Attitude
A Plea for Civil Discourse
So. Much. Anger. No matter where you turn today, angry people seem to dominate discourse. It has become extremely difficult to find a reasonable discussion that focuses on facts, thought, reason, and balance—regardless of the subject matter. The entire temperament of society currently revolves around having a “hot take” rather than having an informed opinion. Clearly…
Read MoreThe Gift of a Child
Knowing the Difference
No one shows up in your life with a sticker on the lapel saying, “I am a gossip,” no matter how helpful that warning might prove. Similarly, to my knowledge, no one on Twitter, Facebook, or any other social media site provides a profile picture that reads, “Cagy Internet Troll.” Instead, we must figure these…
Read MoreBetter Than Gold
A crisis provides many opportunities for people of all stripes to display or fail to display wisdom. Whether personal, national, or global, a crisis presents an array of choices with the possibility of vastly different outcomes—but also typically with a lot of unknowns. During these times leaders often emerge, and pretenders wilt. However, one major…
Read MoreSweet Talk with a Bitter Aftertaste
The coronavirus pandemic has created a bizarre combination of reactions ranging from mocking irresponsibility to mass hysteria and panic. In the early days, ignorance spread far more quickly than knowledge, and people assumed a level of safety rooted in misinformation. This quickly transformed into modern society’s best impersonation of a zombie apocalypse as normal people…
Read MoreWhat the LORD Hates
We live in a world of hate. Indeed, headlines reflect a lack of incivility in America that hearkens back to the days of fistfights in Congress, social media outlets keep inventing new rules to curb people’s zest for malice—except for instituting expectations of true human decency, and the various entertainment venues to which people formerly…
Read MoreWhich Way Do You Lean?
In the earliest days of sports in America, hand-eye coordination and natural athleticism ruled the day. That does not mean that athletes did not train or prepare—competitors did that even in the ancient world—but rather that they focused solely on improving themselves. In many individualized sports, this remains the focus. However, in a number of…
Read MoreListening Skills
The age of the Internet has produced almost endless means to disseminate information to the masses. A teenager with a smartphone can reach the world in much the same way as an experienced journalist, politician, or artist does. Anyone can write a blog, create a series of videos, post newsworthy events, comment on world affairs,…
Read MoreIn Dust and Ashes
For most people, the book of Job records the account of one of the most patient men who ever lived. He endured the loss of his children, his wealth, and his health, and yet he refused to curse God and would not be bullied into saying that he deserved all of this for some sin,…
Read MoreA Hippopotamus It is Not
The book of Job presents a powerful account detailing the havoc God allowed Satan to wreak in one man’s life in order to demonstrate that physical circumstances can be completely unrelated to a person’s spiritual well-being. The lengthy discussion between Job and his friends provides insight into the assumptions and problems of the ancient doctrinal…
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