Ecclesiastes 12:10

    Harry Vardon was golf’s first superstar. The British golfer had become a cornerstone of golf popularity in the United States after an American tour in 1900 that ended with him winning the U.S. Open. In 1912 he was planning a return tour to America after overcoming tuberculosis. He was to arrive to huge fanfare on the greatest vessel of his day. The voyage had to be canceled when his disease came back. Harry was devastated thinking his comeback was over.   Jack Johnson was the world heavyweight boxing champion. At the peak of his fame, he too was planning to board the greatest vessel of his day on a trip. But it wasn’t an illness that keep him ashore, it was racism. The black fighter was refused passage on the vessel because of his color.   As tragic as these may seem, both men would later speak about how glad they were that they missed the boat, even with the terrible circumstances that caused it to happen. That’s because that boat was the HMS Titanic. A...

        Keep your eye on the ball. Keep your head in the game. Don’t lose focus. Keep your eye on the prize. Lock in. Don’t get distracted  All these statements are advice from different fields that are all saying the same thing. If you want to succeed you have to keep focus in the right place. Misplaced attention can lead you astray   In Colossians 3:1-2 we read: “Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.  Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.” The message is the same in our spiritual efforts. Set your mind and attention on things above.   Yet how many times are we looking in the wrong direction? We look down at others. We look around in concern about what everyone thinks. We stare down to the level of the world. We look back at what they did. We glance over to see how we compare to others.  That isn’t where we s...

We often think of power as a way to do something. But power can also be about not doing something.     Think about a dam. It holds back a massive weight of water. That requires an amount of power to contain all that potential energy. It is easy to see the power in a rocket blasting off but less so in a coiled spring.    In the Bible, two different Greek words are used when talking about forms of power. Dunamis represents the power to do something. It’s often associated with miraculous things. It references wealth or an army, something you have to get a job done.     Another term is Exousia . It is the power to hold something in check. It’s often associated with authority or government.  It is the power of choice, what you can do or not do.     I wonder if we do the same thing with these concepts as we do with physical examples. We don't often think of having power in not doing something, but the truth is that kind of power...

  Robert Quillen once said “Your character is built by what you stand for – your reputation by what you fall for”   The things we believe are important but the things we don’t believe are just as important.   Over and over in the Bible, we are warned “ Do not be deceived ”. Just because someone or something says something is true doesn’t mean it is. We have a responsibility to not only believe the truth but to make sure what we believe is the truth.   In our world, today there is much concern about limiting false news. Yet one part of that equation that is often not discussed is the responsibility of verifying what we are told. If I tell a lie not knowing it is a lie, I’m still accountable for the lie.  I must be careful about what I say and what I resay from others If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man's religion is worthless. James 1:26    I hate for someone not ...