Before we were married, my wife thought I was a "straight-laced CPA." Probably, because I was! Well after all, I'm a CPA and have a professional image to maintain, or so I reasoned. She has said that even when I have fun, it's work. She's right. My upbringing taught me how to perform to get accolades and avoid criticism.
While I have grown some, I still have to make sure what I do isn't performance to get "attaboys," or to sway the opinions of others. The truth is that most of us perform some. Others are affected by our performance, at least for a little while. Eventually, however, hidden things will be revealed. Maybe I should say the hidden "self" will be revealed. My self-serving purposes will eventually become evident when what I do and say doesn't align with what's in my heart. In other words, I can only survive doing and saying good for a short time if I'm faking it. In some way, the truth will come out because my actions speak louder than my words!
If you are a parent and make a promise to your child, you better make it good. If you are a businessman that tells employees your primary objective is to help them accomplish theirs, you better make sure you share your profits. If you are a pastor that tells a congregation your goal is to help them live a better life, occasionally you should consider passing the offering plate and telling them to take something out! If you are a politician that insists serving the needs of constituents is the primary purpose of holding office, your actions better back up your words.
Here's the bottom line. Words are empty unless they come from one's heart and are backed by unselfish actions. When we're not genuine in our words or actions, others will know it!
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Why Is There Such Death and Destruction in Haiti?
I can barely stand watching the news reports of the devastation in Haiti. My heart, like yours I'm sure, breaks with the images of the injured and the dying. Children without their parents or a home may be the worst part. Like other natural disasters, life as usual is changed in an instant. Business doesn't matter. Ethical behavior doesn't matter. Our 401K doesn't matter. Plans for the future don't matter. Only survival does!
Like many of us, you may be asking why. Why did this happen to one of the poorest nations on earth? Why did people that had almost nothing lose even that? Why the death and devastation? Some would answer and say those faults have been under that city for centuries. True, but the destruction came now. Some would say that it is the judgment of God on the sin, on the devil worship and on the lawlessness that has reigned in that nation. This also may be true but these evils are embedded in the history of the nation. Still others would say it is chance. Volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, earthquakes, floods, droughts and other natural disasters are occurring more frequently around the world, and it's probably not chance!
Whether or not one believes in God, we must understand that the earth has a timetable. Nostradamus thought so. The Mayans thought so. Even science thinks so! As we are busy living life, however, we don't want to think so! If we don't think about it, we don't have to deal with some difficult issues. Who am I? Where did I come from? Where am I going when I leave the earth? It's pretty easy to think that we just stop, or that we go into the light, or that we become angels or that this life is all there is. I hope you know that none of this kind of reasoning is truth.
Natural laws have been established on this earth. We're familiar with gravity, thermodynamics, physics, planting and harvesting and so on. The natural law we like to ignore, however, is that sin has consequences! Collective sin has even greater consequences! If you don't believe me, you need to read a publication that has been proven accurate by historians, archeologists, lawyers and many others...the Holy Bible.
The consequences of sin will be reaped on earth or in the "after life." To die is to leave this earth for an eternal destiny, either heaven or hell. We don't get a chance to choose after the earthquake hits! But, we can choose now! Jesus' recorded words in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." Jesus is the only savior that died to pay the price for our sin. When we ask him in prayer to be our Lord and Savior, and believe in our hearts that God raised Him form the dead, we will be saved! He will forgive our sin and make the way for us to be filled with His righteousness and love! Are you ready for what might happen on earth tomorrow, or even in the next few minutes? Make your choice now!
Like many of us, you may be asking why. Why did this happen to one of the poorest nations on earth? Why did people that had almost nothing lose even that? Why the death and devastation? Some would answer and say those faults have been under that city for centuries. True, but the destruction came now. Some would say that it is the judgment of God on the sin, on the devil worship and on the lawlessness that has reigned in that nation. This also may be true but these evils are embedded in the history of the nation. Still others would say it is chance. Volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, earthquakes, floods, droughts and other natural disasters are occurring more frequently around the world, and it's probably not chance!
Whether or not one believes in God, we must understand that the earth has a timetable. Nostradamus thought so. The Mayans thought so. Even science thinks so! As we are busy living life, however, we don't want to think so! If we don't think about it, we don't have to deal with some difficult issues. Who am I? Where did I come from? Where am I going when I leave the earth? It's pretty easy to think that we just stop, or that we go into the light, or that we become angels or that this life is all there is. I hope you know that none of this kind of reasoning is truth.
Natural laws have been established on this earth. We're familiar with gravity, thermodynamics, physics, planting and harvesting and so on. The natural law we like to ignore, however, is that sin has consequences! Collective sin has even greater consequences! If you don't believe me, you need to read a publication that has been proven accurate by historians, archeologists, lawyers and many others...the Holy Bible.
The consequences of sin will be reaped on earth or in the "after life." To die is to leave this earth for an eternal destiny, either heaven or hell. We don't get a chance to choose after the earthquake hits! But, we can choose now! Jesus' recorded words in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." Jesus is the only savior that died to pay the price for our sin. When we ask him in prayer to be our Lord and Savior, and believe in our hearts that God raised Him form the dead, we will be saved! He will forgive our sin and make the way for us to be filled with His righteousness and love! Are you ready for what might happen on earth tomorrow, or even in the next few minutes? Make your choice now!
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Why Can't Christians Say What They Believe?
In the past couple of weeks, many news reports and commentators' opinions have had a spot on Tiger Woods' reported sex addiction. Many of the commentators expressed their opinion about what he should do to overcome the scandal and the addiction.
On Fox News a couple of days ago, Brit Hume voiced his opinion about what Tiger Woods should do to get set free of his reported sex addiction and to get on with his career. To paraphrase, he said that Tiger Wood's professed faith in Buddhism couldn't set him free and the only religion that had that capability was Christianity through faith in Jesus Christ. He used "that name" and the media came unglued. Paraphrasing the responses, Brit Hume is a reprehensible, unprofessional, indiscriminate commentator. I wonder if the outcry would have been as loud if he had suggested Tiger Woods read the Koran and pray several time during the day!
Keith Oberman argued the news media shouldn't be a platform for proselytizing. Wikipedia's definition of Proselytizing is the act of attempting to convert people to another opinion and, particularly, another religion. Like every other commentator that has weighed in on this scandal, Brit Hume expressed his opinion. If he was proselytizing, my opinion is that they all were!
So, why can everyone but Christians say what they believe? Specifically, why can't a Christian use the Name of Jesus Christ without causing offense? I posed the question from the standpoint of a Christian because it's acceptable to use His name while calling Him a lunatic or a liar, or while swearing!
Here is my opinion. Jesus Christ, whether people believe in Him or not, holds the power of eternal life and death. He is the absolute source of ethical behavior; He is The Truth. For a non-believer to acknowledge Him as a source of wisdom and as a standard for ethical behavior would be admitting that their belief system could be wrong. Since their belief system is their identity, admitting its possible error could be emotional suicide. Worse yet, it would be admitting that they are accountable to someone and that they can't do and say what they want without retribution. In short, they're afraid they can't practice their religion, secular humanism!
Since Jesus was born, His Name has been hated. The New Testament of the Holy Bible contains historical documentation of this fact. Denial of His existence, criticism of Him and His followers, and legally restricting the speech and actions of Christians doesn't change The Truth. The Words of Christ, the New Testament of the Bible, are the only absolute standards for ethical behavior!
On Fox News a couple of days ago, Brit Hume voiced his opinion about what Tiger Woods should do to get set free of his reported sex addiction and to get on with his career. To paraphrase, he said that Tiger Wood's professed faith in Buddhism couldn't set him free and the only religion that had that capability was Christianity through faith in Jesus Christ. He used "that name" and the media came unglued. Paraphrasing the responses, Brit Hume is a reprehensible, unprofessional, indiscriminate commentator. I wonder if the outcry would have been as loud if he had suggested Tiger Woods read the Koran and pray several time during the day!
Keith Oberman argued the news media shouldn't be a platform for proselytizing. Wikipedia's definition of Proselytizing is the act of attempting to convert people to another opinion and, particularly, another religion. Like every other commentator that has weighed in on this scandal, Brit Hume expressed his opinion. If he was proselytizing, my opinion is that they all were!
So, why can everyone but Christians say what they believe? Specifically, why can't a Christian use the Name of Jesus Christ without causing offense? I posed the question from the standpoint of a Christian because it's acceptable to use His name while calling Him a lunatic or a liar, or while swearing!
Here is my opinion. Jesus Christ, whether people believe in Him or not, holds the power of eternal life and death. He is the absolute source of ethical behavior; He is The Truth. For a non-believer to acknowledge Him as a source of wisdom and as a standard for ethical behavior would be admitting that their belief system could be wrong. Since their belief system is their identity, admitting its possible error could be emotional suicide. Worse yet, it would be admitting that they are accountable to someone and that they can't do and say what they want without retribution. In short, they're afraid they can't practice their religion, secular humanism!
Since Jesus was born, His Name has been hated. The New Testament of the Holy Bible contains historical documentation of this fact. Denial of His existence, criticism of Him and His followers, and legally restricting the speech and actions of Christians doesn't change The Truth. The Words of Christ, the New Testament of the Bible, are the only absolute standards for ethical behavior!
Saturday, January 2, 2010
What Is Your Resolution?
It's that time again. It's January and New Year's resolutions are the substance of the media one more time. It is reported that some are resolving to lose weight, to quit smoking, to change their lifestyles, to get a better job and so on. For most of us, our resolutions almost always center on ourselves. I can't remember a news reporter interviewing someone that said, "I want to make the world a better place" or "I'm resolving to help others more" or "I'm going to demonstrate love for my neighbor this year."
I'm reading a book by Joyce Meyers called "The Love Revolution." She says that selfishness is behind almost every problem the world faces today. I'd go one step further and say self-centeredness is the primary cause. And why shouldn't it be? It began in the Garden of Eden!
I lived the first 45 years of my life as a "self-made" man. The only thing my lifestyle made was a mess! When my world began to collapse my defense was to blame others for my problems. And why not? Adam blamed Eve and Eve blamed the serpent! The devil made me do it!
One of my favorite lines from the movie Gladiator was when General Maximus said to his men before a battle, "What you do here today will echo throughout eternity!" We will be accountable to God for the things we do here on earth, whether or not we believe in Him! Self-centeredness in the Garden of Eden brought spiritual death to all mankind throughout eternity. We are mankind!
But there is good news! "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16) God first loved us so we could love him...and others! He made the Way in Jesus Christ for us to escape our self-centeredness and to become "others-centered." In the end, the only resolution that will matter is whether we have resolved to love God and one another. This is true ethical behavior! We can become resolute this year and point the Way!
I'm reading a book by Joyce Meyers called "The Love Revolution." She says that selfishness is behind almost every problem the world faces today. I'd go one step further and say self-centeredness is the primary cause. And why shouldn't it be? It began in the Garden of Eden!
I lived the first 45 years of my life as a "self-made" man. The only thing my lifestyle made was a mess! When my world began to collapse my defense was to blame others for my problems. And why not? Adam blamed Eve and Eve blamed the serpent! The devil made me do it!
One of my favorite lines from the movie Gladiator was when General Maximus said to his men before a battle, "What you do here today will echo throughout eternity!" We will be accountable to God for the things we do here on earth, whether or not we believe in Him! Self-centeredness in the Garden of Eden brought spiritual death to all mankind throughout eternity. We are mankind!
But there is good news! "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16) God first loved us so we could love him...and others! He made the Way in Jesus Christ for us to escape our self-centeredness and to become "others-centered." In the end, the only resolution that will matter is whether we have resolved to love God and one another. This is true ethical behavior! We can become resolute this year and point the Way!
Saturday, December 19, 2009
What Do You See When You Look at Others?
At the end of each seminar I teach, participants prepare an evaluation of their perception of my performance. In each seminar, some of the comments have nothing to do with learning but, instead, are criticisms of my personal mannerisms, tone of voice or appearance. Most of these criticisms are totally opposite of the majority but I've often wondered what could motivate these comments.
In the seminar business there are a lot of variables. Most attend to learn but some come to be entertained, some attend because they are required to and others because of convenience. Their reasons for attending, the quality of text materials and slides and the quality of the facility shape some of their opinions of the experience. This rarely explains, however, why some seem compelled to write personal criticisms.
I used to criticize others because it made me feel superior. Sometimes I did it out of ignorance and other times it was purposeful. Most times it was because I saw in others what I disliked in myself! I disliked many people because they were much like me!
Maybe you've heard the saying, "We like to judge others because of their behavior but want others to judge us based on our intentions." That was (and still sometimes is) me! Several years ago when I was head usher at a church, a woman attended whose behavior was bizarre. After several months of trying to love her as Christians are directed to do, my wife and I talked to our pastor about her behavior and questioned why he hadn't corrected her. Our pastor listened to our criticism and then asked us some piercing questions. "What do you know about her and her background?" "Have you invited her to your home or some of your social events?" "Do you have any idea of why she behaves in these ways?" Slinking out his office door, we realized we had been judging this person simply be what she did and said, not by who she really was.
I read an article by Rick Joyner (www.morningstarministries.org) recently in which he encouraged readers to see others as God sees them. He explained that God sees us, not as we are, but as who and what we can become. God's ways are different than ours, but we can change! How we see others contributes to who they become! Try it sometime!
In the seminar business there are a lot of variables. Most attend to learn but some come to be entertained, some attend because they are required to and others because of convenience. Their reasons for attending, the quality of text materials and slides and the quality of the facility shape some of their opinions of the experience. This rarely explains, however, why some seem compelled to write personal criticisms.
I used to criticize others because it made me feel superior. Sometimes I did it out of ignorance and other times it was purposeful. Most times it was because I saw in others what I disliked in myself! I disliked many people because they were much like me!
Maybe you've heard the saying, "We like to judge others because of their behavior but want others to judge us based on our intentions." That was (and still sometimes is) me! Several years ago when I was head usher at a church, a woman attended whose behavior was bizarre. After several months of trying to love her as Christians are directed to do, my wife and I talked to our pastor about her behavior and questioned why he hadn't corrected her. Our pastor listened to our criticism and then asked us some piercing questions. "What do you know about her and her background?" "Have you invited her to your home or some of your social events?" "Do you have any idea of why she behaves in these ways?" Slinking out his office door, we realized we had been judging this person simply be what she did and said, not by who she really was.
I read an article by Rick Joyner (www.morningstarministries.org) recently in which he encouraged readers to see others as God sees them. He explained that God sees us, not as we are, but as who and what we can become. God's ways are different than ours, but we can change! How we see others contributes to who they become! Try it sometime!
Saturday, December 12, 2009
You Can Get Free From Fear!
My wife and I have two Labrador Retrievers, Sarah and Isaac. Isaac is the first-born son of Sarah and he's my dog. In fact, he worships me! From the time he was a pup (he's 12 now) he was 6 inches from my heels. When I'd come from a trip, he'd whine and whimper with a smile on his face because he was so glad to see me.
When he was younger, Isaac had some bad habits; he liked to eat my wife's socks, not mine just hers. I'd swat him with a newspaper when he did this but he loved me anyway. One day he found a printer ink cartridge under my desk and you can guess the rest. Ink all over the beige carpet! In my anger, I swatted him with the newspaper several times, and harder than usual as I scolded him. Out of fear, he bared his teeth and snarled at me for the first time. At that moment, he didn't worship me!
We humans are not that much different. Fear causes us to do crazy things, the least of which is to push us into the fight or flight mode. At those times, we can lose touch with reality. Like Isaac, sometimes we respond out of instinct. The difference is that you and I respond out of what is in our hearts.
Kenny Huffman beat up on me when I was in the third grade and I couldn't fight back. For most of my life after that, when I was threatened by someone or something I bared my teeth and snarled. I was quick to throw the first punch so to speak, verbal not physical. It took me 45 years to learn I couldn't break free of the fear in my heart on my own.
I don't know what is in your heart this Christmas season that may be causing you to fear. The Bible says the root of all fear is the fear of death. If you haven't already, this Christmas season make sure you accept God's free gift, Jesus Christ. When you ask him into your heart, His Holy Spirit will begin to heal and remove the root of fear, eternal death. Snarl no more! Enjoy His peace! (John 14:27: "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."
When he was younger, Isaac had some bad habits; he liked to eat my wife's socks, not mine just hers. I'd swat him with a newspaper when he did this but he loved me anyway. One day he found a printer ink cartridge under my desk and you can guess the rest. Ink all over the beige carpet! In my anger, I swatted him with the newspaper several times, and harder than usual as I scolded him. Out of fear, he bared his teeth and snarled at me for the first time. At that moment, he didn't worship me!
We humans are not that much different. Fear causes us to do crazy things, the least of which is to push us into the fight or flight mode. At those times, we can lose touch with reality. Like Isaac, sometimes we respond out of instinct. The difference is that you and I respond out of what is in our hearts.
Kenny Huffman beat up on me when I was in the third grade and I couldn't fight back. For most of my life after that, when I was threatened by someone or something I bared my teeth and snarled. I was quick to throw the first punch so to speak, verbal not physical. It took me 45 years to learn I couldn't break free of the fear in my heart on my own.
I don't know what is in your heart this Christmas season that may be causing you to fear. The Bible says the root of all fear is the fear of death. If you haven't already, this Christmas season make sure you accept God's free gift, Jesus Christ. When you ask him into your heart, His Holy Spirit will begin to heal and remove the root of fear, eternal death. Snarl no more! Enjoy His peace! (John 14:27: "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."
Saturday, December 5, 2009
What Time is it?
It's the holiday season, of course! A time for giving, a time for family, a time for reflecting on the past year, a time for planning for next year and a time for considering the needs of others.
The temperature where I live has dipped below zero and there is some snow. I'm grateful I have a warm house; some don't. Holiday meals are being planned and I'm very grateful we have money to buy food; some don't. We are planning to get together with some of our family members to celebrate Christmas and I'm grateful for that; some are alone.
The truth is I sometimes take our blessings for granted. Only two years ago, we'd experienced a business failure and were left with no money and huge debt. During this time my wife broke her ankle and was bed-fast for 3 months. Through this time, friends and family brought food and supplies that enabled us to always have enough. Having been in a similar situation several years before, we have an understanding of what it's like being without.
With the support of friends, and out trust in God, we survived and were blessed incredibly. This holiday season, the celebration of the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, many people need to see Him in flesh and blood; they need you and me!
The temperature where I live has dipped below zero and there is some snow. I'm grateful I have a warm house; some don't. Holiday meals are being planned and I'm very grateful we have money to buy food; some don't. We are planning to get together with some of our family members to celebrate Christmas and I'm grateful for that; some are alone.
The truth is I sometimes take our blessings for granted. Only two years ago, we'd experienced a business failure and were left with no money and huge debt. During this time my wife broke her ankle and was bed-fast for 3 months. Through this time, friends and family brought food and supplies that enabled us to always have enough. Having been in a similar situation several years before, we have an understanding of what it's like being without.
With the support of friends, and out trust in God, we survived and were blessed incredibly. This holiday season, the celebration of the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, many people need to see Him in flesh and blood; they need you and me!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)