Man has an ability that separates him from all other physical creatures. If he chooses, he can stand outside of his feelings, emotions and even his own thoughts and examine them. However, instead of examining them, he often reacts to life and allows instinct or past conditioning to override the moment of opportunity he has between an experience and a response. Deference is the key to conquering this moment. Author Steven Covey states what distinguishes us as humans is the ability to examine … [Read more...] about Three Choices: Good, Evil, or Life
Humility
The 3rd Commandment
God has provided us with some very clear directives as to how a relationship with Him is to be developed. It is summarized in the first four commandments. My focus will be on the third commandment: "You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain” (Exodus 20:7). That’s some fairly strong language. It places a very high value on the use of God name. That gives us an idea of the seriousness of the commandment. But there … [Read more...] about The 3rd Commandment
Who Controls You?
Some people are able to lead others minds, controlling the direction of thought without them even knowing the trap they are falling into. Many do not recognize that shrewd deception and tactics are being used to gain control of their thinking and behavior. Personally, I think the subject of control is a serious subject and one we all need to understand. What is a controlling spirit? How do we recognize elements of that spirit that may be in our lives? How do we deal with others that may try … [Read more...] about Who Controls You?
Laboring Amid Chaos
The late author Michael Crichton, famous for both novels and screenplays, originally trained as a physician. After earning his MD from Harvard Medical School in 1969 and completing a postdoctoral fellowship, Crichton practiced medicine. However, the rigid structure and emotional demands of medical practice limited his true passion for storytelling. His medical background was reflected in most if not all his novels which explored complex scientific ideas and ethical … [Read more...] about Laboring Amid Chaos
Anger Incubator
In June 2020, Elizabeth Chang's comments were printed in The Washington Post. Sadly, her words still ring true over 4 years later. She wrote: “Americans are angry. The country erupted into the worst civil unrest in decades after the death of George Floyd, and anger about police violence and the country’s legacy of racism is still running high. At the same time, we’re dealing with anger provoked by the coronavirus pandemic: anger at public officials because they’ve shut down parts of society, or … [Read more...] about Anger Incubator
Handling Conflict
We all deal with conflict daily, in many forms. Even the church has conflict, internal and external, from time to time. With the Bible as our guide, which biblical examples can teach us about a specific quality that foils conflict? Where does this quality come from? What does it lead to? Let’s consider Gideon’s example to identify this quality. Chosen by God as a judge of Israel he was assigned to defeat a threat from neighboring Midian (Judges 6:1-8:21). He assembled an army of 32,000, but … [Read more...] about Handling Conflict
The True Nature of Leadership
I think we can say factually that we are in a crisis of leadership in this country and the world. It is not just political government. Leadership is also suffering in education, business, city governments, families and in the Churches. Today I want to take a practical look at this issue of leadership. It’s not so much a discussion of leadership principles but more about the whole concept of leadership, the nature of leadership. First, I want to look at leadership from a worldly … [Read more...] about The True Nature of Leadership