Apathy

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Time for Action

Isn’t it amazing how the things we get all worked up over are so small on the importance scale?

I ran into a few technical problems this morning with the PowerPoint for the conference at work. 

Guess what?

We all had a great time worshipping the Lord even though things weren’t running smoothly as planned. 

Majoring on minor details is the fastest way to lose sight of what’s important. 

I’m not saying to do sloppy work, but you can’t freak out when things aren’t “perfect”. 

Perfection will cripple you any chance it can. 

You’ll wait forever to do something under the premise of the “perfect moment” when the best time to do it–whatever “it” is–is now. 

The book of James tells us to be doers of the word and not hearers only. 

What are we waiting for?

Christians are told over and over not to sit around dreaming about what will one day happen. 

Maybe the reason God hasn’t done this or that (preachers have a new list every week) is because He’s just waiting on us to do something. 

It’s not like we don’t know what to do. God wrote it down for us. 

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Compelling Love

I’m reading Tortured for Christ and it’s an inspirational and eye opening book. 

The cruelties inflicted on Christians in communist countries are evil beyond compare because, as Richard Wurmbrand says, the presence of evil in it’s darkest state was seen in the eyes of their torturers. 

  The love of Christ, though, is greater than all evil. 

What’s amazing to discover is that the Christians never hated, belittled, or backstabbed their tormentors. 

The grace and love of Christ compelled them to see these men as who they could be. 

All around the world, persecuted Christians share this same view. 

I want to follow their example. I want to love others with the pure love of Jesus. 

The level of selflessness expressed by my persecuted brothers and sisters calls me to action, challenges my apathy. 

If you haven’t read this book, I highly recommend it. 

Go to The Voice of the Martyrs website to request the book (it’s free). 

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Will You Survive?

I read a lot of self-help books. It’s an addiction and I’m sure the teller at the thrift store thinks I need to see a counselor. Anyway, there is one thought that seems to make its way into every book:

You will never change until the pain of staying the same is greater than the pain needed to make a change.

Isn’t that what every self-help book is about?

Apathy is the biggest hindrance to change because it takes a lot of strength to face up to our monsters. And, often times, we merely wound our enemy—whatever it may be—instead of properly killing it the first time. For example, the other day I was driving down the road listening to “I Will Survive.” It was probably the first time I stopped grooving long enough to listen to the lyrics. The entire song is about this lady kicking her loser boyfriend to the curb and then coming home one day to find him sitting on her couch.

When I heard the words, “I should have changed that stupid lock! I should have made you leave your key! If I had known for just one second that you’d be back to bother me,” it’s like I was struck by lightning!

The easiest part of making a change is the radical, “get out of my life” phase.

Many people find it exciting because they enjoy throwing all the junk food in the garbage, bashing the computer with a sledge hammer, and cutting up all the credit cards. In all this extremism, however, it’s easy to forget that if you don’t deal with the root of the problem, sooner or later, you’ll come home to find it sitting on your couch.

Will you survive?

If you’re anything like Gloria Gaynor, you not only survive, but also do so while looking really hip in a sparkly, glittery dress. (Watch the music video and you’ll see what I mean.)