’t fretting about “stuff” – cars, Blackberries or wide-screen TVs – partly because they didn’t have those even before the quake, but also because severe adversity reveals what really is important.
A noted financial planner observes that some of the most miserable people he knows are clients with inherited wealth. Aware they did nothing to earn their riches, heirs live in daily dread of somehow losing it – knowing they would have no idea how to regain it. Yet in much of the Western world, materialism wields enormous influence.
“How much is enough?”, we sometimes wonder. One of the Rockefellers purportedly gave this response: “Just a little bit more.” With “a little bit more” always a moving target, no wonder we feel caught in a rat race.
Bobby McFerrin achieved musical stardom with a catchy little tune with the lilting Caribbean beat, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.” That message might seem a bit simplistic, but certainly beats awakening each morning to agonize over how to preserve our stuff.
Centuries ago, the apostle Paul offered an antidote to “tyranny of stuff.” He wrote, “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation…whether living in plenty or in want” (Philippians 4:12). In another letter he added, “godliness with contentment is great gain” (1 Timothy 6:6). In other words, don’t worry – be happy
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Thursday, January 14, 2010
An Inconvenient Cold
Have you noticed how little has been said lately about global warming? Everyone is so focused on warding off the cold, they’ve forgotten about how warm it’s getting!
In recent weeks I’ve clipped articles about record low temperatures and snows that have stricken many parts of the world: Unprecedented lows in Florida; unusually heavy snow snarling all modes of travel in Europe; the heaviest snow in 70 years in Korea and other parts of Asia. There even was measurable snow in Houston, Texas on Jan. 6, and last time I looked, that city’s not part of the Snow Belt.
At the risk of sounding reactionary, I’m having a hard time warming to this whole notion of global warming. In the ‘70s, sensationalists were warning about global cooling, and a search of the Web will direct you to some credible sources who argue that is still the case today.
When Al Gore’s documental film, “An Inconvenient Truth,” was released in 2006, many began to fear the worst. The film provides ample data, but as any good debater knows, you only use facts that support your position. I’m starting to wonder whether this “Truth” fits more into the so-called “big lie theory” – the bigger the lie, and the more it’s repeated, the more likely people are to buy into it. (Remember the Y2K hysteria?)
That’s not to say we shouldn’t be concerned about the environment. In Genesis 1:28, God commanded mankind to, “fill the earth and subdue it.” He directed us to be responsible caretakers of His creation, not unappreciative guests. I endorse recycling; cleaner, more efficient use of energy; and other reasonable ways of treating “Mother Earth” kindly.
But we’re here to worship the Creator, not the creation. After all, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it…” (Psalm 24:1).
In recent weeks I’ve clipped articles about record low temperatures and snows that have stricken many parts of the world: Unprecedented lows in Florida; unusually heavy snow snarling all modes of travel in Europe; the heaviest snow in 70 years in Korea and other parts of Asia. There even was measurable snow in Houston, Texas on Jan. 6, and last time I looked, that city’s not part of the Snow Belt.
At the risk of sounding reactionary, I’m having a hard time warming to this whole notion of global warming. In the ‘70s, sensationalists were warning about global cooling, and a search of the Web will direct you to some credible sources who argue that is still the case today.
When Al Gore’s documental film, “An Inconvenient Truth,” was released in 2006, many began to fear the worst. The film provides ample data, but as any good debater knows, you only use facts that support your position. I’m starting to wonder whether this “Truth” fits more into the so-called “big lie theory” – the bigger the lie, and the more it’s repeated, the more likely people are to buy into it. (Remember the Y2K hysteria?)
That’s not to say we shouldn’t be concerned about the environment. In Genesis 1:28, God commanded mankind to, “fill the earth and subdue it.” He directed us to be responsible caretakers of His creation, not unappreciative guests. I endorse recycling; cleaner, more efficient use of energy; and other reasonable ways of treating “Mother Earth” kindly.
But we’re here to worship the Creator, not the creation. After all, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it…” (Psalm 24:1).
Monday, January 11, 2010
Wading Through the Files
It’s amazing what you discover digging through personal and/or work files accumulated over several years. Both treasure and trash!
Being a packrat, I’m inclined to hold onto things. “I might need this someday,” has long been my motto. Too often I’ve discarded something, assuming it wouldn’t be needed in a million years – only to discover, soon after consigning it to the trash, I needed it after all.
Realistically, most things we retain year after year never again require attention. Even if we need them, we’ve forgotten we had them. Some documents should be remembered, however. For example, the report on my physical exam about 20 years ago at the Cooper Clinic in Dallas, Texas: Uncovering the report in my files the other day, I was stunned at how prescient it was.
It noted my low fitness level at the time due to my “relatively sedentary lifestyle,” and recommended starting a regular aerobic exercise regimen. The report also cited cholesterol scores that, while not alarming, “warranted further attention.” (Attention I failed to provide for too long.)
The report said nothing of an enlarged aorta, but my family history, low exercise level and questionable cholesterol numbers all were harbingers of bypass surgery I would face nearly 17 years later.
Most other old files were not nearly so revelatory. Typically they fitted into either “I forgot I had that” or “Why did I hang onto that?” categories. But reviewing the Cooper Clinic file showed me what happens “should old acquaintances be forgot,” as Auld Lang Syne would remind us.
My failure to heed those warnings brought to mind the admonition of 1 Corinthians 10:12, “Therefore let anyone that thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” Who, me – exercise? Eat right? Today, finally, I’m doing what the report suggested. Better late than never!
Being a packrat, I’m inclined to hold onto things. “I might need this someday,” has long been my motto. Too often I’ve discarded something, assuming it wouldn’t be needed in a million years – only to discover, soon after consigning it to the trash, I needed it after all.
Realistically, most things we retain year after year never again require attention. Even if we need them, we’ve forgotten we had them. Some documents should be remembered, however. For example, the report on my physical exam about 20 years ago at the Cooper Clinic in Dallas, Texas: Uncovering the report in my files the other day, I was stunned at how prescient it was.
It noted my low fitness level at the time due to my “relatively sedentary lifestyle,” and recommended starting a regular aerobic exercise regimen. The report also cited cholesterol scores that, while not alarming, “warranted further attention.” (Attention I failed to provide for too long.)
The report said nothing of an enlarged aorta, but my family history, low exercise level and questionable cholesterol numbers all were harbingers of bypass surgery I would face nearly 17 years later.
Most other old files were not nearly so revelatory. Typically they fitted into either “I forgot I had that” or “Why did I hang onto that?” categories. But reviewing the Cooper Clinic file showed me what happens “should old acquaintances be forgot,” as Auld Lang Syne would remind us.
My failure to heed those warnings brought to mind the admonition of 1 Corinthians 10:12, “Therefore let anyone that thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” Who, me – exercise? Eat right? Today, finally, I’m doing what the report suggested. Better late than never!
Friday, January 1, 2010
Everything Keeps Coming Up Roses
My life has been inordinately influenced by roses. My mom’s middle name was Rose. As a boy, I often watched my grandfather gently tend to the roses growing along trellis on the side of our house.
I played in the Franklin High School marching band in Somerset, N.J., and we often opened halftime shows to the rousing tune of “Everything’s Coming Up Roses.” Then, attending Ohio State University in the late ‘60s, I knew one of the Buckeyes’ major goals was a trip to the Rose Bowl, the so-called “Granddaddy of Them All.”
Two of the men I've mentored in recent years are married to women named Rose.
And this afternoon I again will watch another edition of Rose Bowl, where my beloved Buckeyes will do battle with the Oregon Ducks and hopefully rip the dreaded “can’t win the big game” label from their Scarlet and Gray shoulder pads.
I have long admired the rose, a beautiful, delicate flower with overlapping petals that form such wondrous designs. And I’ve enjoyed capturing the many color variations of the flower with my camera. But I must admit, another kind of “rose” has figured most prominently in my life.
As Romans 14:8-9 declares, “For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died, and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living.”
I hope the Buckeyes will emerge victorious from the Rose Bowl. That is, I “hope-so.” My eternal hope, however, is grounded in certainty -- the facts that Jesus died – and then rose from the dead – atoning for my sins and offering life for eternity. That’s the best “rose” of all
I played in the Franklin High School marching band in Somerset, N.J., and we often opened halftime shows to the rousing tune of “Everything’s Coming Up Roses.” Then, attending Ohio State University in the late ‘60s, I knew one of the Buckeyes’ major goals was a trip to the Rose Bowl, the so-called “Granddaddy of Them All.”
Two of the men I've mentored in recent years are married to women named Rose.
And this afternoon I again will watch another edition of Rose Bowl, where my beloved Buckeyes will do battle with the Oregon Ducks and hopefully rip the dreaded “can’t win the big game” label from their Scarlet and Gray shoulder pads.
I have long admired the rose, a beautiful, delicate flower with overlapping petals that form such wondrous designs. And I’ve enjoyed capturing the many color variations of the flower with my camera. But I must admit, another kind of “rose” has figured most prominently in my life.
As Romans 14:8-9 declares, “For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died, and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living.”
I hope the Buckeyes will emerge victorious from the Rose Bowl. That is, I “hope-so.” My eternal hope, however, is grounded in certainty -- the facts that Jesus died – and then rose from the dead – atoning for my sins and offering life for eternity. That’s the best “rose” of all
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Beginnings and Endings
Do you wish you could have a “do-over,” or what golfers call a “mulligan”? Often I hear people say, “If I could do things over, I would….” I’ve thought the same thing myself from time to time. But the harsh reality is what’s done is done – and can’t be undone.
That does not resign us to hopelessness, however. Recently one of my daughters sent me the following thought:
“Nobody can start a new beginning, but you can start today and make a new ending.”
That says although we don’t get a “do-over,” we can have a “do better” or “do differently” in the future. Approaching the start of a new year, that’s sound advice.
Annually I review the year just past as well as write goals for the new year in several areas, including work, family, mental and physical fitness, finances, hobbies, and spiritual growth. They are goals – something to strive for over the course of the year – rather than resolutions that might amount to nothing more than promises to myself that I cannot or choose not to keep.
In some respects, Jan. 1 is not much different from Dec. 31, except the numerical designation for the year changes. But it does serve as a convenient time to reassess where you’ve been, reevaluate where you want to go, and determine how best to get there.
The apostle Paul knew about starting today to make a new ending. In Philippians 3:13 he declared, “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize….”
In other letters he acknowledged errors in his past, but refused to dwell on them. He could not undo what had been done, but he could determine to make better decisions in the future. And so should we.
That does not resign us to hopelessness, however. Recently one of my daughters sent me the following thought:
“Nobody can start a new beginning, but you can start today and make a new ending.”
That says although we don’t get a “do-over,” we can have a “do better” or “do differently” in the future. Approaching the start of a new year, that’s sound advice.
Annually I review the year just past as well as write goals for the new year in several areas, including work, family, mental and physical fitness, finances, hobbies, and spiritual growth. They are goals – something to strive for over the course of the year – rather than resolutions that might amount to nothing more than promises to myself that I cannot or choose not to keep.
In some respects, Jan. 1 is not much different from Dec. 31, except the numerical designation for the year changes. But it does serve as a convenient time to reassess where you’ve been, reevaluate where you want to go, and determine how best to get there.
The apostle Paul knew about starting today to make a new ending. In Philippians 3:13 he declared, “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize….”
In other letters he acknowledged errors in his past, but refused to dwell on them. He could not undo what had been done, but he could determine to make better decisions in the future. And so should we.
Monday, December 21, 2009
GODISNOWHERE
What does the heading above say? Nonbelievers and skeptics might see, GOD IS NOWHERE. But those who believe in God, especially followers of Jesus Christ, will probably find, GOD IS NOW HERE.
God is there if you look for Him. Many claiming they can’t find God really aren’t looking for Him – we usually can’t locate what we’re not actively seeking. As Jesus said, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you…he who seeks finds…” (Luke 11:9-10).
This week we affirm anew, God is now here. Amid the cacophony of carols, shopping mall madness, and politically correct “happy holidays,” the timeless truth remains: “‘The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’ – which means ‘God with us’” (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23).
One of the Christmas verities is that God is neither distant nor inscrutable nor unknowable, as some religions assert. He deigned to live among His creation, becoming one of us for a time. As John 1:14 declares, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.”
But the Christmas story does not stop at a tiny stable in an obscure village called Bethlehem. It continues to the very crossroads of salvation. Philippians 2:6-8 describes Jesus, “Who, being in very nature God…made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and become obedient to death – even death on a cross.”
And because of that cross, many centuries later we look back with joy and wonder at the unique family: A virgin mother, Mary; her husband Joseph, and a baby named Jesus – in Hebrew, “Y’shua,” – Christ the Lord.
Merry Christmas!
God is there if you look for Him. Many claiming they can’t find God really aren’t looking for Him – we usually can’t locate what we’re not actively seeking. As Jesus said, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you…he who seeks finds…” (Luke 11:9-10).
This week we affirm anew, God is now here. Amid the cacophony of carols, shopping mall madness, and politically correct “happy holidays,” the timeless truth remains: “‘The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’ – which means ‘God with us’” (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23).
One of the Christmas verities is that God is neither distant nor inscrutable nor unknowable, as some religions assert. He deigned to live among His creation, becoming one of us for a time. As John 1:14 declares, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.”
But the Christmas story does not stop at a tiny stable in an obscure village called Bethlehem. It continues to the very crossroads of salvation. Philippians 2:6-8 describes Jesus, “Who, being in very nature God…made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and become obedient to death – even death on a cross.”
And because of that cross, many centuries later we look back with joy and wonder at the unique family: A virgin mother, Mary; her husband Joseph, and a baby named Jesus – in Hebrew, “Y’shua,” – Christ the Lord.
Merry Christmas!
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
The Heart of the Matter
Sunday will be a momentous anniversary for me, marking three years since undergoing open heart surgery. It’s both humbling and sobering to have your chest splayed open to repair arterial blockages and, in my case, replace an enlarged ascending aorta.
I was blessed to have a foremost cardiothoracic surgeon, Dr. Richard Morrison, assisted by a top-notch surgical team. But for about 30 minutes during my six-hour surgery, my heart was literally stopped and my body cooled to about 82 degrees while a heart-lung machine kept blood coursing to my brain. I virtually stood at death’s door, but thankfully did not remain there. Each new day represents a gift from God. (My heart pillow, shown at right, which aided my recovery, serves as a reminder.)
There’s a curious thing about the heart: Scientists and physicians typically regard it solely as an organ pumping blood throughout the body. However, even an intellect like Albert Einstein recognized more than physiological value in the heart. He observed, “Few are those who see with their own eyes and feel with their own hearts.”
Philosophers, poets and spiritually minded people have long considered the heart as the seat of emotions, even the source of love. For instance, Mark Twain said, “One learns people through the heart, not the eyes or the intellect.” And Charles Dickens wrote, “A loving heart is the truest wisdom.”
The Bible advises, “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life” (Proverbs 4:23). Elsewhere in the book God exhorts His followers, “Let love and faithfulness never leave you…write them on the tablet of your heart” (Proverbs 3:3), and “All a man’s ways seem right to him, but the Lord weighs the heart” (Proverbs 21:2), affirming that faith requires more than cerebral pursuit.
How the heart performs its physical, emotional – and spiritual – functions in tandem exceeds my understanding. But approaching this huge milestone in my life probably stronger and healthier than I’ve been in decades, to those who cared for me, as well as all who prayed and offered encouragement, I simply say:
I was blessed to have a foremost cardiothoracic surgeon, Dr. Richard Morrison, assisted by a top-notch surgical team. But for about 30 minutes during my six-hour surgery, my heart was literally stopped and my body cooled to about 82 degrees while a heart-lung machine kept blood coursing to my brain. I virtually stood at death’s door, but thankfully did not remain there. Each new day represents a gift from God. (My heart pillow, shown at right, which aided my recovery, serves as a reminder.)
There’s a curious thing about the heart: Scientists and physicians typically regard it solely as an organ pumping blood throughout the body. However, even an intellect like Albert Einstein recognized more than physiological value in the heart. He observed, “Few are those who see with their own eyes and feel with their own hearts.”
Philosophers, poets and spiritually minded people have long considered the heart as the seat of emotions, even the source of love. For instance, Mark Twain said, “One learns people through the heart, not the eyes or the intellect.” And Charles Dickens wrote, “A loving heart is the truest wisdom.”
The Bible advises, “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life” (Proverbs 4:23). Elsewhere in the book God exhorts His followers, “Let love and faithfulness never leave you…write them on the tablet of your heart” (Proverbs 3:3), and “All a man’s ways seem right to him, but the Lord weighs the heart” (Proverbs 21:2), affirming that faith requires more than cerebral pursuit.
How the heart performs its physical, emotional – and spiritual – functions in tandem exceeds my understanding. But approaching this huge milestone in my life probably stronger and healthier than I’ve been in decades, to those who cared for me, as well as all who prayed and offered encouragement, I simply say:
Thank you, with all my heart!
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