Reflections on San Bernardino – The Sequel

It has been nine months since 14 lives were taken, and 22 injured, by terrorists on December 2, 2015 in San Bernardino. I wrote about this in the December 11, 2015 blog, because my office is only about a five-minute drive from where the shootings took place. We went on lockdown ourselves, knowing the shooters were still at large.

A Tribute to Paralympians

Long before the Paralympics, Jesus was teaching how to give honor to those in society who were disabled, ignored, or otherwise perceived to be of low status.  Jesus cared for the sick, lame, and blind, and He compassionately healed many of them. 

Notorious Cheaters in Sports

We live in an increasingly secular world where the objective often is to take every advantage you can as long as you don’t get caught. It’s OK to break the rules. This is what motivated Lance Armstrong and others over the years to go to great lengths to conceal their cheating.

Chariot Races (and other Olympic events)

On the surface, sporting events may not seem like a place for selflessness.  After all, it’s about winning, being the best, and beating the other individual athletes or teams.  

“If I Were a Rich Man”

Many of us think along the lines of Tevye’s song “If I Were a Rich Man,” which ends with:
“Lord who made the lion and the lamb,
You decreed I should be what I am.
Would it spoil some vast eternal plan?
If I were a wealthy man.”

“It’s Been a Heart-Wrenching Week, America”

Like Jesus, we ache for our society, because the answers to the world’s problems are so clear.   All these events cry out to us that a transformed life through a relationship with Christ is the only real solution

Our Lives, Our Fortunes, and Our Sacred Honor

It struck me that a number of the significant moments in American history revolve around self-sacrifice and selflessness for a noble cause or as an inspiration to other people. 

Tee Shirts

I am an observer of T-shirts – especially the ones that seem to convey messages from the wearer.  Summer seems to bring out the best (and worst) of T-shirt fashion.  

Many of the T-shirts are about loyalties and favorites:  college attended, sports teams, vacation places, musical groups, and so on.  Others reflect personal characteristics that people, amazingly, seem unembarrassed to convey. 

Blood Donations: Literal and Spiritual (and a Memorial Day Tribute)

If you have been in to donate blood, you are aware of all the sensitive questions that a donor is asked:  diseases exposed to, medications being taken, and sexual practices.  All of these are for the purpose of protecting the purity of the blood supply and the patients who are dependent upon it. 

The National Debt

The Bible talks about debt, including monetary debt.  In fact, Jesus used the idea of monetary debt to make a powerful point about forgiveness.