There is a world of difference between teaching your children to be considerate of diverse perspectives, versus raising them to be truly “open minded”. Encouraging young people to try on other people’s ideas and philosophies, as though they were trying on outfits at the Mall, is akin to having them accept rides from strangers in order to better understand human nature.
Archive for the ‘Thought for the Day / Quotes’ Category
Thought for the Day – Used Books
Posted in Thought for the Day / Quotes, tagged book covers on March 21, 2014| 1 Comment »
For many, the rise of the internet has corresponded to a decline in visits to the bookstore/library. But sometimes a stroll through the volumes can be an interesting journey. Recently, as I walked through the library, I saw some eye-catching book covers, which were prominently displayed. Though I couldn’t help but notice them, I wasn’t really tempted to pick any of them up, and it occurred to me how little the cover of a book really matters. After all, the real value of any book is based on what is contained within. As I thought about my favorite books, I couldn’t even picture what their covers looked like, though I’d have no trouble describing how their content has impacted me over the years. I certainly couldn’t imagine getting rid of one of these simply because that cover was no longer in good shape. And as I pondered all this, it dawned on me that I feel the same way about my favorite people.
Thought for the Day – A Matter of Conscience
Posted in Thought for the Day / Quotes, tagged clear conscience, seared conscience on February 27, 2014| 1 Comment »
It’s easy for a person with a seared conscience to mistake it for a clear conscience; after all, neither one generates a pang of guilt.
Thought for the Day – The Middle of the Road
Posted in Thought for the Day / Quotes, tagged balanced approach, happy medium, mediocrity, middle of the road on February 6, 2014| Leave a Comment »
One man’s “happy medium” is another man’s “stuck in the middle”. What represents a “balanced approach” to one, can seem like “mediocrity” to another.
Thought for the Day – Finding the Time
Posted in Thought for the Day / Quotes, tagged finding the time, making the time on February 5, 2014| Leave a Comment »
Generally, the best way to “find time” for what is important is to “set aside a time” to make it happen. The former is incidental, while the latter is intentional. Thus, when we claim that we can’t seem to “find the time” for something, I would submit that we are unwittingly making a statement about our motivations.
Thought for the Day – A Warm House
Posted in Prayers, Thought for the Day / Quotes, tagged gratitude, hard times, warm house on January 28, 2014| Leave a Comment »
This morning, the thermometer outside my window said that it was – 7 degrees F (that’s without wind-chill). By Midwest standards, that’s cold. Of course, I was standing inside my kitchen at the time, which was a balmy 68 degrees F. As economic times have gotten tougher in the last several years it has been easy to succumb to the notion that things are “bad”, but days like today remind me of how blessed we still are. Yeah, I live in a 54 year old, non-descript house, that I’ll likely never have fully paid for. But it’s a well insulated, brick house, with a high efficiency gas furnace. Yeah, I drive a 16 year old car with almost 200,000.00 miles on it. But this morning it kicked right over when I turned the key. Yeah, the cost of food is putting a big time strain on my budget, but no one in my house went to bed hungry last night, and there’s plenty of provision in the cupboards for today as well. It’s not lost on me that within just a few blocks of our home there are people who couldn’t make those claims and that around the world, there are many people who will never experience such prosperity. When the kids were young, I used to lay down with them, and on cold nights I’d pray, “Father, thank you for a warm house on a cold night, and we pray for everyone who is seeking shelter tonight. Father, thank you for the abundance of food on our table, and we pray for everyone who is hungry tonight. And Father, thank you for the wonderful family that you’ve given us, and we pray for everyone who is alone tonight.” Today, as I walked toward my office, and the frigid air burned in my nostrils, I once again found that prayer on the tip of my tongue.
Thought for the Day – An Apple a Day
Posted in Thought for the Day / Quotes on January 21, 2014| 1 Comment »
The best way to compel someone toward a love of apples is not to preach against oranges, or to engage in some endless dialogue as to the virtues of the Red Delicious versus the Granny Smith. Nor is it to author the definitive work on how to grow a tree. In truth, it is far more effective to be a lover of apples, who cultivates their own orchard and who allows their neighbors to freely partake of their fruit. And so it is with the man, Jesus Christ.
Thought for the Day – Reading Between the Lines
Posted in Thought for the Day / Quotes, tagged reading between the lines on January 13, 2014| Leave a Comment »
It seems that those who pride themselves in their ability to read between the lines often neglect the understanding of what is written on them.
Thought for the Day – The Impossible Dream
Posted in Thought for the Day / Quotes, tagged I Am, impossible on January 12, 2014| 1 Comment »
The difference between the possible and the impossible is I (A)m.
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Thought for the Day – Repentance
Posted in Commentaries, Thought for the Day / Quotes, tagged repentance on April 3, 2014| 1 Comment »
Genuine repentance needs to be more than simply deciding to take an alternate path; it ultimately needs to be like a military coup. It should result in a radical overthrow of the existing authority in our lives and the formation of a new government* going forward. Without such a change in command, our new road is likely to bring us back to the same destination.
* This is my articulation of a concept introduced to me by my dear friend and mentor, Don Atkin.
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