Brent's Blogs

Riding the bus to work some time back, I noticed a car with several religious bumper stickers, as well as the Ichthus, displayed on the back. The bumper sticker that caught my attention read simply, “Try Jesus.” As I began to consider that short clause, it began to bother me–greatly. As I have continued to think about these issues, my concerns have come to focus on two main areas: (1) the accuracy of the impression that it conveys about Jesus Christ and (2) what such usage says about those who use it.

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There is no dignity quite so impressive, and no independence quite so important, as living within your means. — Calvin Coolidge

Living beyond one's means affects many individuals, families, organizations, and nations, and it leads to a host of problems. Mark Lange, a former presidential speechwriter, has written a humorous yet pointed piece published in the Christian Science Monitor in which he discusses an affliction behind this: Deficit Attention Disorder (DAD). Not one merely to identify the problem, Mr. Lange proposes the wonder-drug Restraint® and the spine-straightening medication Resolve® for treating this condition. Take a look here. You may not agree with every detail, but I hope that you agree that large doses of Restraint® and Resolve® are badly needed throughout our society.

“But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:21

Last time I introduced the topic of reading and addressed the first of three important issues related to our reading: whether we read. Yet as we know, all reading is not equal. Its benefit–its value to us–varies. Thus, we need to consider what we read.

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But words are things, and a small drop of ink, Falling, like dew, upon a thought produces That which makes thousands, perhaps millions think. – Lord Byron

There was a day in which information was passed largely through oral communications. Word-of-mouth predominated. A teacher’s disciples sat around him as he taught. Gutenberg’s invention changed this significantly, opening the way for written media like books, pamphlets, and newspapers to move significant amounts of information to large numbers of persons who might never have heard the speaker or even lived in the same place or time. Consider that we probably have greater access to works of Plato, Cicero, and other ancient writers than did their contemporaries.

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Let’s start at the very beginning
A very good place to start.
– “Do-Re-Mi,” The Sound of Music

Titles should, I believe, provide a good indication of what lies inside. I hope that will be true of “Things that Matter,” which I have selected as the initial title for this blog. Implicit within the expression is an important idea: that there are some things that do matter. Of course, by way of contrast, that idea suggests a corresponding idea: some things do not matter.

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