Ecclesiastes 12:10

  Fred and Martha were driving home after a church service. “Fred,” Martha asked, “did you notice that the preacher’s sermon was kind of weak today?” “No, not really,” answered Fred. “Well, did you hear that the song leader was off-key?” “No, I didn’t,” he responded. “Well, you certainly must have noticed that young couple and their children right in front of us, with all the noise and commotion they made the whole service!” “I’m sorry, dear, but no, I didn’t.” Finally, in disgust Martha said, “Honestly, Fred, I don’t know why you even bother to go to church.”   It’s good to be observant, but if all we can do is find fault, maybe it would be better if we didn’t pay attention. Do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door.    James 5:9     Don’t be the person that only bothers to bother others. One of the greatest lies we believe is that our criticism and co...

    In July of 1993 an offshore oil rig northeast of Aberdeen, Scotland had a catastrophic failure. The entire rig caught fire and eventually exploded. The cause was attributed to a safety valve that had been removed and not replaced. Why would anyone do that? It was part of a safety inspection to see if the rig was a safe work environment.   Many times, our attempts to ‘fix’ things make them worse. We may think that our judging of things will make them better. They rarely do.   Consider what the Scriptures teach in James 5:9, “ Do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door. ”   Our complaints often lead to discouragement disputes and blowups without ever doing anything to help the thing we are complaining about. Instead trying to be the judge, a position we are not qualified for, let’s be a helper or a fixer.  Instead of pulling things apart, ...

 In the early 1900s, a dog in France became a local hero. A child playing on the river bank fell into the water and was in imminent danger of being drowned. The dog, hearing the cries and the splashing, leaped over a hedge, ran down the bank, and plunged into the stream just in time to rescue the little victim."     To reward the pup’s great action, they gave him   “ a succulent beefsteak ." The dog had learned a great lesson -- save a child, earn a steak dinner -- and that turned out to be immediately important, for not two days later, " another child fell into the water and was rescued by the dog ,". And again, the dog was rewarded, this time with " some caresses and another beefsteak ."   Then it happened again.   And again.      Almost every day, a child would mysteriously fall into the river near and, coincidentally, the heroic dog would be there to pull the child out of the water and to safety. And invariably, the dog would be h...

  It’s clear in the scripture that complaining and fault-finding are wrong (Jude 1:15. Philippians 2:14, 1 st Corinthians 10:10, James 5:9, 1 st Peter 4:9). Yet, it does not seem to slow us down much.  Why is that?  I wonder if doesn’t come down to something I have seen over the years. I’ve noticed that people most often will find fault with you or with others when they are made cognizant of their own failures. It is a reaction to our humbling, make someone else worse. If I feel bad about “A” and I can point to another’s” B” then my “A” isn’t’ as bad. It is a defense mechanism against our pressing conscience. As long as we can “share the blame” it gives us an excuse to not have to make a change.  Maybe that is why it is so condemned in scripture. As Jesus talked about in Matthew 7, we think seeing the speck solves having the plank. It doesn’t. Rather than seeking to justify our actions let's work to fix them.  Next time you are tempted to find fault ...

  Tom was an insurance agent that has always wanted to write a novel.   So when the Naval Institute Press decided to start publishing fiction, he sent them a manuscript he had spent the last four months writing. They said if he would edit it down about a hundred paged they buy it. So Tom did that and his book was published. Its realism and the well-paced story was a hit with military and government types. It sold over 40,000 copies. Tom and the publishers were excited. He never expected to make anything off the book. Little did he know one fan was going to change that.     This fan had received the book as a Christmas present and was asked what he was reading, he quickly told them all about the book. He said it was “unputdownable” and “my kind of yarn”. Well, people listened, I guess they do that when you are the president of the United States. After Ronald Regan gushed about the “ Hunt for Red October ”, sales went thru the roof eventually selling 100 millio...

  A four letter word meaning “one of the U.S.,” read the clue. The answer? “Utah.” Five letters: “Red Indian on the Missouri.” That one is “Omaha.” Normal enough crossword clues, that is unless the clues are in the Daily Telegraph, a British paper, in May of 1944. This is just months before the super-secret invasion of Normandy, where troops are set to land on beaches code-named Utah and Omaha.   A panic sets in for military officials. Could a spy be leaking information via the crossword in the paper? The investigation seems to be leading that way. Two years prior, the same author named Leonard Dawe, had been interrogated when one of his clues predicted what was the name of a port that the allies were about to unsuccessfully raid. It seemed the German had been forewarned.  The more they looked more suspect clues they saw. A review of earlier crossword puzzles showed that Dawe had used the code words for the three other beaches — Gold, Juno, and Sword....

   You may have heard about how the Cleveland Indians Baseball franchise is removing the longtime mascot Chief Wahoo from its logo. For some, the caricature was a racist stab at Native Americans. Some wonder if it won’t be long till the club changes its nickname as well since some view it as an offensive term. They might have ground since it started that way.  The story begins with a player Louis ‘Sock” Sockalexis. [i]   He was a teenage phenome from Old Town, Maine. He was a member of the Bear Clan where his grandfather was a chief. He was recruited to play baseball at Holy Cross College and then Notre Dame until he was stolen away by a scout to play for Cleveland. His legend preceded him in Cleveland. Many, even to this day, argue he was one of the best to ever play the game. He added to the legend on his first game when the opposing pitcher flatly stated he was going to “strike out the Indian”, Sock rather slapped the pitcher’s first curveball over the fence....

  For those of you that don’t know it, I have a fish tank in my office. It was my sons, which passed down from his sister and now resides in my office. I had three fish in it.   Had.   A few months back, I was going to be gone for the week. Normally I feed them every day but when I’m going to be gone I put these little tablets that feed them for a couple of days or a week depending on their size. I was out of the week ones but I figure that if I feed them the day I left and the tablet worked for the next three, that would only leave them unfed for a day or two. No problem.  So on my return, I went in to feed my three fish. But there was only two. No sign of the yellow one. Now it possible that someone came in and stole on little yellow fish and nothing else, but I think we know what really happened. That little fish became lunch. For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF." But if you b...

  Will Rodgers said, “ There is nothing as easy as denouncing ... It don’t take much to see that something is wrong but it does take some eyesight to see what will put it right again. ”  Dale Carnegie's take was “ Any fool can criticize, complain, and condemn—and most fools do. But it takes character and self-control to be understanding and forgiving. ” Ben Franklin remarks a similar refrain, “ I will speak ill of no man, not even in matter of truth; but rather excuse the faults I hear charged upon others, and upon proper occasion speak all the good I know of everybody .”   What were these wise men trying to tell us? That if we think we are helping a problem by pointing it out to others, we’re not.   If all you want to do is all your two cents to the mess, please keep the change.   It is among the weakest, pettiest, and unproductive pursuits to dogpile on a problem. Anybody can see the problem. Anyone can show outrage against a wrong action. Eve...

There is nothing as easy as denouncing ... It don’t take much to see that something is wrong but it does take some eyesight to see what will put it right again.” —Will Rogers   It’s in every news report.  It’s all over Facebook. It’s the topic of the chat at the water cooler. It’s the all the buzz at the shop.  It’s whatever happens to be wrong at the moment.     Everyone has a take on what is wrong. Hindsight is very clear on what should be, but what we rarely do we get how to make things better.   If Christians really want to make a difference in this world it starts right there.   Instead on joining the masses in pointing out what is wrong, let’s tell them about what is better.   Christ is better. Forgiveness is better. Love is better. Considering others is better. Serving is better.   The world knows what is wrong but it needs to know what is right.    We know what is right and good.   Are we ...

   I can't stand the rambling preacher.  That fellow that spends his time talking about everything but his lesson.  The guy whose lesson on the Prodigal Son includes sections on picking peas, the best hitter in baseball and temperature of last night’s dinner.  Maybe it bother me more because I fear that I may just be that guy. Rambling might be entertaining (usually not) but it is definitely not edifying.  For the preacher, his purpose is to build up his listeners with his words not just fill time.   But that qualifier isn’t just for preacher however; “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.” Ephesians 4:29   This verse gives us a purpose (edification), a place (according to the need of the moment), and a plan (give grace) for our speech.  It also commands us to limit speec...

   The Houston Airport had a problem.  Over and over, a major complaint from its customers was that they had to wait too long for their bags after the flight.  So the executives worked to address the issue.  They added new staff, streamlined the process and were able cut wait time from as long as 30 minutes in some cases to an average of only 8 minutes.  Still complaint kept pouring in.  They did everything they could to shrink the time, but 8 minutes was about as fast as they were going to get.  Yet irate customers still bemoaned the delay.    It was odd because the 8 minutes was the well within the standard for most airports but other locations didn’t face the onslaught of complaints.  That's when the administrators realized the real problem.  The walk from the disembarking gate to baggage claim at Houston was a short 1 minute walk.  Most other airport the journey was 5 to 10 minutes.  It wasn’t the 8 minute d...

  My second ‘job’ is in sports broadcasting. OK that sound way more legitimate than it really is. For the last couple of years I have been lucky enough to get to broadcast the Hope Bobcat High school football games for the local radio station. It’s not really a job more like a hobby that someone else lets me do.       When I first got the gig, I was terrified about how bad I would be.  I tried to read up on any advice I could find about calling football and made it a point to listen to as many radio and TV broadcasts as I could to try and pick up anything to improve.  It is one thing to hear a broadcast it is another to try and do one!  After two seasons, I’m not sure if I have gotten any better but one strange thing I have noticed is I’m a lot more critical of the announcers of any game. Now I pick up more of the broadcast foibles, poor explanations, redundancy, errors those kinds of things. Even in those at the top of business, I hear things...

    Over the last few weeks I heard many folks exclaim about how the world can accept something that the Bible so clearly condemns. That started me thinking about some other clear commands the scriptures teach that we might be quick to forget, ignore or just down right defy. Here are a few I came up with… Complaining: James 5:9 Do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door. Angry Derogatory Outburst: Ephesians 4:31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Being Idle and Undisciplined: 2 Thessalonians 3:11 For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies. Meddling: 1 Peter 4:15 Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler; Gossiping Proverbs 20:19 He who goes about as ...

   Let's take a look at Jude 1:15-16: to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him."    Here Jude brings the hammer down on the ungodly.  They will be convicted for their deeds, judged for their way and punished for the harsh things they have done.      Now when he rails against the ungodly, who do you have in mind? Murders? Rapist? Drug Dealers? It has to be the worst people in society, the dregs of the human race. After all, think about how many times he calls them ungodly?      So who does Jude have in mind?    Well he tells us exactly in verse 16, “ These are grumblers, finding fault, following after their own lusts; they speak arrogantly, flattering people for the sake of gaining an advantage”.    What? Complaining? Nitpicking...

  I hate negative compliments.   What is a negative compliment? It’s like when a person that tells you “have you lost weight because you don’t look as fat as you used to”. Now it’s said as a compliment but it really isn’t, it is thinly veiled criticism. Now the negative can be thrown right back at you but usually the negative is directed at someone else.  It is not a statement of praise for you as much as it is an attack on someone else.      It’s when the lady walks up to the gospel meeting preacher standing right next to the regular preacher and says, “We haven't heard good preaching like that in years!”.  It’s when a person says “the other deacons don't do half as much as you do”. It's the member that exclaims for all to hear, “That was a great sermon on sin, some people here really needed to hear it!”.  You are not lifted up; you are just the way to tear someone else down. It seems on the surface t...

  In 1867, Russia was desperate to unload its territory in the New World.  They feared that if any conflict with Britain broke out they would lose what now is known as Alaska anyhow, so why not try to sell it? So a deal was struck with U.S. Secretary of State William H. Seward for the purchase of Alaska for $7 million.     Now despite the bargain price of roughly two cents an acre, the Alaskan purchase was ridiculed in Congress and in the press.  Some referred to it as "Seward's folly," and "Seward's icebox".  President Andrew Johnson's called the area a "polar bear garden".  Many questioned the logic of buying a territory with no population to fill it. Why would anyone want to go to Alaska?  What use could it be?  The criticism continued until 1896 when the Klondike gold strike was discovered.  Then Alaska came to be seen generally as a valuable addition to American territory.  Seward's Folly became one of the greatest deal...

  A young boy complained to his father that most of the church hymns were boring to him — too far behind the times, boring tunes, meaningless words. His father put an end to the discussion when he said, “ If you think you can write better hymns, then why don’t you ?” The boy went to his room and wrote his first hymn. This was in 1690; the teenager’s name was Isaac Watts. “ When I Survey The Wondrous Cross ” and “ Joy To The World ” are among the almost 300 hymns written by him [i] . Isaac Watts   It is easy to list the things that are wrong but it is much better to do something about them. In 1 st Peter 4:9-10, we read, “ Be hospitable to one another without complaint. As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God .”   Instead of finding fault, lets us our gifts to serve. Most people wait for a glossy embossed invitation before they will volunteer to serve. Instead of that...

   I recently describe to a friend an organization I had been involved in as having a “ culture of complaining ”.  What I meant was that over the years the leadership had allowed those that complained loud and long enough to get their way.  So others followed suite. And then it seemed squeaky wheels demanding grease were everywhere   Soon the status quo was to complain about everything.   Every decision, every event, every move was subject to the full spectrum of complaints .  Complaints abounded [1] .  People even complained about all the complaining [2] .  The saddest thing about the whole ordeal is that the people involved were Christians. And it is wrong for the Christian to complain!    Don’t believe me let’s look at what the book says: Philippians 2:14  " Do all things without grumbling or disputing ;" 1 Peter 4:9 " Be hospitable to one another without complaint ." James 5:9  " Do not complain , ...

Monday morning scatter shooting while thinking, no matter how much you push the envelope, it'll still be stationery     I did a sermon recently on the “ The Danger of Debt ”.  I really think it’s something preachers need to talk about.  Look at the stats.  In 2009, roughly 1 in 4 (24.8%) of American households had zero or negative net worth. That means if you’ve no debts and have $10 in your pocket you have more wealth than 25% of Americans.  Americans owe $2.6 trillion dollars and based on the latest Census statistics, that works out to be nearly $8,500 in debt for every man, woman and child that lives here in the US.  The average credit card debt among undergraduate college students is about $2,748   Debt can be dangerous for churches, (can’t do the work of the church because we are trapped paying off excessive mortgages) saints, (we can’t give as we are prospered, since most of our money is tied up in our debt), preachers (chan...