NowTHINK!AboutIt

Avoiding Hackneyed...Making Sense

Politics, Religion And Half-Loaf Thinking

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2016 presidential campaign involves no religious issues.

You Can’t
Believe In Others
If You Don’t
Believe In Self

There are two things that every person should understand.

One is that Jesus saves. Not by accident, not occasionally and not under protest. He wants to save souls. You could say He loves to save and He isn’t alone in that sentiment. Heaven rejoices when just one soul repents.

A second important truth to understand is that Jesus believes in people. I didn’t say He loves people. He loves them, yes, but one of the ways He shows He loves them is by believing in them. Believing in a person is the strongest way to say I love you.

We use the word “love” all the time and we love many things. Saying you love some person or group of persons is culturally expected and politically correct, but it is neither real nor convincing till your actions say “I believe in you!”

Of these two understandings, the most important is the second, believing in people.

I can’t save anyone. You can’t save anyone. Only Jesus can do that. Neither you nor I can even confirm if a person is genuinely saved or not. I might believe someone is saved or want to believe they are saved but there is no way I can prove it.

Only Jesus can save a soul and only Jesus knows absolutely who is and who is not saved. But, even though I can’t save a soul, I can believe in people. You can too. Any person can do this.

Unfortunately, we don’t do this as well as we should and I will admit that it isn’t easy to do. It’s easy to believe in charming people. Extraordinarily capable people inspire belief. Thinking of these people as can-do requires little faith. Ability, confidence and potential ooze from them.

But the idiots and jerks are another story. Those are the ones we struggle to believe in. In fact, the apparent inability of our peers – the turkeys – is often used as an excuse. We don’t soar because we are surrounded by them. It’s their fault, which means we don’t believe in ourselves either.

Rigid Us/Them Thinking

One situation that demonstrates the problem is in personal differences. When we differ, we drift apart and then we feud. Varying perspectives don’t just fail to align, they become enemy lines. The middle ground becomes a chasm, and the chasm widens: me or you, us or them, acceptable or unacceptable, good or bad, our side or their side.

It’s all very polarizing! [Read more…] about Politics, Religion And Half-Loaf Thinking

4 Reasons I Won’t Vote For Ben Carson And You Shouldn’t Either

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Democracy is Christian even when the state is not.

Grey Is In
Polarized Thinking
Is Out

First, a disclaimer. I respect Ben Carson. How could I not? He is remarkably accomplished and his success inspires us all.

I learned about Dr. Carson many years ago from a Reader’s Digest article. I cried when I read it but not because of Ben. It was his Mom, Sonya, that made me emotional.

I’ve always believed parents were a big factor in whether or not kids have a chance at success, and his mother’s actions confirmed that belief. She single-handedly put her two boys on a track for success in spite of her disadvantages.

She dropped out of school in the third grade, was married at 13, raised her children alone and worked multiple jobs regularly. She maintained her family on secondhand clothing and homemade preserves, but none of these limitations prevented her from instilling discipline in her kids.

How did she do it? Easy! She restricted TV watching to only a few selected programs a week and required the boys to read and write reports on two books every week. To maintain accountability, she made a show of inspecting the reports even though she couldn’t read.

Her boys were reading and writing while their friends were playing.

The boys weren’t agreeable at first but they eventually cottoned on to the idea. But forget the kids. Many parents viewed this as torture and warned her against it. To her credit, she didn’t flinch.

Before setting the rules, her kids were failing. Obviously, the strategy worked.

Makes me think of Moses’ mother, Jochebed. She didn’t go along with the crowd either.

By the way, her case suggests that ending a marriage is sometimes better for the kids. She instituted the TV/book report rules at about the same time she sent her bigamist husband packing. If she focused more on saving the marriage, instead of managing the boys, her sons might be leading gangs today instead of public opinion.

As a result of her actions, Ben developed a taste for learning – and hard work – that catapulted him to great heights. He’s performed miracles medically, written several books, received an encyclopedic list of awards and was featured in a movie.

There’s a lot to like about Ben but, unfortunately, that doesn’t make him the next Mandela. Impressive, yes, but for several reasons, I’m not convinced he’s presidential. [Read more…] about 4 Reasons I Won’t Vote For Ben Carson And You Shouldn’t Either

Surprise! You’re The Politician

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Politicians Respond Best
To Persistent People
And Thoughtful Arguments

It may not stay this way forever but for the present the most powerful political office in the world is that of the president of the United States of America. That means that US presidential elections mark a very important phase in the political cycle. Every four years the whole world is effected by this one election.

The President, or POTUS as he is referred to by the secret service, makes decisions in the oval office that have a ripple effect around the world and the rub is, only a fraction of the world’s population have a say in who sits behind the desk. It’s even more aggravating that only a fraction of those who can vote actually mark a ballot. It doesn’t seem fair that one person for whom most of the world cannot vote, makes decisions that effect every economy.

Frustrating! Not only for the non-voting but also for US citizens who feel a sense of separation from POTUS and his decision making process. When it comes to politics the commonly shared feeling is a sense of helplessness.

Modern political machinery is so super sized it overshadows constituents. It makes us feel victimized and insignificant, even smaller than ants. Politicians appear like giants, distant and disinterested.

Because of that, some people never do anything political other than grumble about the “bad” government too which we are unwillingly and unavoidably subjected. Some people never even vote because they can’t see how one measly vote can make a difference.

Well, I would like to counter that type of thinking by suggesting that any person with enough passion and thoughtfulness can influence public policy. We have choices that can make a difference and following are several examples of individuals who’ve proven that one person can influence change. [Read more…] about Surprise! You’re The Politician

“Home” In Perspective

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Institutions Stabilize Society

Following are a few thoughts I threw together for a group discussion on the topic of the “Home.” The intention was to see the home in perspective, relative to other important institutions.

So the discussion began with:

The Home is one of three primary institutions

An institution is any organization or structure in society which influences or regulates human behavior or encourages social interaction. There are two categories: primary and secondary.

Primary Institution

A Primary Institution is an organization that…

  • Is designed and created by God
  • Derives its authority to exist from God
  • Is sustained by God
  • Is regulated by God

The three primary institutions are: [Read more…] about “Home” In Perspective

William And Kate: Wedding And PR All In One

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On 29 April 2011 William and Kate tied the knot and it was quite a do. According to Bloomberg.com an estimated 1 million people lined the streets locally and another 2 billion watched from various parts of the world. In case you’re not counting that is a third of the world’s population and the numbers are a testament to British Royal appeal not technology.

No wedding ceremony has ever been witnessed by so many. Most watched with joy and wonderment. Romantics were teary eyed and traditionalists were comforted. A few were negative but that is always to be expected where British Royalty is concerned.

And kudos to the organizers. Security was tight, events were well ordered, the ceremony message was clear and as far as you could tell everyone was happy. It was a demonstration of great organization between many government departments.

In spite of the tension that normally accompanies events of this magnitude, William and Kate smiled at one another and made what must have been endearing remarks occasionally. Unlike other Royal weddings you got the sense they actually love one another. The world is not used to seeing such sentimental displays at important state events.

And, even though they made an effort to introduce a human element to the occasion, inviting friends from their past rather than just heads of state, it was still politics and business as usual. There was a wedding buried below all the hoopla somewhere and the ceremony gave us a glimpse but I’m not sure the rhetoric will do much good. [Read more…] about William And Kate: Wedding And PR All In One