Spirituality, Uncategorized

Feelings or Facts

Have you ever confused facts with feelings? I certainly have. How I feel about something or someone can make objectivity difficult.

We have a good handful of challenges in the United States. One that is in focus right now is immigration. Here’s a fact: it is against the law to sneak into the United States. Here’s a feeling: there’s a lot of good people here illegally who want a better life. They aren’t committing crimes, so why punish them? Do you see the dilemma? It’s a hard one.

Admittedly, I have known and employed people who are in the country illegally. They worked. I fed them and paid them. Everything was fine. These were men who would make solid citizens. There is a solution, but asking Congress to figure something out that works is a tall order. I suggest putting the challenge in the hands of the faith and private sectors. They will figure it out without the fanfare and bluster the politicians give us.

I have seen instances where people use Scripture to justify illegal immigration. This is a perversion of the meaning behind the Scripture they cite. Thus, replacing facts with how you feel. Jesus himself told us to obey the law. And that’s a fact.

We must stop taking sides on the difficult issues. That solves nothing. In fact, it creates a whole new challenge. And how do you feel about that?

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Spirituality, Uncategorized

Push Rewind

We live in the digital age. Just like our subconscious minds, everything is recorded and stored forever. We are able to retrieve anything from the past and replay it as often as we like.

When I hear people talk about “back in the day,” it makes me think they believe their best days are behind them. Like this was their time in the sun. But it’s not true. Our best days are ahead of us. We don’t know what’s around the next corner, but I believe it’s something good.

Now I must caution you. I view life through the lens of optimism and unlimited possibilities. It’s how I’m wired. And I realize not everyone sees the world in the same way. That’s okay. This is a big planet and there’s room for everyone.

I encourage you to live each moment fully. The past is a great lesson, but don’t spend too much time reliving it. Your best days lie ahead…

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Spirituality, Uncategorized

How Rude!

More and more I’m seeing signs reminding people to be kind to the person waiting on you. There’s even one on the highway that says “Drive safely. Our workers want to go home to their loved ones.” What has happened to manners?

My belief is that these signs are placed for the minority of the population. Most people don’t act rudely unless provoked. Also, it’s my belief that people who lash out unnecessarily are dealing with something else, and they are reacting in a way they wouldn’t normally. It’s my hope, anyway.

No matter what the sign says, people will act the way they choose to act. Signs don’t change the heart. That’s God’s specialty.

There are subliminal signs everywhere. Look people in the eye. You can see hurt, pain and struggle if you are paying attention. In those moments you can be a listening ear if you are willing.

Be willing. Look for the signs…

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Spirituality, Uncategorized

It’s Okay to Be Wrong

No one likes to be called out for being wrong, right? But the truth is, we are wrong about complex issues more often than we are right. This is a difficult truth for many to accept, so let’s explore it a little further.

Before we go there, it’s important to remember the things we do right. Things like cause-and-effect, social intuition, and skills built through repetition have been honed over time.

We are terrible at forecasting. A great example of how bad we are can be seen on the Las Vegas Strip. The massive casinos were built and remain operational because we believe we can “beat the odds.” We do, sometimes, but that’s not every time. The casinos win more than the gamblers.

Our own motives are oftentimes clouded. We believe we are being objective, but we are full of biases.

Would you like to be considered to be wise? Listen more. Talk less. Stay in the areas where you are proficient. There’s Biblical evidence to support this. James tells us to “be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to get angry.” Great advice!

God gave us a wonderful gift: our brains. Let’s use our thoughts to make this world better than it was when we entered it. We would be right in doing this. Every time…

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Spirituality, Uncategorized

Near or Far

“Objects in your mirror may be closer than they appear to be,” the warning says. It’s a gentle reminder for us to pay attention. Good advice when you’re driving a 5,000 pound vehicle.

But what about our relationship with God? Sometimes he feels close while others it seems like he’s not there. I know it’s me because God doesn’t move or change. We do.

The Israelis must have felt abandoned when God went silent for 400 years. Then he showed up in a big way through his servant Moses, parted the Red Sea, and freed the Jews from captivity. That must have been awe-inspiring to see.

All through Scripture God promises to never leave us or abandon us. He shows up when I ask him to bring me closer. Every time. Yet I sometimes return to my old ways and wander aimlessly.

In Jeremiah 29:13, God says “you will find me when you seek me with all your heart.” The heart matters to God. It’s all about the heart…

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Spirituality, Uncategorized

Heads Down

Sometimes a person will yell “look out” or “heads up” when they are trying to get your attention. Oftentimes this is to warn the other person of potential danger. It has certainly helped me in the past.

We have a world filled with people whose heads are down. Their phone screens have dominated their attention. Countless times I have had to stop my car quickly because someone is walking in front of my vehicle in a parking lot, unaware of how close they got to ending up in a hospital.

There is nothing so important that it can’t wait a few moments until you are out of potential danger. The same goes for texting while driving. It can wait.

We only get one chance to make a mistake. Many are unavoidable, but some that are due to our minds being lost to our screens can be avoided.

Keep your head up…

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Spirituality, Uncategorized

Checking The Box

For years, I attended the 7:30 am church service at a local Catholic Church. Going to the early service guaranteed I could be out of there by 8:05. I was, as the title says, checking the box.

Fortunately I woke up and realized I was wasting time. Through the recommendation of a friend, I found a church home. Instead of checking the box, I found myself energized to learn more about God and experience more of him. The relationship went from transactional to relational. I’m glad I woke up and came to life.

Many people are going to jobs they don’t like. They are just getting through the week, waiting for the weekend to arrive. How can you be effective at your career when you aren’t engaged? You can’t.

It’s a worthwhile investment in yourself to take inventory of your life. Are you living, or just existing? If you find yourself checking the box in any area of your life, it might be time for a new direction.

Make the change…

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Spirituality, Uncategorized

Silence is Golden

In The Book of James, we are instructed to “Be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to get angry.” In today’s world where everyone believes their voice must be louder than the rest, this is a welcome admonishment.

The tongue can be a dangerous weapon. We should always be ourselves, but it’s a solid idea to choose our words wisely. A misspoken word has the potential to do great harm. Being willing to listen more than we talk is a good starting point.

Have you noticed that some people just walk around angry? Those people seem miserable. Angry people rationalize their anger by saying “someone else caused them to be this way.” No one has that power over another person unless the person has no discipline or self control.

We should be angry about children who are trafficked. People going hungry or being marginalized by others should incite us to do something. This is righteous anger, the same anger Jesus displayed. Getting angry because you got cut off in traffic is ridiculous.

Be disciplined in every moment. Listen more. Talk less. Take action when the Spirit moves you…

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Spirituality, Uncategorized

Man vs. Machine

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a complex combination of mathematics, philosophy, neuroscience and computer science. It seems the world is just now waking up to what AI is, but its roots go all the way back to the time of Aristotle and Plato.

Early iterations of AI were rules-based. For example, if this happens then this must happen. There’s no real intelligence in that because it offered predicable outcomes to the machine. As AI has evolved through very powerful GPUs, its ability to think has evolved with this technology. As impressive as AI is nowadays, it still has limitations.

Using AI as a search engine is preferable to Google because it doesn’t carry biases like Google does. Research should be as neutral as possible so the learner can use human intelligence to think for themselves. No matter how great AI becomes, it cannot replace the human brain, the most powerful supercomputer God gifted us.

There are AI-generated companions available. This is sad to me. We live in the most connected era ever, but loneliness has reached epidemic levels. These AI “friends” are dangerous. Artificial Intelligence doesn’t always align with human values.

My encouragement to you is to use perspective when putting AI to work. It can never replace individual thought and reasoning. You have a history which helped formulate your beliefs that AI can never have. Be judicious, which requires human thought…

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Uncategorized

Misleading Headlines

The media has gone into overdrive. In better days, sensational headlines were reserved for The National Enquirer. Not anymore.

Recently, I read a story headline that indicated Greenland, Denmark and the United States were heading into contentious talks about the future of Greenland. It was their first meeting! Normal people don’t enter the room looking for a fight. The meeting went fine. No blood was spilled.

In the United States, trust in the media has been steadily declining for years. Their trust level is hovering around the politicians, but not far above bail bondsmen. Legitimate reporting died when Walter Cronkite retired.

Donald Trump was a shot in the arm for the media and the entertainers. They couldn’t wait to report whatever outrageous thing he said. Accuracy in reporting went out the window because clicks were more important. Never mind everything else going on in the world. If Tiananmen Square had happened in 2019, we wouldn’t hear about it until 2035, if even then.

Be discerning about everything you read or see on television. The media put themselves in this situation. No one forced them to be subpar. If it sounds outrageous, it’s probably just trying to get you to click on it…

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