I realize that loving some of us is a tall order

Would you like to celebrate this Christmas season by experiencing the peace, reassurance and joy once provided by your youthful faith? As children, we approach Christmas in the unwavering belief that we are loved. It’s that belief that strengths our faith and fills the season with joyous expectation. As adults, the uncertainties inherent in life gradually take a toll on that assurance. It’s increasingly difficult to believe that we are loved. Only through faith can we reclaim that assurance. The Bible tells us if we would have God’s boundless affection, there’s but one condition: We must love God without restraint and each other without exception. I realize that loving some of us is a tall order, but considering the reward, I suspect it’s worth the effort. And, just between you and me, God doesn’t expect us to be 100% successful.  He only requires that we make an honest effort. I intend to try harder.  I suggest you do likewise.  Season’s Greetings. SC

Happy Thanksgiving

Note to self:

Each and every day, each and every one of us, regardless of our circumstances, has a choice.  We can squander our time fingering old welts, second guessing past decisions, and tormenting ourselves over the poor choices of others; or we can embrace a new day brimming with opportunities for doing justly, loving mercy, and building foundations for a bright new tomorrow.  Time is precious.  Choose wisely. 

No one is a duckbilled platypus on purpose.

This ol’ world is home to an endless variety of colorful creatures, and while it’s true that our choices will influence what we become, no one is a duckbilled platypus on purpose. Be kind and count your blessings.  SC

Fulfillment, Potential and limitless Hope

SC 1959

Once upon a time, almost everyone was young and optimistic. A few short months from now, Lord willing, I’ll celebrate my 65^th birthday.  Like almost everything else, getting old has advantages and disadvantages. There’s much we can learn from old people.  Most of my dearest friends are old people.  I spend several hours every week visiting old people.  It appears to me as though the biggest downside to getting old may well be the disillusionment that comes from years of experience, hard learned lessons, and the inevitable disappointments that seem inherent in life. If you discuss tomorrow’s challenges with old people, nine out of ten, are inclined to deny them, ignore them, or blame someone. If you’re looking for encouragement, discuss the future with the youth who prepare to inherit it. Where old people find disillusionment and failure, young people see opportunities to learn from past mistakes. Young people see a world where the long sought goals of past generations are realized every day, and previously unimaginable discoveries lie in wait. Young people see fulfillment, potential and limitless hope. Value experience, learn from the past, and cherish those whose efforts made yesterday possible, but celebrate youth, rejoice in hope, and fortify yourself with visions of a bright tomorrow. SC 

If you care about your children, grandchildren and generations to come, or if you believe this planet was created by a God who demands stewardship and accountability, you may want to give this some thought.

All this stagnation, polarization, indignation and deadlock have been great fun, and I hate to be a killjoy, but we have serious issues that threaten to ruin our fun. Nobody wants to hear this, but that does not make it less true.  This planet’s human population is currently growing at a rate of over 1.16% annually, which is an increase of nearly 80 million new mouths to feed every year. Regardless of what you would prefer to ignore or deny, we face a future in which those numbers will become increasingly unsustainable.  Food and water will be in increasingly short supply, as will all other natural resources.  At the same time, most scientists agree our planet’s ocean levels will continue to rise, threatening major cities and driving their populations inland.  In conjunction with these challenges, our weather is likely to become increasingly volatile and unpredictable, with floods and droughts making life difficult and affecting our ability to raise crops to feed the growing population. So here’s something for you to think about. This fall we will either elect people who are prepared to address these challenges and work together for solutions before its too late, or we will elect people who either deny the existence of these challenges entirely, or evidently believe our species incapable of addressing them in an adult, responsible way. Sadly, it could go either way. Personally, I plan to vote for people who have proven themselves capable of behaving like adults and working together toward a bright future during increasingly challenging times. If you care about your children, grandchildren and generations to come, or if you believe this planet was created by a God who demands stewardship and accountability, you may want to give this some thought. SC

I’ve posted things like this before and I generally have second thoughts and delete them. The fact is however, there are many people who have their bowels all in an uproar today because of some candidates’ deleted emails, or another candidate’s tax issues, or whether between them the couple next door may have too many or too few testicles to suit them. If they walked a mile in the shoes of the growing number of people all over the world who go to bed hungry or thirsty or homeless, they’d quickly change their attitudes and their priorities.