Ecclesiastes 12:10

A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city, and contentions are like the bars of a citadel. Proverbs 18:19   A young lawyer was flabbergasted at the case he had just lost. He had the evidence. He had laid the case out perfectly. He had dismantled the opposition case. Yet when the jury return it’s verdict, they sided against his client.   As he told the story to a senior partner, He remarked, “I can’t understand that stupid jury!”  The older man responded, “That’s why you lost.  You didn’t understand them, you dismissed them as stupid. They could sense that, and no matter how good you presented your case, you couldn’t win them!”   It's just what we read in Proverbs. Once you insult or offend someone, it’s very hard to ever get them back on your side. If you make people feel dumb, or worthless, or beneath you, it's not likely that they will listen to you any longer.   This should be advice we consider when we teach the gospel to oth...

Poor is he who works with a negligent hand, But the hand of the diligent makes rich. Proverbs 10:4      Close enough. It's what we say when we can complete a task without really completing a task. When our work is good enough, even when it's not that good.  For many, it’s the work ethic of the disgruntled, don’t quit your job, just do it really halfway. The quiet quitter. Just enough to stay out of trouble. The show up but don’t show out.  Why do more than you have to?     Proverbs would tell us that it isn’t a wise course. Lazy work brings lazy results. It's not just in business this holds true.  Success is just surviving. If we want a fuller life, we have to be willing to work for it.     How about in your faith? Are you doing just what you have to, or are you diligently pursuing more?  Are you working hard to grow or are you letting others do the work while you coast along? Are you doing more than showing up, or a...

  If you struggled in geometry, you may not like the name Pythagoras. However, he is an interesting fellow. Now it is hard to separate the myths from the facts when it comes to the ancient Greek philosopher, but his influence, not only in math, but in science, music, ethics, and religion are remarkable.   Yet the oddest tale about him may be in his death. As one legend goes, a group of slighted individuals worried Pythagoras might become a tyranny set his residence afire to kill him. He was able to flee but was caught by the pursuers when he refused to cross a bean field.   You see Pythagoras really hated beans.   He had lots of reasons. He didn’t like their shape. He didn’t like what they did to his stomach. He said they caused one to have bad dreams. He didn’t like they were used by the oligarchy in voting. So, he forbade his followers from eating them. And when it meant his death, he refused to cross a field of them.    I guess it is sort of no...

   One of the wisest saying a friend once told me was this: “There is no right way to do the wrong thing, but there is a wrong way to do the right thing”     Simply if you are doing something wrong, it won’t be right no matter how well you do it. Yet there are times when we are doing the “right” thing yet do so in a way that will not be effective or just may cause more problems.   I think that is exactly what Paul is dealing with in the book of Philemon. He knows that he could simply order Philemon to accept back his runaway slave Onesimus. He had the right to do so both as an apostle and by the authority of the Scriptures. Yet he didn’t do it that way.   Therefore, though I have enough confidence in Christ to order you to do what is proper,   yet for love's sake I rather appeal to you — Philemon 1:8-9   Instead, he appeals to him. He appeals to his personal relationship, to Philemon’s integrity, to his confidence in him to do the right ...

  There is an old saying about not hanging your dirty laundry in public. What it means it’s unwise to take your grievances to a public forum. It’s a habit however, that with the rise of social media has become all too common. This phrase doesn’t have a biblical basis but the meaning sure does.   In 1 st Corinthians 6, Paul is outraged that the church has allowed it personal disputes among its members to spill into pagan courts. Paul’s flabbergasted that they don’t find a brother arbitrate the matter rather than go to unbelievers. He says it better to be wronged than bring reproach to the church. Actually, then, it is already a defeat for you, that you have lawsuits with one another. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be defrauded? 1 st Corinthians 6:7      It might not be in a court of law but the court of public opinion we take our grievances. Still, the same principles apply. People will have differences and disagreement over things...

  You’ve seen it of the buttons of an ATM, or an elevator panel. Those raised dots in different patterns that can be read by visually impaired people. What is it called?   Barbier.   What? That’s not it. But it’s probably should have been.   You see the inventor of this method was a man named Captain Charles Barbier. It was an ingenious military invention he called Night Writing used so soldiers could read orders in the dark without having to light a lamp and give away their position.    Eventually, Barbier introduced his concept to the blind. A thirteen-year-old boy at the Royal Institute for the Blind was one of the first to learn the new system. He was excited by the opportunities it offered but thought it might be too complex. So he offered Barbier some ideas on how to simplify and improve it. Barbier did not welcome his suggestions.  He was incensed that a mere boy could imagine he had something to offer and stalked out o...

  If you believe the hype, alcohol is the solution to all of life's problems. The ‘factoids’ tell you liquor, wine, and beer will improve your heart, make you more socially acceptable, better the economy, bring business to downtown, give you the good life and make everything taste better.   Here are some other facts to consider: ·        The number of Americans killed in the entire thirteen-year war in Vietnam is lower than the number of Americans killed each year by drunk drivers. ·        Scripture is replete with stories of men that disobeyed God, humiliated themselves, lost battle and kingdoms, degraded themselves and mocked God all while under the influence of alcohol (Genesis 9:20-25, Genesis 19:30-38, Leviticus 10:1-2;8-10, 1 Kings 16:8-10, 1 Kings 20:16-20, Daniel 5:1-6)    ·        Alcohol abuse was a factor in forty percent of violent crimes committ...

  There is an old axiom: Never argue with a fool, people might not know the difference.   It’s true you know. All you have to do to see it is look at how people respond online. People often on the right side of an issue will make themselves wrong because they will engage those that seemly have nothing better to do than agitate.  Rather than stand for truth or defend the good, they descend into petty bickering and insults Do not answer a fool according to his folly, Or you will also be like him. Proverbs 26:4   The world it seems has decided that ridicule and mocking are the way to prove a point. It also seems some Christians are following along.  What did Jesus tell us about spotting those in error, that their deeds are more telling than their words? What does it say when our deeds are just like them? Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. 3 John 1:11  Years ago a friend gave me some good advice. Never get ...

  Bastille Day is the French equivalent of Independence Day.  It commemorates the anniversary of Storming of the Bastille on July 14 th , 1789, the start of the French Revolution.  The Bastille had long been a symbol of tyranny as a place for the imprisonment of people without trial, but when it was stormed it only contained seven prisoners.   One was a deranged Irishman who believed himself to be both God and Julius Caesar.  In addition, there was another so-called ‘lunatic’, four forgers, and the Comte de Solages – an aristocrat who had been imprisoned at the request of his own family for allegedly committing incest.  While the cry was for freedom, the Bastille was not attacked in order to free these prisoners.  It had much more to do with the gunpowder from the Bastille’s stores to use in the 28,000 muskets they had taken earlier that day [1] .   Today, there are those that cry for Christian to arms.  It may be to rally aroun...

    OK, here I go….     I think essential oils sound like a lot of hokum.  I enjoy it when the St. Louis Cardinals get beat.  I stand by my statement that Led Zeppelin is overrated.  I never understood why people waste so much money on their pets.  I think professional wrestling is a lame male equivalent of a soap opera.  I wish we had a better national anthem.  In my opinion, Pepsi Cola is taste abomination.  I’m not for gun control but I am really glad some people can’t have them.  I’m convinced paying anything more than a quarter for a cup of coffee is ludicrous.  I don’t believe Macs are better, in fact I think they are inferior computers.     Do you hate me yet?   All these things are just MY opinion.  I could be wrong.  I may be right.  Or maybe there isn’t a right or wrong in them.  They might just be opinions.   I know however there are some reading this rig...

  Some proverbs seem so obvious we might wonder why it is even being said. If we consider it further there is often a deeper meaning. For example take Proverbs 12:17, which says  “ He who speaks truth tells what is right, But a false witness, deceit.”   An honest person tells the truth and a liar lies, that seems simple enough doesn’t it?    But think about it in another way, how do know if a person speaks truth?  Well, an honest person always speaks truth, no matter the situation, no matter the reason , he tells the truth. A liar well, he lies. Even in the he has no reason to, a liar twist the truth. His natural state is to lie.    So what does that say about how we should speak? If we make a habit of lying, no one will ever believe us even when we do tell the truth .  If we lie about little things we will lie about big things. Honesty is a habit and so is lying .  Being honest or being a liar isn’t something you turn on and off, it i...

  When I was in college I had had one of those days at work. Not only had I had to work on a Saturday, but that day everything didn’t work like it was supposed to.  S o when I came home and my landlord had his car parked in my parking spot I was a little miffed. You see my landlord’s father lived next door and he would park there when he was visiting his dad.    But today it bothered me because the driveway was clear. I though how come he couldn’t park in his driveway and keep me from having to walk from down the street . So when I came in the door, I was ranting and raving about the big jerk who had parked in my spot. When I saw my roommate’s horrified face in took me a second to figure out what was going on. My landlord was parked there, not because he was visiting his Dad, but he had come over to our house to fix a plumbing problem personally since the plumber didn’t work on Saturday. It turns out he wasn't the jerk, I was! Needless to say I felt quite ...

   Investment can be tricky things. Do you put your money in stocks or bonds, real estate, or hide it under your mattress. Even the most seemingly stable places to put you money can turn south in a heartbeat. Lots of people have experience the phenomena of thinking they are invested well only to learn that all the money is gone. So where should you invest ?      Ben Franklin said, “If a man empties his purse into his head, no man can take it away from him. An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest. ” Proverbs 4:5-7 tells us “ Acquire wisdom! Acquire understanding! Do not forget nor turn away from the words of my mouth  "Do not forsake her, and she will guard you; Love her, and she will watch over you.  " The beginning of wisdom is: Acquire wisdom ; And with all your acquiring, get understanding .”     Investing in wisdom is always a great investment.  Trying to grow and learn in wisdom will not only increase yo...

   My biggest pet peeve is willful ignorance.   Willful ignorance is the conscience decision to not take the time to learn or gain knowledge about something that you should know.   Every person has areas of ignorance.  No matter how smart you may be, there are always holes in our knowledge, things we don’t know and have yet to learn. “Being ignorant is not so much a shame, as being unwilling to learn.” Benjamin Franklin    Willful ignorance however is different.  It is the unwillingness to learn because we find comfort in our lack of knowledge.  Gaining knowledge might require us to act ( If I learn how to cook, I will be expected to make dinner from time to time and I would rather someone else do it for me ).  Learning may make us have to change our thinking ( Don't confuse my well held strong opinions with the facts ). Being informed might require some effort and we are just too lazy for that.   Willful ignorance puts...

   Students of history will know that the revolution that started this country began because of the colonies response to what they felt was unfair taxes placed on them. But it wasn't just the taxes that lead the founding father to treason against Britain; it was more that they couldn't get anyone in the Parliament, to listen to their claims.    Since they had no representatives, the Colonies set agents to London, to try and present their claims. The corruption and graft that overtook this era of British government made it all but impossible for them to be heard. The powers that be didn't mind oppressing those that couldn't vote them out of office. So this environment lead to war and the US declaration of independence.    Ecclesiastes 7:7 tells us, “ For oppression makes a wise man mad, And a bribe corrupts the heart .”  Good honest wise people will be driven to become criminals when governments become corrupt.  That is why honesty and integr...

Monday morning scattershooting while wondering, if Walker Texas Ranger was the first reality television show?     My friend Monte Ginnings often would say to me, “ there is no right way to do the wrong thing; however there is a wrong way to do the right thing” .  That axiom is very true when it comes to church work.  I see a lot of us trying to do the right thing but the wrong way.  When we attempt to spread the Gospel but do it harsh and disrespectful way.  When we try to correct error but rather that teaching in a patient way we grow angry and lash out.  When we let personal attacks hit us in such a way that we feel justified in returning “fire with fire”.  Our cause is just but our methods are anything but. Paul mentions that “wrong way right thing” mindset in Philippians 1:15-17. “Some, to be sure, are preaching Christ even from envy and strife, but some also from good will; the latter do it out of love, knowing that I am a...

  The Oklahoma lottery celebrated its one year anniversary with the announcement that the revenue that the proponents had promised it would generate fell well short of expectations. It's not surprising. The lottery usually fails to deliver what it promises.    Take Mack and Virginia Metcalf. These two blue collar workers saw their winning Powerball lottery ticket back in 2000 as the greatest thing that could happen to them. They took the instant payout and started their new life with a divorce. Still each walked away with over 13 million dollars. But Mack found himself in court quickly again owing $31,000 in back child support and was forced to use $800,000 to set up a trust fund for his child's future. He didn’t stay out of court too long because of a series of drunk driving arrest. In 2003, Mack Metcalf died of complication resulting form his drinking.    His wife Virginia started her new life with a new husband, and a brand new house. But in 2004, tha...

Many people think gossip is a harmless diversion. However, a study on gossip found out that it indeed hurts someone, one you might not expect. Researcher set up a test where subject watched a video were actor talked about a third party. In the videos, the actor would either say something very negative or positive about the other person. After the video, the subjects were asked to rate the personality of the speaker. Even though it was obvious that actor was talking about someone else, the participants consistently attributed the negative traits to the speaker. As Jean Paul Richter said, “ A man never discloses his own character so clearly as when he describes another's ”. Gossip is seems does as much harm to the gossiper as it does to those being gossiped about. Proverbs 25:9-10 warns us “ do not reveal the secret of another, or he who hears it will reproach you, And the evil report about you will not pass away .”

  Do you think that baseball players can’t hit nearly as well as they did when you were younger? Do you know that schools were much tougher when you attended? Are you sure cars were made so much better “back in the day”?   Well then you may suffer from “good old days” syndrome. “Good old days” syndrome is the tendency to look back on the past with nostalgia and forget about the reality of what went on.   It often happens when we look at a future task and dismiss it by saying things like, “We used to have a great…” or “If we only could do it like we did back then.” It makes the past perfect and therefore leaves the future to do other than disappoint.    So i s “good old days” syndrome a bad thing?       Well Ecclesiastes 7:10 tells us:  " Do not say, "Why is it that the former days were better than these?" For it is not from wisdom that you ask about this." A wise person does not dwell on t...