Christians – Holding the tongue may be difficult, but it is profitable!

Xenocrates said, “I have often repented speaking, but never of holding my tongue.” With due respect to the leader of the Platonic Academy, I can identify a few times in my life when I have held my tongue. There are a few, precious few, times when I believe I should have spoken further during a discussion. In defense of Xenocrates, I carry far more memories of speaking […]

2020-10-19T18:06:57+00:00October 19th, 2020|

Let’s choose living in eager expectation over enraged entanglement

The state of social media is a mess. News reports of COVID-19 numbers, peaceful or violent protests, or anything political triggers the launch of emotion into action.

Perhaps the most discouraging element of the current plight is the Church seems to be in the center of this enraged entanglement. Holders of one opinion heartily hurl epithets of suspicion and anger toward holders of differing opinions, believing themselves to […]

2020-08-10T16:07:11+00:00August 10th, 2020|

Labeling others jeopardizes the opportunity to communicate

Emotions are a natural part of the human life. We are, after all, created in the image of God who Scripture describes as jealous, angry, and loving. However, unleashing uncontrolled, unfiltered outbursts of emotion are not profitable when our goal is to communicate our beliefs and ideas.

It is natural and right to respond emotionally to the senseless, inhumane treatment and deaths of George Floyd, Ahmad Avery, and […]

2020-07-02T13:20:13+00:00July 2nd, 2020|

Living Peacefully in an Angry Period

One of the idiosyncrasies that attracted viewers to the “American Chopper” television series was the prevailing tension that existed among the Teutle family members (Paul Sr., Paul Jr., and Michael). Eventually, this creative tension escalated to gratuitous outbursts of anger, driving emotionally weary viewers away.

Reality TV is seldom “reality.” It is contrived, scripted, and staged by producers seeking to pit people against one other. Staged angry outbursts […]

2020-05-04T15:09:07+00:00May 4th, 2020|