Words on a Page

The question, “Why?” gets a bad rap. Jesus asked why when He was hanging on the cross. The Psalmist asked why. Often. Asking why is not a sin. It’s what we do with our whys that matters. Sadly, the question why may never be answered. While God has hidden secrets that will be revealed in heaven, my suspicion is by the time we get there the answer to, “Why?” won’t matter. When we see His face and we are able to see things from His perspective, all of our questions will melt away. Do you need to question God? Go right ahead. Just remember, He doesn’t have to answer. When God is silent, it forces our faith to grow or it destroys our faith. What’s it going to be, believer?

There is a demon many of us chase. Its name is, “Perfection.” We typically meet this demon as a child. Parents have a way of introducing their children to this monster through unrealistic and demanding expectations. We run the risk of carrying the demon into our adult life. We go through life hunting, but never quite finding, the demon called, “perfection.” Marriages end because of this demon. Relationships are ruined. All in the pursuit of perfection. Some people try overworking and over performing. Many living with this demon simply shut down from mental and spiritual exhaustion. While the introduction to the demon becomes a talking point of discontent in our lives, we unknowingly and unwillingly pass the demon on to our children. Look at it this way, they will keep mental health professionals in business. In years to come, our children will most likely sit in a chair lamenting over their parents (us) demanding the demon be part of their world, too. Let’s call out this demon by name....

Be honest. How many candidates or elected officials marketed flags to their followers? Buttons - yes. Hats - definitely. Bumper stickers - you bet. But, flags? Especially those that fly in place of or alongside our American flag. I’m sorry. That’s just wrong. Also, how many political figures run commercials or host rallies outside of campaigning. Crazy. Simply crazy. And we wonder why the term, “cult,” is used so often? “Keep yourself from idols.”

I am deeply saddened by the current condition of our world, our nation, and the church. I realize you may not agree with me. That’s okay. One thing that is still alive and doing well in America is the freedom of opinion. Of course, some of us want to be defensive when someone disagrees with our opinion. Many stopped reading once they read the first sentence to this blog. Perhaps a knee-jerk reaction was, “She is a Liberal,” or “Rant warning.” Neither is true. I’m merely voicing my sadness regarding the divisiveness, hatefulness, and arrogance that seems to plague us as human beings. Does kindness still exist? Most certainly. But, kindness does not seem to be our go-to response these days. Many will say, “If you’re not happy, leave.” That’s a throwback response from the Vietnam era. “America: Love it or leave it,” was slapped on bumper stickers and T-shirts during the 1960’s and early 1970’s. It was as if the phrase became a national battle cry. I feel the suggestion to leave is simply ...

There is a difference between being alone and feeling lonely. None of us wish to feel lonely. All of us will find ourselves alone from time to time. There are productive ways to spend our alone time and non-productive ways. Doing anything to excess is not a healthy alone-time activity. Eating too much, sleeping too much, over exercising or over working are excessive-based activities. Choosing one extreme over another doesn’t make us more productive. It makes us excessive. Healthy lives understand healthy balance. Balancing rest with exercise and work with quiet results in healthy minds and healthy bodies. Sadly, most of us have a tendency to overdo one thing over another in place of balance. Next time we find ourselves alone, try doing the opposite of natural tendencies. If our natural tendency is to oversleep, get moving. If our natural tendency is to overeat, read a book. On those days we are blessed with “me time,” make the most of the time. Take care of you! “There is a right time ...

I’m not sure we fully understand what the word, “flash,” means. Especially when it refers to flooding. Flash isn’t merely a concept of fast. Flash occurs in an instant. Many times people are literally attempting to out run a wall of water. It happens faster than fast. I am growing weary of the not-so-smart and not-too-kind comments on social media. Put aside the practicality and politics of the before, during, and after effects of flash flooding. Let’s think before we speak. You want to be mad at the weather or climate change? Be mad! You want to seek ways to place blame? Go ahead! But, please allow me to tell you who isn’t to blame. The victims. The straw that broke my camel’s back was the person who posted, “Whose dumb enough to camp by a river or try to drive in high water?” The only ignorance shown in this scenario is the person who posted the question. Don’t try to reason away what we cannot understand. In a flash, families’ lives were changed forever. We may need to monitor our m...

“Peace isn’t the absence of conflict. It’s the presence of God.” I read this saying on a wall plaque at my hair salon. At 67-years-old, I can vouch for the saying’s truthfulness. We will always experience some type of conflict. Faith in God provides peace. Peace isn’t merely a feeling. It is a state of being. Jesus found His life on earth filled with conflict. Even facing death, He found peace when He uttered the words, “Not my will but Yours.” Peace acknowledges God’s presence. Peace accepts God’s power. To experience true peace, we must turn over the reins to Him, just as Christ did, knowing He only wants what is best for us. We may not always feel like life is offering what is best for us. We can, however, grasp peace by submitting to His will. Often times, the conflict we experience is self imposed, not God ordained. Rest assured knowing He is sovereign. Romans 8:28 promises that all things work together for good when we are His and accept His purpose.

“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.” God wants His children to be happy. When we focus on our blessings, we can’t help but be happy. When we focus on our problems, happiness escapes us. How do we do the first? How do we focus on our blessings without acknowledging or dealing with our problems? It’s a tall order, isn’t it? I find it’s easier some days than it is other days. I know that to do the opposite, becoming problem-focused, doesn’t solve anything. Focusing on our problems certainly doesn’t solve the problem. Worrying promotes more problems. Perhaps God realizes that and that’s why He tells us to “count it all joy.” (See James 1:2-4) How we approach life is a choice. We choose God’s way or choose our own way. We count our blessings or we multiply our pain. The choice is ours. Choose well, brothers and sisters. Choose well.

Our society has a tendency to blur the lines between the definition of blame versus the reality of responsibility. Let’s be clear: blame does not assign responsibility. Responsibility can (I said, “can”) increase the risk of blame. If a car drives down a street at a high rate of speed with a drunk driver at the wheel, and that driver hits a child playing on the sidewalk killing that child, we can assign blame. We can also hold the drunk driver responsible. It would be ignorant to try and blame the child for being a child or hold the parents responsible for the drunk driver’s behavior. Likewise, we can hold the State of Texas responsible for not insisting on flood sirens along all Texas rivers prone to floods. We can try to blame elected officials at all levels of government for refusing to spend money on a siren system. Blaming them doesn’t make it true. Minutes to federal, state, county, and city meetings will reveal whether or not they shrugged off their responsibility to make famili...