Posts Tagged ‘Truth’
Love that confronts
I don’t want to hurt anyone. I’ve experienced my fair share of pain, especially during my younger years. It’s not a pleasant feeling. Therefore, I naturally strive to avoid adding to someone’s suffering. However, I must address a question: “Is it always possible to avoid causing pain?” The answer is no. There are instances when…
Read MoreThings aren’t always as they seem
Things aren’t always as they seem. For instance, your GPS predicts a 10-minute drive to your destination, but you turn a corner and find yourself stuck in miles of traffic. Or, on a dating app, you come across an incredibly attractive picture of someone you’d like to get to know. However, when you meet, reality…
Read MoreFilling out forms
Filling out forms at the doctor’s office is incredibly frustrating. You can pre-register and fill out every conceivable form, but when you actually get to the office, there’s always more. I know this is just a “pet peeve,” but it’s not just an inconvenience; it’s busy work. That being said, I genuinely want them to…
Read MoreLiar, liar, pants on fire
Truth is the standard I want to use to define and describe my life. I would aspire to people saying things like,“He was and is a ‘truth-teller.’” Actually, that’s not too noble because it is the standard laid out in the Scripture for every Christ-follower. Ephesians 4:25 says, “Therefore each of you must put off…
Read MorePrejudice in our thinking
Here’s an observation that might be more “anecdotal” than actual. It seems that once adults make up their minds, they very rarely change them. For example, when it comes to watching or listening to the news, one person is drawn to the right and another to the left. You just don’t see people approaching the…
Read MoreDisagreements
People don’t always agree, but you know that. But here are some questions to consider: “How do you communicate with someone that you disagree with?” “What happens if that person is a relative, close friend, or even a colleague?” The number one response is often avoidance. Don’t bring it up. Ignore the issue. But is this…
Read MoreHistory is Written by Victors
“History is Written by Victors.” The quote gets attributed to Winston Churchill, but nobody knows ‘for sure’ who the original author was. It implies that history is not grounded in facts. Instead, it’s the winners’ interpretation of the facts that prevail. That statement is alarming, but is it true? Clever statements get turned into present-day…
Read MoreBait and switch
Bait and Switch. You heard the phrase, but what does it mean? Webster defines the phrase as “the ploy of offering a person something desirable to gain favor (such as political support) then thwarting expectations with something less desirable.” When you’re told one thing, but are delivered something else, you feel “used” or worse –…
Read MoreWhen character is lost
Billy Graham said many profound things, but among them was this statement, “When wealth is lost, nothing is lost; when health is lost, something is lost; when character is lost, all is lost.” Why is it that character plays such a huge part in leadership? Character is fundamental to effective leadership because good character builds…
Read MoreSincerity
Sincerity is a good thing. It often speaks of character and moral fiber. When you speak, it’s important to speak with authenticity. Being “real” and genuine is huge. No question about it. But there’s a caution. Sincerity does not equal truth. Some of the greatest communicators of all time have spoken with sincerity and they…
Read MoreScience and the Bible
The Bible is the most amazing book on the planet. Many of you reading this blog may be aware of the uniqueness of the Scriptures. Josh McDowell and Lee Strobel have written extensively about its historicity and veracity. But I’d like to share a different thought. My undergraduate degree was in science. So, when I…
Read MoreBold proclamation
I’ve been fortunate to travel to India five times. Each time I come back to the United States, I return with fresh insights. They often come as a result of looking at the world through a different “lens”. Mission trips have a way of doing that. Most recently, my observations didn’t come from my eyes,…
Read MoreIntegrity
Integrity. What does it mean? Google defines it as “the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness.” It is the thing you want for others. It is what you want for your family, your kids, and your grandkids. You want it for your company. There is no question about this. I’m…
Read MoreBook titles
Did you know that books in the United States can have the same title, even though they are different books with different authors and different content? In other words, titles cannot be copyrighted. Therefore, two or more books can have the same title. That was a little factoid I didn’t know. Here’s how I found this out. I…
Read MoreHistory repeats itself
Maybe you’ve heard the phrase, “History repeats itself.” That phrase originally is attributed to George Santayana in 1905. What he actually writes in the book Reason for Common Sense is “those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it!”. In a 1948 speech to the House of Commons, Winston Churchill changed the quote slightly when he said “those who fail…
Read MoreActive Ignorance
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was a German writer and statesman in the 1800s. I ran across this quotation from him that sparked some interesting thinking especially in light of the tumultuous days we’re living in. He said, “There is nothing more frightening than active ignorance.” Active ignorance implies taking something into your mind, and actively using, information that is…
Read MoreZombies?
It used to be hard to talk to someone about the reality of the resurrection. Someone who was thoroughly dead being brought back to life. But maybe not so much anymore. My wife teaches the little kiddos in Sunday school. She was explaining the resurrection of Jesus to the kids. Knowing my wife, she was…
Read MoreRoad less traveled
In elementary school, we had a section of my English class that was devoted to the “classics”, especially poetry. One of those “classics” was a poem by Robert Frost called “The Road Not Taken”.It begins, “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both.” It ends, “I took the one…
Read MoreTime
Time is the great equalizer. At least, that’s what people say. What does that mean? To put it succinctly, it doesn’t matter how rich or successful you are…how old or young–everyone gets only 168 hours each week. Period. You can’t buy more time, but you can give your available hours away. When we do that…
Read MoreDon’t hide
One must not conceal any part of what one has recognized to be true. Albert Einstein The Bible clearly says, “There is no God.” Really? It’s true. This statement comes from Psalm 14:1. How could the Bible, which is all about God, say that there is no God? Does that rattle your faith? What’s the…
Read MoreNothing but the truth
I don’t want to get particularly political, but we do live in an age where news sources may or may not be reliable. I might not use the term “fake” news, but the reality is the line between fact based journalism and opinion pieces are harder and harder to tell apart. How might one define…
Read MoreThe Great Debaters
Hollywood doesn’t often communicate values that I embrace. But, the movie, The Great Debaters, was a refreshing release back in 2007. It is based on an article written about the Wiley College debate team by Tony Scherman. It’s the true story of a debate coach, Melvin B. Tolson from a historically black college and his efforts to place…
Read MoreReal Justice
The Bible is living, staying relevant to each generation. There is a passage in Isaiah that cuts through rhetoric, arguments, politics, the religious talk and “Christian-ese” and gets to the heart of a critical issue. Isaiah 5:20 “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness,…
Read MoreThe Truth
One of my mentors through the years used to say, “Don’t check your brain at the door.” That was his way of saying, “Use your head. Don’t do things arbitrarily.” “Have a reason for everything you do.” I’ve tried to take it to heart, some days are better than others. But, living life on purpose…
Read MoreJUSTICE AND WHOLENESS – Issues of Integrity
Justice in its deepest meaning involves making people whole, by keeping goodness and impartiality. In the book of James, it’s defined as the center of true religion. He says it’s the kind of “religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and…
Read MoreLYING – Issues of Integrity
Ever see the movie, “Liar, Liar”? Sure you did. This guy, by a twist of fate, is compelled to tell the truth, no matter what. No white lies, nothing. Sounds laughable. Why’d we laugh? Because we’ve all been there at one time or another. A time when a lie just slips out. Some people couldn’t…
Read MoreTRUTH AND PEER PRESSURE – Issues of Integrity
How to Combat the lie of Peer Pressure What causes so many of us to believe that we must have everyone’s love and approval? This is the mantra of today’s junior high and high school campuses, and it’s a conversation we have with our kids more and more often. “Nobody loves me, nobody cares…mom, dad you…
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