Ecclesiastes 12:10

 Empathy is the ability to feel for others. It is what makes us care about each other as people. It forms the roots of compassion and love. In a world that struggles with bullying, anger, and coldness, you could imagine why people want to know how to build it.   Richard Koestner, a psychologist at McGill University was attempting to do just that. He looked and found a study that had been conducted at back at study at Yale University in the 1950s. It involved 75 men and women who had been part of a study when they were children.   When Koestner and his colleagues examined all the factors in the children's lives that might have affected how empathetic they became as adults, one factor dwarfed all others—how much time their fathers spent with them. They were expecting other factors such as how affectionate parents were with their children would be the key factor. In reality, it made no difference.   Just spending time with Dad did.   Fathers pl...

  Bobby Jones was one of the most important men in the history of golf.  His skill, his accomplishments, his course design, his attitude, and sportsmanship are legendary. In its eulogy for Bobby Jones, the New York Times wrote, “ He is the idol for those who love the game for what there is in it, not for what they can get out of it.   I wonder if the same can be said for us in relation to the church.  Do we love what there is in it or what we can get out of it?   Sometimes, it easy to see that attitude. Those that only show up for potlucks or have their hand out at every service.  The church is only a place to provide for my physical needs.   Other times it is more subtle.  Those that come for the ‘entertainment’ factor. Give my kids something to do. Provide emotional support. Make me feel good.   Do we love Christ’s Church or what we get out of it?   Don’t get me wrong there are great benefits for being part ...

  You may remember the saga of the Morbo 4000 from a few years ago.  It was a garbage barge that was set to take it load of 3000 pounds of refuse from New York City to North Carolina.  The problem was they didn’t want to take. So the boat tried to sail back to New York but it wasn’t allowed there either and thus it‘s saga began.  The longer it roamed the worse it got.  Rumors that the barge was carrying all sorts of hazardous materials made the situation more difficult to resolve. The barge would be rejected by over a dozen places, even being chased away with warplanes on two occasions, and traveled over 6000 miles looking for a place to unload.  Eventually, the company owning the boat went bankrupt and the boat was destroyed with it's cargo.  Nobody wanted all that garbage.   Places are getting stingier about accepting garbage. I know my folks have had a time getting rid of bigger trash items since the live in the country and the area lan...

   When it comes to worship some will claim we need to have more emotion. More uplifting singing, better feel good lessons, an increased desire to praise the Lord.  It got me to thinking about the emotions that would be necessary for one engaging in the worship of the Almighty.  So I began to look at scripture that linked the two. In that research, I noticed an emotion that is regularly linked to worship, but isn't often brought up - Fear.    In all those that talk about increasing emotion in worship, I can't say I remember anyone exclaiming we need more fear in worship.  However let’s consider some verses: Psalms 2:11-12   Worship the LORD with reverence And rejoice with trembling .  Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way, For His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him! Hebrews 12:28-29   Therefore let us be grateful for r...

   It is one of the most depressing books in the Bible. It's very name, Lamentations, means the passionate expression of grief or sorrow.  It is a book about when the worst happens, when the unthinkable happens. It tells of a time when everything lies in ruins, families are split apart; all the things that matter most are totally destroyed. When the carnage and grief are so great there seems nothing left to do but weep. It is a time when it seems all hope is lost.   So it is ironic that in its pages we have one of the most positive, uplifting expressions of hope in the Bible. In Lamentations 3:21-23 we read,  “ This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope. The LORD'S lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail.  They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness .”       Even in the worst of time, when it feels and looks like God has left his people, and it seems He has had enough of them and...

  Carl Magee had a way of getting under people’s skin.  The newspaperman was known for his blistering editorials that help expose numerous scandals such as the famous Teapot Dome Scandal.  Those people he raked over often fought back against him with libel suit and sometimes with their fists.  Once an angry judge attacked Magee on the street over something he had done.  The scuffle resulted in Magee pulling a gun, winging the judge and killing a bystander.  Carl Magee wasn’t afraid to say what he thought was right and do what he thought should be done, even if it meant upsetting everything and everyone around him.  Probably even you!  What you say you never even heard of him, how could you already dislike him?   Well chances are you been upset by his famous invention.  You see when Magee was working as the editor of the Oklahoma News, he was on a committee that was trying to solve the problem parking problems in Oklahoma City. ...

Crazy hypothetical: Data or Troi * If you had to choose which who would you rather be:   A person that always knows exactly what any person they come in contact with is feeling and has a total and instant empathy with them, so much so that they then share that same feeling. Any emotion a person bring with them is now your own. Or,  A person that has no emotional connection to any person, so much so that they often confused by any emotional response. They are distance and aloof from the feelings of other, so they recognize them but they are not affect by other emotions expect on a logical level. [i] Who would you be? *Crazy Hypothetical is a mental game that gives you a conditional choice that gets you thinking about a subject. I used these for several years as discussion starters in Bible class. This one can be used to examine how and why act towards people. [i] IE I know that that person is angry but it won’t intimidate me but I can understan...