Ecclesiastes 12:10

  Technology makes life easier. I can do more with my smart phone today than I could have done with my computer, cell phone, PDA, and camera combined from just a few years back. Things get done easier, faster and with less thought with the help of technology. Technology informs us, teaches us, entertains us, and helps keep us informed with friends and the world . I couldn't calculate all the time and energy technology frees up.  It certainly makes thing easier, even sin.     Those things we love about technology, the ease to get information and entertainment, the things we can share, the knowledge we can gain, can have a dark side. Because it wrapped up in a new style we might not recognize for what it is. It’s when Facebook makes us busybodies, Twitter is our place to boast,  and Instagram a means to show our vanity. Our blog is our way to murmur and complain, our email to spread lies, the comment section is a place  to ...

   In the music industry, it is not uncommon for acts to require a rider for any venue that is hosting one of their concerts. A rider is a set of requests or demands that a performer sets as criteria for performance. They can be anything from technical requirement for the audio to what kinds of drinks are served backstage.   Over the years some on the wilder request have surfaced that show how eccentric and vainglorious some acts can be. One that has been often referenced is the rock group Van Halen request for a bowl of M&Ms with all the brown candies removed from the rest. If any brown M&Ms were found with the food backstage, the band reserved the right to refuse to play, and still be fully compensated. Most people looked at it as the ultimate example of spoiled musicians, but really it was something else entirely.   Van Halen was the biggest shows of their day, but they still would play in smaller markets that the bigger names usually didn’t vis...

  We all ask the question that we really don't want the person to answer, “ How are you doing ?”. It's not meant to be a question, it's meant to be a greeting. If someone actually does tell us how they are doing after we asked, we normally are taken aback. They are not to respond with details. It supposed to be a simple, “Fine. How are you” . It is a feint in interest, not a necessarily a true concern.   So with that being said let me ask “How are you doing?”   Are you feeling well? Is the family OK? Are you happy at your job? Can you pay the bills? Did the doctor say you were back to normal?  Most of the time, we associated the physical in our tallying how well we are doing. A clean bill of health, a raise at the office, the kids are making you proud, all mean I am doing well.     But is that all there is to doing well?   Let’s consider for a moment the greeting of 3 rd John 1:2. Here John writes, “ Beloved, I p...

Actors start a band. Athletes release an album. Singers try to act. Ever notice no matter how good somebody is at something they always try to get into something else. Radio guys want to be on TV.  TV guys start a radio program.  Speakers try to write. Writers want to speak. Directors want to act. Actors want to direct.  Why can’t we be satisfied with where we are at?     One of the most difficult things for people is to find contentment. Don’t think that contentment only comes is completion. One can achieve everything they want to achieve and it won't be enough. The more you get the more you want.  Many find that even when they are able to go further than they ever dreamed, it is still not enough. They are not satisfied, so they go in search of something else. But contentment is not found in consuming.    Paul give us the secret to finding satisfaction in Philippians 4:11-13: Not that I speak from want, for I have lea...

   There are some people we want to see punished. The arrogant, the rude, the mean, the cruel.  A part of us longs to see folks like that get their comeuppance.  It doesn't take much for us to roundly condemn people we don’t like. When the time comes to put them in their place, people will line up around the block to deliver punishment. But I have noticed something about us humans, as much as we like to punish those we don’t like; we struggle to do so when the person to be punished is likeable.    I think I first realized this when I was doing my student teaching. There happened to be two students in our 6 th grade pod that both had gotten well behind on their school work. Both had had ample time to complete their makeup work but because of their own laziness had not done so.  So when grades were about to come out both students came begging for more time. They were both class clowns and cut ups, but one of them w...