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This morning, I read an interesting op-ed written by a woman who is a lawyer and mom. She talks at length about the difficulty she has in that role and the hard truth that she often chooses her work life over her family because it fits her priorities. She laments the fact that she skipped birthdays and phoned in her participation in her kids’ school activities because her work was more important. I disagreed with the author on several points, but found myself identifying with her perspective b...
I am allergic to dandelions. Every spring, my lawn begins to grow, the dandelions show up, and I start to develop headaches and sinus problems. When it gets tiresome enough, I mow in an effort to beat them back. Every home owner knows that mowing won’t solve the problem. In fact, it can make the dandelion problem worse by spreading their seeds out. The new seeds take root and new dandelions sprout up. I could certainly solve the problem, but I don’t really want to put the effort in. The issue is...
When I was a kid, I knew a handful of guys who were rabid baseball fans. They could tell you any stat for any player on their team going back 10 years. They collected baseball cards religiously, stored them in little plastic sleeves and studied them daily. Over the course of my lifetime, I have seen this same phenomena play out for all sorts of different hobbies. Recently, I listened to a couple of car guys talk for an hour solid about engine specs for different model years of muscle cars. The...
Q:American Christians seem to be comparing modern politicians with leaders who are mentioned in the Bible—good and bad. Is it right to make such comparisons, and who is the most wicked king in the Old Testament? A: Judging belongs solely to the Lord because He is the only One who can know the motives of the heart. He doesn’t compare us to others because the Bible says that we have all fallen short of His perfection (Romans 3:23). But God has certainly given us 66 books of the Bible to teach us about our fallen human nature and what happens whe...
“You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” This quote, from motivational speaker Jim Rohn has made the rounds in the world of self-improvement for years, and it’s worth taking a moment to consider, because it has a great deal of truth imbedded in it. The way we think and view the world is shaped by what we read, hear, watch, and interact with. Our attitudes rise or sink to the level of the folks we associate with. This is an unconscious drift that is built into peopl...
Q: Is belief in God the same as the belief the devil has in God? A: The devil and his demons know God exists; certainly Satan stands before the throne of God accusing mankind, as seen in the book of Job. The demon world also believes in the facts of Jesus’ birth, life, death and resurrection. But their belief is not a saving belief because it does not lead them to turn to God in repentance. A saving belief in God is what happens when sinners turn from sin to Christ and put their trust and faith in Him, the Savior of sinners. This is a saving f...
Q: My biggest struggle as a Christian is to know God’s will and the purpose of my life. The more people I talk to about it, the more confused I get. Is it difficult to know God’s will? A: There is a simple answer which is this: God’s will is for everyone to obey His Word. This was His will from the beginning. His perfect will was known to Adam and Eve in everything, and gave one “don’t.” All through Scripture He tells us what to do and what not to do. He tells us how to live. He gives us the strength to endure hardships, and He brings joy when...
About 15 years ago, the church I was working for as a Youth Pastor made significant budget cuts that resulted in me taking a 50% pay cut. This meant being forced to start working a second job. The job I found was at a facility that worked with kids who had emotional problems. The program I started in was Emergency Shelter Care. We provided housing for kids that had nowhere else to go. My first week there, we took in a young lady who had been homeless since she was 8. She was 13, and the police...
Wabi-sabi is the Japanese word referring to their cultural understanding of beauty. It’s an interesting perspective that is very different from what we generally accept in the west. Whereas we tend to look at things that are perfect as beautiful, in wabi-sabi, beauty is based on the idea that all things are constantly changing and nothing is perfect. Wabi-sabi looks at the imperfections as the source of beauty. This doesn’t mean that Japanese craftsmen and artists don’t work to improve. In fa...
Q: Some of my friends criticize me because I take better care of my pets than I do myself. But it is because my pets bring me great joy and they love me unconditionally. Am I wrong, and what does the Bible say about animals? A: Animals are God’s creation and He brought them to the first man, Adam, to see what he would name them, “And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name” (Genesis 2:19). This no doubt was pleasurable work for Adam. God made provision to protect every kind of animal—male and female—at the time of the fl...
I recently read the Wizard of Oz and was surprised at some of the differences between the film and the novel. The most interesting difference related to the story of the Tin Man, who was originally just a regular woodsman. He was cutting wood to earn money to buy a home for his fiancé. While he was working one day, he accidentally cut off his own leg, which he has replaced with a mechanical one. The same kind of accident claims his other leg and his arms, all of which he replaces with...
“A man and a woman are walking up to a building. The man notices the woman and runs ahead to open and hold the door for her. As she walks in, she turns to the man and asks ‘Are you holding this door because I am a woman?’ He responds: ‘No. I am holding it because I am a gentleman.’” I’ve heard this anecdote hundreds of times from a good friend of mine who is a pastor. He tells it frequently to make the same point: It’s wise to act based on your identity, not based on the situation you f...
Last Sunday was Palm Sunday, the first day of was is often called Holy Week. In the account of Palm Sunday, Jesus is arriving in Jerusalem for passover. At this point in the story, he has amassed a large following and a huge reputation. As he approached the city, folks gathered and cut palm branches from the trees to lay in his path. They cheered and praised him as he went. In the ancient world, this was not an insignificant act. It was the sort of thing a city did when a conquering hero...
My younger brother sent me an article written by a prominent millionaire outlining the 12 things that folks need to attend to in order to live a fulfilled life. The interesting thing is that the individual went through a nasty divorce recently after scandals came out about his philandering. I read the article, thought it was interesting and the advice it contained was worth noting. He advised things like: “Do things your way” and “Take risks” and “Work hard your whole life” among other thing...
From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham Q: America has been a land of plenty for much of its history and some believe our nation can never fall. Are we in danger of going the way of other great and powerful nations? A: Fifteen hundred years ago the people of imperial Rome were living in luxury, ease, and prosperity. The Romans laughed at the rugged barbarians of the north. They had a far lower standard of living than the Romans did. They could not possibly conquer Rome—great imperial Rome. But they did. Those illiterate barbarians conquered...
I just returned from a real vacation. You know the kind that energizes you while you’re gone. The kind of vacation that when you get home you don’t need to take a vacation to recover from your vacation. But, let’s face it, it isn’t pretty here, yet. It’s still gray. There is blue sky and sunshine, but no flowers, and although the trees are starting to bud, no vivid green. Harriet Ann Jacobs says, “The beautiful spring came; and when Nature resumes her loveliness, the human soul is apt to revive also.” Nothing gives me a better lift then the...
I do a bit of marriage counseling as a part of pastoring. Sometimes this is with individuals, other times it’s with couples. I’ve read dozens of books on the subject of marital harmony, taken classes on the subject, and worked hard to improve my own marriage. There are so many fantastic resources out there for improving relationships. However, I think the one bit of advice I would give to any individual who is trying to make things better at home is this: look at the teachings and example of...
Q: I grew up in a volatile home environment. Is anger inherited or learned? Didn’t God show anger? A: Every human being is capable of demonstrating anger. Think of a tiny baby who exhibits fits of temper before they can even talk. A toddler can fly into a fit of anger and upset the entire household. Husbands and wives react out of anger before giving any thought to the issue that triggers such a response. Anger breeds remorse in the heart, discord in the home; bitterness in the community and confusion in the state. Homes are often destroyed b...
I had a friend in Indiana who competed in off-road bicycle racing. He and his wife owned a bicycle store, and he spent an absurd amount of time riding and training for races, many of which were on dangerous courses that required a high degree of skill to ride on safely. After riding competitively for several years, he had a terrible accident and broke his neck at one of the races he entered. I saw him not long after. He was wearing one of the neck cages to keep his head in place while he...
From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham Q: Is it true that Queen Victoria believed in Jesus Christ? A: In the biography of Queen Victoria there is a heart-warming story told. She went into the slums of London and visited the home of an elderly lady. When the queen rose to leave, she asked, “Is there anything I can do for you?” The woman said, “Yes, ma’am, Your Majesty, you can meet me in Heaven.” The queen turned to her and said softly, “Yes. I’ll be there, but only because of the blood that was shed on the cross for you and for me.” Queen V...
I’m sitting under a temperate rain forest tree and remembering this year’s Montana Winter. I have always loved moss growing on trees, so sitting by a carpet of moss lifted my spirits. Many of the trees are still bare, but they are almost ready to burst, buds ready to pop their leaves or their flowers. Here, in Oregon, it looks like the blossoms come first, before the leaves. It’s 67 degrees out and if you aren’t in the shade, its hot. The path we walked yesterday was “muddy”—not Montana muddy, but you did pick up some red clay and dead leaves o...
Editor’s Note: The Mountaineer approached Tucker Taylor, Big Sandy High School teacher of the 12th grade Government, 11th grade U. S. History, and World History about having his students writing essays on current issues. Each student is required to look at both sides of the issue in their essay. Occasionally, an essay will be published in the Mountaineer. This week Tyler Schwarzbach was selected. His comment after researching this issue was, “it’s difficult to just find facts without opinions added”. A Nation Divided By Tyler Schwarz...
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena…” This quote from Theodore Roosevelt came up in conversation between my brother and I regularly as we discuss our various endeavors and hobbies. Roosevelt essentially argues that the thing that matters most isn’t the response of others to the work you are doing, but rather that you endeavor to...
Q: I am a young mother with four children under 10 years old. My friends at church criticize me because I do not work outside the home or attend their women’s Bible studies and help with their various ministries. They tell me I should be working as they do. I do try to be available to my neighbors when they are in need but feel that my first responsibility is to my children. Am I wrong by declining other opportunities for service? A: Alan Redpath, the great preacher and pastor of the Moody Church in Chicago, had a plaque on the wall of his s...
Eight years ago, about a year after my daughter was born, I was working at a job I loved. I was the chaplain at a mental health facility for young people. The problem was, that the work was so demanding that I often would only see her first thing in the morning or after she had gone to bed when I came home from work. For years, my wife and I had conflict over the fact that I often came home from work later than planned or picked up extra shifts on holidays. I justified it to myself because my...