The Plumbline

Throughout my various careers, I have often run into individuals who think taking credit for what they have done is so very important. They want to see their names included in the research articles, or their names brought forward as the creator of the idea. To be transparent here, I know I have given away more ideas than I ever knew I had in my time on this earth - all with little or no 'credit' to speak of and so have you. I wonder what would have happened if Jesus had come out of that tomb so many years ago and looked for the walkway conversations, mealtime gatherings, and town hall discussions to all proclaim what a wonderful thing he had just accomplished on our behalf? He might have been sorely disappointed to find there were still all those who just didn't think he served any purpose in their lives!

But beware of doing your good actions in the sight of men, in order to attract their gaze; if you do, there is no reward for you with your Father who is in Heaven. (Matth…

Beauty: the adjustment of all parts proportionately so that one cannot add or subtract or change without impairing the harmony of the whole.  (Leon Battista Alberti)
Is there anyone else out there that is constantly adjusting the parts? My sister has this tendency to put down a cup, plate, or even a napkin - then she returns to it repeatedly moving it a little here or there, never really just allowing it just to be 'okay'. Now, I just set the table and enjoy the meal - the position of the 'stuff' doesn't really matter all that much to me. I wonder how many of us go through life trying to 'adjust the parts', not really sure what is 'proportionately correct' in them? We are fine as long as none of the pieces seem to get lost, or someone upsets our apple cart. The moment we find the pieces falling apart, we panic! We adjust and readjust, sometimes in an attempt to get them all back in the 'regular order' we have established, and at others we ar…

It is election year here in the United States and the campaign 'flinging' has already begun. The field of candidates has begun to shrink before our eyes as one after another throw in the towel and call it quits. As with any other election year, there will be a lot of 'story-telling' about how this candidate will out-perform the other, until we are all down to the wire and must choose one over the other. In the end, we can pray God will intervene and place the best candidate before us, but sometimes the 'people' demand what is not always the 'best' for them. It was Joe Biden who reminded us, "Our future cannot depend on the government alone. The ultimate solutions lie in the attitudes and the actions of the American people." If you recall a time in the history of the nation of Israel, there was this great outcry to have a king - just like the other nations around them. They wanted a 'royal' upon the throne - a man to govern their kingdo…

Abraham Lincoln had perhaps one of the most 'grounded' perspectives on how he was to live: "...my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right." To be 'on God's side' is maybe one of the most significant steps a man or woman can take in their lifetime. There are many who 'report' they are on his side - but when you examine their actions, the testimony of their words doesn't match the evidence of their life! The two always much match up. We debate more about if God is on our side, forgetting entirely that we need to place ourselves squarely on his side with each decision we make in life.

If God is for us, who can be against us? He that did not hesitate to spare his own Son but gave him up for us all—can we not trust such a God to give us, with him, everything else that we can need? (Romans 8:31-32)

When we are not clearly on his side, we are actually standing against him. Unf…

It was the American inventor, Thomas A. Edison, who reminded us that "just because something doesn't do what you planned it to do doesn't mean it's useless." This is a good reminder for each of us who get down on ourselves because we didn't do what we were supposed to do. We aren't useless just because we failed. We are human! We are fallible. We are going to make unwise choices from time to time. It is what we choose to do IN those moments that makes all the difference. Do we get down on ourselves, labeling ourselves as 'useless', or do we take our failure to Jesus and ask him to help us find a way to take different steps the next time?

You can’t whitewash your sins and get by with it; you find mercy by admitting and leaving them. (Proverbs 28:13)

Edison also recounted that he had tried a lot of things, but in trying these 'new ways' he found lots of ways that don't work. We oftentimes find ways that just 'don't work' in l…

William Gladstone reminds us, "Be happy with what you have and are, be generous with both, and you won't have to hunt for happiness." I think we spend a great deal of time 'hunting' for what will make us happy in life and totally miss the stuff right there in front of us that actually has the greatest potential to not only create a sense of happiness in life, but of reward and a sense of well-being. Hunt not for what will be the next thing to make you 'happy', but for the truth that will make your life deeper and more rewarding!

Whoever goes hunting for what is right and kind finds life itself—glorious life! (Proverbs 21:21MSG)

Hunt for what is right and kind - hunt for Christ and the truth he brings into any life when he enters it with his power and peace. Power and peace seem like opposite words, but to be clear here, where there is great power, there is bound to come great peace. We need more of Christ displayed in our lives - it isn't that we need…