There’s a whole lot of talking going on. I have noticed that there seems to be a lot more talking than ever before. On television, we watch “talking heads.” These are “experts” who are paid to tell us what we ought to think about just about any topic. If we include the things we “say” on social media, the talk is overwhelming. Anyone can get on social media and pontificate on any subject. There is no need to have “credentials” or “expertise.” Sadly, not only is the talk not very informed; it’s often not even true. The talking heads are paid to say what that particular network thinks their audience wants to hear. If you believe what is posted on social media, everyone prepares meals right from the cooking shows and spend their weekends doing nothing but fun things with their kids. We need to be reminded that God doesn’t focus on our Talk but on our Walk. That’s not to say that what we say isn’t important. Words can be powerful, encouraging or devastating, but we are encouraged to walk “worthy of God.” That’ a high bar.
Author: Nick
Christian, Husband, Father, Grandfather, Great Grandfather, Attorney, Blogger in that order. Love my life with my loving wife Rosemary, and all our family. I enjoy helping folks with my forty plus years of legal experience representing health care providers at Gachassin-Gaines Law Firm.
Kansas City “Christ Follower” Chiefs
One of my most embarrassing moments occurred a few years ago when a fellow worker, of several years, said, “I didn’t know you were a Christian.” Wow. Do the people you work with know you are a Christ Follower? According to decisionmagazine.com, some prominent athletes are not shy about their faith. The Kansas City Chiefs won the Super Bowl Sunday night. But for several Chiefs players, a Super Bowl isn’t as important as their relationship with Jesus Christ. Chiefs, Dustin Colquitt, believes winning the Super Bowl is about showing the world the love of Jesus. “My faith in Christ is something that’s unwavering. Special teams can come and go, and eventually I’m not going to play in Kansas City or the League, but my faith in Christ is going to take me all the way to the other side—to eternity,” he said during a press conference before the game. “That’s something I share with coaches, with teammates, with anyone I come in contact with, because that’s the one thing I can count on never changing.” Chief’s CEO Clark Hunt, a Christian since he was 10 years old, says that encouraging team members in their walk with Christ is a […]
Secure Relationship
This year I will celebrate my 50th anniversary. In 2020, that’s a pretty big deal. There have been good times and bad times. There have been days when we weren’t thrilled with each other. At no time in those 50 years, did I consider ending my marriage. More importantly, at no time could have I conceived of my wife walking away. That has created the security that has cemented our relationship. I’m not saying there is nothing one of us could have done to force the other to end it. Certainly, intentional harm to the other or one of our offspring or abandonment or infidelity might do it. Such things seem unthinkable. Yet even in such extremes, the thought of forgiveness isn’t out of the question. Why do we think less of our relationship with Jesus? To talk of “once-saved-always-saved” is to invoke charges of heresy. My response is to ask that if there is something that can break my relationship with Him, exactly what is it? I’ve never gotten a satisfactory response. Maybe it’s like marriage and walking away from Him would do it. Why would I ever do that? I find Father Richard Rohr a bit “out […]
A Bad Day
Have you ever had a really bad day? I don’t mean a day when you wake and there’s no coffee or your team loses or you burn supper. I’m talking about days you want to crawl under a table or back into bed. These are days that are not just gray but black and stormy. These days tend to grow and become, like the theme from Friends, a week, a month or even a year. A bad day, week, month or year can disable us. Bad days aren’t just unpleasant. They can kill our joy and blunt our purpose. They are disabling and disturbing. They are bad enough when we think we know the “why.” They are much worse when we can’t really put our finger on the cause. I find that to break the funk I need to ask some questions. Am I being a Winnie baby? This is always my first question because the quest usually ends here. My funk is usually based on my ingratitude, my failure to live in Thanksgiving. When I recognize the cause, I have some tried-and-true solutions. I have some pictures of life in a dump. Recently I came across this: I […]
Demonic Disunity
This is a very divided world. In Washington, votes seem to be 51-49 most of the time. There is talk about “breaking ties.” The divide is wide. Folks on either side can’t seem to understand or even hear what’s being said across the chasm. There has almost always been more than one side to anything, but, it seems to me, the divide has never been so deep. It’s not as if we believe we are choosing between reasonable alternatives. For each side, it seems it’s the difference between good and evil. They just can’t agree on which is which. My side is 100% right and the other is 100% wrong. Those in urban areas differed from the country folks. Half of us love the President and half hate him. Half get their news from Fox and the rest from the “mainstream media, which isn’t really “mainstream” but more like midstream. Half believe Fox isn’t “real news” and the rest believe the MSM is mostly “fake news.” Who’s to blame? Each side points to the other. Here’s my take: It’s not flesh and blood; it’s Satan. Before half of you call me “fundamentalist fanatic” while the other half shouts “Amen.” […]
Don’t Be a “Christian.” Be a Follower
34And He summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. 35“For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. 36“For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? Mark 8 “Christian” is meaningless. Forget it. Today anyone can call himself a Christian. It’s a status word. It describes what someone says he is. It means no more than what the speaker intends. It doesn’t communicate a unique idea. It’s a non-action word with no universally agreed-to definition. “Follower” is an action word. It implies actions along a path determined by another. It implies a singularity that eliminates all other options. It means Jesus is a pilot, not copilot. He doesn’t make our way possible or more comfortable. It’s all about His Way. Followers were originally called The Way, not “a way” or “your own way.” Admit it. Don’t we want Jesus to make the life we want possible? Don’t we ask kids, “What do you […]
I Must Decrease – What a Hard Saying
Say this out loud, “I must decrease.” How about this: “Less of me.” Hard isn’t it. It’s unnatural for us to believe that we should decrease. It’s easier to say “More of Jesus, Less of Me.” or “Jesus must increase. I must decrease.” When we bring Jesus in, it makes it hard to think we should do anything but decrease. We can focus on the “Jesus must increase” part and not give much thought to our reduction. In the real world, we think of Jesus as a way for us to increase. He is the Healer, the Mountain Mover, the Gift Maker. He is those things but when we repeat them we mean that Jesus is here to give me what I want. He is here to make me all that I can be. That doesn’t sound like a decrease. We shake our heads in disgust at the “prosperity” gospel, but are okay with “Jesus is my co-pilot.” Jesus isn’t around to help us fly our planes. He’s flying His own plane. We are blessed just to be passengers. We are truly blessed when we get to play some small part in the mission. So just how should we […]
Try Getting Your Hands Dirty
When I was a teenager, my parents got me a job “gardening.” Well, it was mostly just weed pulling at well-to-do homes in Crowley where we lived. The gardens seemed endless and the Acadia Parish heat, unbearable. I credit that employment with my motivation to get an education that would allow me to work in air conditioning. I have enjoyed decades of air-conditioned working. I find, however, when I need to take a break from pounding a keyboard or working the phones, I put on my old clothes and work in my yard. After a couple of hours, with dirty hands and sweaty t-shirt, I feel rested. Weird, right? I think I may have found an answer. I read this article this morning: Antidepressant Microbes In Soil: How Soil Makes Your Brain Happy “Soil microbes have been found to have similar effects on the brain as prozac, without the negative side effects and potential for chemical dependency and withdrawal. It turns out getting in the garden and getting dirty is a natural antidepressant due to unique microbes in healthy organic soil. Working and playing in soil can actually make you happier and healthier. What gardeners and farmers have talked […]