Entitlement. The belief that one is inherently deserving of privileges or special treatment. You may have heard of this term used about politicians, athletes, rock stars, celebrities, and the clergy. To our detriment, society has bred this misguided sense of privilege into our psyches, through decades of advertising, television, and movies, and people of influence …
What can be done when our spirit sours? I’m not talking about the fact that your fishing trip was cancelled, or you lost your internet connection in the middle of watching a “Survivors” marathon. No, I’m speaking of times when, despite our best efforts to serve and honor God, someone in our church family says …
When I was young, it seemed my existence consisted of one long succession of humiliating circumstances. I was forever the brunt of jokes, sadistic tricks, unfortunate situations, miscalculations, misconceptions, and embarrassing faux pas. Like the time I decided to have a man-to-man talk with my father while he was shaving… As I stepped up to …
The phrase “alert and oriented times zero” in the non-fiction book, The Perfect Storm, by Sebastian Junger, describes a person who has lost all levels of consciousness, including their identity. When this happens, the perception they have of their world has been reduced to nothing more than the fact that they exist. The medical scale varies but …
Actor Clint Eastwood made a mint playing a police detective named Dirty Harry (due to his thoroughly unorthodox methods of dealing with criminals). One of the character’s most famous, and oft-quoted lines is, “A man’s got to know his limitations.” I submit to you that this, despite its theatrical origin, is a truism. It is vitally …
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound… Arguably the most well-known, most beloved, Christian hymn, the world over. It was quoted in the novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, found renewed favor during both the Civil War and the Vietnam War, and has been recorded and covered by a multitude of singers through the ages, including Ray Charles, Judy …