Category: Attitude

6/20/2022 1 Comment

Honoring Our Elderly

Patricia P. Driscoll and Celia Straus wrote in Hidden Battle on Unseen Fronts, “As a society, we don’t take very good care of one another. Ours is a disposable culture: our children, our elders, our ill and infirm, our natural resources are often ignored, overlooked, forgotten or mistreated.” Did you know that respect for the elderly is tied in scripture to reverence for God? God did not make people obsolete, objects of derision or relics to be ignored or kept out of the way. We as a society have done this because collectively, we view feebleness and weakness as properties to be avoided. We don’t wish to be reminded of the last chapters or days of life before death. We want to be strong, healthy and admired. But we see life from such a limited and sadly vain vantage. God made life, and He made it with eternity in mind. When we disrespect the elderly, we disrespect what He created, which is never a good practice.

1/31/2022 0 Comments

Don't Get Agitated!

Do you know someone who constantly bothers you? Are there people who consistently distress your life by their words or actions? If this is your experience it is not unusual. I am pretty sure almost every human on the planet gets agitated—some on a daily or hourly basis! What causes such tension? Immaturity, unnecessary volume, rudeness, dangerous driving habits, failure to learn and correct mistakes, claiming to know what someone thinks, not listening . . . the list can be annoying long.

10/11/2021 0 Comments

Triangulation

Meditation
Proverbs 26:20--Without wood, fire goes out; without a gossip, conflict dies down

Dr. Henry Cloud shares a concept called triangulation in his book The Power Of The Other. Triangulation sets up what he calls the victim-persecutor-rescuer (VPR) triad. I’m A and you are B and someone else is C. If I’m bothered by something you, B, have done, disagree with you or somehow feel victimized by you, this makes you the persecutor. Rather than go to you and share my concerns I go to C and share making C the rescuer. I want C’s support. This then becomes triangulation and it is always wrong despite the many reasons Christians contrive to justify this behavior.

6/10/2021 0 Comments

You Can't Move In

Bryan York enjoying his temporary lodging.

I was loading up the car with boxes of books to take to our new apartment when my cell phone rang. When I answered the phone Taylor, one of the staff for Jefferson Gables Apartments, said, “Mr. York I’m so sorry but you cannot move in tomorrow. We found an error.”
“An error, what kind of error?”
“We have to replace the entire carpet. You can’t move in for at least two weeks. But the good news is you will have new carpet.”

1/29/2021 0 Comments

Standing on the Rock

Meditation
Exodus 17:6—“I am going to stand there in front of you on the rock at Horeb; when you hit the rock, water will come out of it and the people will drink.” Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel.

11/24/2020 1 Comment

Thankful

It will go down in history as perhaps mankind’s most bizarre year. Never has the entire globe in unison shut down because of a virus. Restrictions in travel, work, recreation, size of gatherings etc., have ruined businesses, increased the number of suicides and deaths for those with other ailments who cannot be hospitalized, amped fear to unprecedented levels, and created a huge divide in opinion over what should or should not be done. Meanwhile political unrest, rolling waves of violence, storms and disasters add to the cacophony of 2020.

6/18/2020 1 Comment

Despair: The Lord's Hand is Against Me

Ten times the word despair is used in the Holman Bible. Fittingly Job is the source of one third of them. The Psalmist cried out, “Insults have broken my heart, and I am in despair. I waited for sympathy, but there was none; for comforters, but found no one” (Psa. 69:20). Despair is the stuff of hopelessness. It is a sinking feeling that saps one’s resolve. If not properly addressed it becomes the lingering glue of gloom.

3/31/2020 0 Comments

Numbers

The fourth book of the Bible is Numbers which is a translation of Arithmoi, from the Septuagint. It is titled as such because the book contains two census counts, numerous statistics, tribal and priestly figures, and other numerical data. The Hebrew name is included in the first sentence of the book and means “in the desert of ”; an accurate description of the book’s content, which follows the Israelites through almost forty years of desert wandering.[1]
The story began in the second year of the Israelites escape from Egypt, as they camped in the Wilderness of Sinai around 1444 BC. It ends 38 years later “in the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho” (36:13) in 1406 BC.[2]

2/25/2020 0 Comments

Apathy

Jimmy Buffett once said, “Is it ignorance or apathy? Hey, I don't know and I don't care.” In one sentence he precisely illustrated the great sin of apathy. Bodie Thoene noted that “Apathy is the glove into which evil slips its hand.” Any person with passion and purpose understands what a threat it is to be surrounded or partnered with those of an indifferent ilk.

1/21/2020 1 Comment

The Finest Encouragement

Lew Boore--mending with joy!

Meditation
Acts 16:40--After leaving the jail, they came to Lydia’s house where they saw and encouraged the brothers, and departed.

12/31/2019 0 Comments

Time and Chance

It is the last day of the decade and a gazillion thoughts cascade through my mind:

What did I learn the last ten years that brought growth and will help me be a better leader?
What mistakes did I make that I dare not repeat?
What were the significant milestones, blessings and joy-makers?
Did suffering and setbacks shape me to be even more in love with God than ever before?
Does technology seem out of control? People spend so much time on their smart phones and devices that healthy social interaction is seriously diseased.

11/29/2019 0 Comments

The Blessing of Inconvenience

The roads were a mess after over a foot of snow fell on the Rockies so I had to be careful driving to the Urgent Care facility. It was not the way I wanted to spend Thanksgiving morning but with a sinus infection and an international trip only two days away I knew I needed to get medicine—fast! The clinic near our house was closed but a sign outside gave an address and time for the only operational urgent care in Colorado Springs. So I drove there. A friendly staff efficiently processed me and I was impressed with the care I received. Unfortunately, only one drug store was open where I could get a prescription filled and it was nowhere near home. But, it was open and that was amazing. Ninety minutes later I was home with my prescription.

10/29/2019 0 Comments

Bright Eyes

On Sunday mornings when I’m in town and able to attend church, after the service ends I stand at the front of the sanctuary to pray for anyone needing prayer. This past Sunday, a woman walked slowly forward with a slight stoop in posture. Her teeth were black and badly rotted and it was obvious she had suffered a great deal—probably from drugs. But what caught my attention was her bright eyes—they radiated warmth. I asked what I could pray for her and she said she was suffering from liver disease. After I finished praying she gave me a hug and shared how much she loved our church and how being there filled her with peace.

7/12/2019 0 Comments

Gratitude

Meditation
Colossians 3:16--Let the message about the Messiah dwell richly among you, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, and singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, with gratitude in your hearts to God.

6/29/2019 1 Comment

I Have What I Need

Meditation
Psalm 23:1—The LORD is my shepherd; I have what I need. (CSB)

As I read Psalm 23 for my devotions I was struck in a new way by verse one. What David declares is very powerful for several reasons.

10/2/2018 0 Comments

Patience--An Operating Power

Sadie is amazing. Her body is constantly wracked in arthritic pain yet her countenance reveals mostly joy. She has more broken bones than most football players. Her abusive husband died leaving her penniless and with no insurance to handle her ever-mounting medical bills. Still, she does not complain. Her ’96 faded blue Ford Taurus won’t start so she must rely on the help of others to get around until she can find the money to pay a mechanic to fix it. Her son is addicted to meth and her daughter is in her fourth relationship with a man who is a total controller. If anyone was a candidate for bitterness it would be Sadie. Yet she is serene and confident in her faith. She consistently encourages others—an empathy distributing angel in a world of mean, selfish people. What is her secret?

10/27/2017 0 Comments

Pray Like This: Our Father in Heaven

As the shells rain down on hapless soldiers trembling in their foxholes, a man completely unknown as religious to his squad mates begins reciting the Lord’s Prayer. He remembers it from growing up attending Mass. Now in their time of desperation he delivers it up to God. Considered the most beloved prayer in Scripture and taught by Jesus to His followers, we would be wise to unpack it, study it and apply it rigorously to our lives. So let’s embark upon a prayer journey and take joy in 69 life-changing words.

7/28/2017

Positivity

Meditation
1 Samuel 23:15-17—David was in the Wilderness of Ziph in Horesh when he saw that Saul had come out to take his life. Then Saul’s son Jonathan came to David in Horesh and encouraged him in his faith in God, saying, “Don’t be afraid, for my father Saul will never lay a hand on you. You yourself will be king over Israel, and I’ll be your second-in-command. Even my father Saul knows it is true.”

Tom Rath describes the strength of positivity in Strengthsfinder 2.0 this way: “You are generous with praise, quick to smile, and always on the lookout for the positive in the situation. Some call you light-hearted . . . people want to be around you. Their world looks better around you because your enthusiasm is contagious.”[1]

7/20/2017 0 Comments

Praising God's Greatness

Meditation
Psalm 145:1—I exalt You my God the King, and praise Your name forever and ever.

Psalm 145 is one of my favorite psalms in the Bible. Aside from the eleven different verbs or participles used to praise or recognize God, the entire twenty-one verses are a tribute to God’s greatness. The predominant verb is the word praise (used six times). In addition, the words exalt, honor, declare, proclaim, speak, give a testimony, sing, thank, and informing, are used in the Holman translation. Five times God’s greatness is specifically highlighted.

3/11/2017

Yes is a Wonderful Word

When I’m not home and I don’t have a lot of time, I enjoy a hot Egg McMuffin, potato cake and large glass of orange juice. This morning I placed my order at McDonalds and asked the young man at the window if he would mind filling my mug with hot water. He said, “No I can’t it is against company policy,” and he looked away and mumbled something about hygiene concerns. So I thanked him and pulled up to the next window to pick up my order. I asked the young woman if she would mind filling my mug with hot water. She said, “Yes! Why of course.” Before I pulled away with food and a full mug she said, “Anytime you come by you are welcome to get hot water.”

Photo used under Creative Commons from Rachel Maxey Miles