A few weeks ago I was reading and I found some information that, to me, indicated the price of gas was going to drop significantly. This was well before it was in the main stream media. I ran into my wife at Wal-Mart and she mentioned that she needed to buy gas. I said to her, “Only buy a little, the price is going to drop by a dime in the next few days.” A lady, total stranger, standing nearby said incredulously, “Well how do you know?!” I said, “Trust me, its going to drop.” I wish I could run into her now. It’s fun being right.  Last night, coming home from Caleb’s football practice he commented on something that he was right about. Then he said, “Maybe I inherited being right about stuff from you.”  

I’ve been accused of thinking that I’m always right. Most of the time I do think I’m right – but not because I’m some sort of egomaniac or “know-it-all”, but because I don’t reach opinions or conclusions without forethought. Why would a person walk around thinking that they are wrong, or even that there is a possibility that they are wrong? It has somehow become reasoned or politically correct not to have strong opinions. And if we do have a strong opinion then we should at least make sure that we preface those opinions with, “Well I could be wrong, but…” Sorry – I’m just not going to go that way. It’s more fun being right. Jesus said, “You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one. But if I do judge, my decisions are right, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me,” (John 8:15-16). Jesus declares his judgment right based on what makes it right, his relationship with the Father. We need to be sure of what we believe and even of the opinions we hold. It would be best if we held those opinions based on our relationship with the Father. I’m not talking about subjective nonsense like what kind of pizza is best, (thin crust pepperoni,) but on things that really matter.  

Well-informed people get good information, think through various positions, take into account the feelings and opinions of people on both sides of an issue, and come to sound conclusions. If the subject matters at all, then hold strong convictions based on good information. And by all means, be right. Now if you learn more or get new information that warrants a change, you should alter your position. Being hardheaded and stubborn is dumb. Admit when you’re wrong, but make being wrong an exception rather than the rule because it’s fun to be right.  Above all, make caring and loving people more important than your being right. In all seriousness, I’ve done the - I’m right and I can overpower you with reason, fervor and volume - thing. It’s a losing proposition. People are not convinced because we beat their brains in. People are moved to agreement by quiet confidence, a godly manner, a gentle spirit and the testimony of seeing that you were right. I suppose there are people who just enjoy being wrong – not me. I want to be right. Now for better reasons than when I was younger. And… It’s fun being right! telemicus out

When I was in the 4^th grade a kid who went by the initials J.B. decided to make it his mission to harass me. So he bullied me around and picked on me, nothing too mean, just a hassle. One day it escalated into treatment that was more physical. He held me on the ground and tried to force me to say how great he was while all his buddies looked on. He was nothing to me really. But he was bigger and stronger and certainly could “beat me up,” so I said he was great. I didn’t believe it then, and I believe it less now.  Last month, two journalists from Fox News were taken captive by terrorist in

 These days I think denial happens differently. Overt denials of Christ are rare, but the influence of denial is obvious. When we proclaim the power of sin in our lives and lament our failures, we are denying the redemption purchased with the blood of Christ. When we make choices that are ungodly and self-serving, we deny the Lordship of Christ. When we offer feeble attempts at living a holy life in the strength of our own so-called convictions completely absent of the Holy Spirit, we deny the power of Christ. When we establish our identity in anything other than our relationship with God, we deny His purpose in our lives.  I can’t say that I would do any better than those journalists did. I’d love to think that I’m a real stand up guy who would die before I would convert to Islam. But the honest truth is that we don’t know how we would handle that decision until the moment we face it. I do know this, “…I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day,” (2 Timothy 1:12).  Whatever we do, whatever we say, we belong to Christ. May he help us to be upright in our souls and to be merciful to those who are struggling to be upright.

telemicus out

This week of remembering the events of 9/11/2001 has been accented with stories of heroes, as it should be. We need more heroes.Men who care about their kids more than themselves are heroic. Moms who sacrifice their own desires for those of their husbands are heroic. Ministers who bravely and clearly declare truth for the sake of the gospel and the church when it is not popular are heroic. Teenagers who stand up and scream “No!” to moral compromise are heroic. Businessmen who operate with integrity and bosses who treat employees with dignity are heroic.

There is a group called Carbon Leaf that I want to recommend. My daughter Hope gave me their new CD, Love, Loss, Hope, Repeat. One song on the album is called, “Block of Wood,” a song about a family that has fallen apart and he is just trying to be a hero. The chorus says,“If the fire, if the flood
Burns the tree and thins the blood
If your tears don’t wanna dryI can help you cry
Through the night
Through the night and day
I can’t take your pain away
But I can help you cry”

telemicus out

Last Saturday, in the middle of the night, Rhonda screamed. Not a word, it was one of those terror filled girl screams. (Yes, living with Rhonda is an adventure.) I was standing on the floor before my eyes were open. She was crying and screaming, “Someone is in here.” I still couldn’t see anyone, but surmised that she had been dreaming. Crawling across the bed to where she was, I held her and told her that it was only me and no one else was there. We were both shaken. I realized that in that moment of chaos – I was prepared to fight.I’m no fighter. I’ve never been hit and have never hit anyone. I don’t even think I’m tough. But if you try to harm someone that I love, you will find that I will do anything within my power to support, protect and defend them. (I’m sure you are the same.) Even now in America, people are divided about the Iraq war, but if a foreign army came to our shores, you would see a unity unimagined by our enemies. Love doesn’t sit back – it steps up. Love holds nothing back, but gives all that it has. Abraham Lincoln spoke to this when he wrote in the Gettysburg Address,“It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us — that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion…” The question becomes, “In your love for Christ, would you give your last full measure of devotion?”

telemicus out