Think for yourself!

“Take the risk of thinking for yourself , much more happiness , truth, beauty, and wisdom will come to you that way ..” Christopher Hitchens

I do not understand why people today (worldwide) allow celebrities to dictate or even influence what they should believe, do, eat, wear and even who they should vote for. 

It was obvious the influence celebrities TRIED to have on the 2016 elections in the United States.  A lot of people allowed celebrities to influence their vote.  If you are a celebrity in the Philippines it is almost a guarantee you can win any political position you seek.  Your fame will outweigh your  need for the right qualifications nearly every time.

If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask a celebrity, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly their opinions on life, and they are more than happy to give it to you freely.  I say this sarcastically.

I know I may seem a bit weird or a lot weird to some, but what celebrities think or say have never made me feel happy, content, hopeful, encouraged, or confident.  No I do not know the name of the MOVIE STAR in the latest movies I have seen and do not care to know.  All I care is did I like the movie or not. 

I do not care what these people think, none of whom I know personally, and all of whom live in a world that is so far out of my reach that we have remarkably little in common. If I and one of their domestic staff met in church or any public place I  would have more in common with their staff member than I would the celebrity.

The same is true of CELEBRITY preachers today.  I am not impressed or focusing  on the prophets and teachers and evangelists that millions of Christians come to follow, and worship, as being wiser, more righteous, and blessed than the rest of us.  I have actually have had people tell me, “They’re rich and well-known so that must be a sure sign of God’s favor.”  No, they just  have a charismatic personality and would be good at selling anything and they would make good con artist.  It could have come from the devil or God.  I have always believed this, but recently when Bishop Jake of Potter House in Dallas, Texas said in an interview that “SELLING Jesus is not all that difficult because it is a GOOD PRODUCT and when presented correctly it will SELL ITSELF.”  I take that to mean hurting and desperate people will fall for a line of hope every time if you are charismatic and have sales abilities.

When the Great Christians Leaders give their opinions on homosexuality, people listen, nod their heads, and say, “Prophet Pulpit said it, so it must be right.” When they promote boycotting a store, the believers do it because their Prophet Pulpit is always right.  After all who am I to question Prophet's? When sensible preachers meet with ecumenical leaders to share in a prayer service, some Christians wring their hands, wondering, “Why do they  do this? Pastor Pulpit said it was wrong. Do they not know that Catholics and Evangelical Protestants differ on fundamental issues? and that Jewish people and Christians differ on a REALLY major issue?

The followers of celebrity Christians do not have enough faith in God or confidence in himself to seek wisdom, considering themselves spiritually unqualified to process the tough issues facing people who live in the world today, after all that is what they have been told from the pulpit by these celebrity preachers.  They think if they do not listen to the celebrity preachers and priest they only have mass-media to give them direction in the 21st century.   What about the HOLY SPIRIT, PRAYER, the brain God gave them and their own personal experiences.

God did not call us to be robots of celebrities.   The world is filled, and has always been filled, and will always be filled with difficult issues — difficult because they involve people — and no smart little saying on television, Tweet, or email from any CELEBRITY is going to solve the world’s problems and we certainly should not allow them to think for us.  Some allow others to think for them because they are lazy and it is the easy way to avoid responsibilities.  Simply put not everyone wants to be wise. We actually have to work at becoming wise.

People need wisdom, and wisdom — unlike money, power, celebrity status, and fame is not out of reach of ordinary people. Wisdom is available for the asking, if we only would ask.  You do not have to be a genius to have wisdom.  I know lots of people with extremely high I.Q.’s that lack in wisdom (common sense) and others with little to no formal education that are VERY wise.  Wisdom and understanding are not something you purchase with tuition and class fees, it is a daily, lifelong process of growth.

I have a friend that constantly puts himself down because he looks for the possible negatives in relationships, decisions in general and especially business deals.  I think that is wise.  It means to me he is dealing with reality.  It does not mean he is ignoring the positives, it is only means he is trying to prepare or prevent the negatives.  Being a “happy go lucky” person is not wisdom.  Wisdom means being able to bear the good and the bad in mind simultaneously.

Proverbs 3:13 says, "Happy is the man (or woman) who finds wisdom and the man (or woman) who gets understanding." Proverbs 24:13–14 says, "My son (daughter), eat honey, for it is good, and the drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to your taste. Know that wisdom is such to your soul; if you find it, there will be a future, and your hope will not be cut off." Proverbs 16:16, "To get wisdom is better than gold; to get understanding is to be chosen over silver." It is a matter of life and death.  The ultimate, eternal happiness that all people long for will only be found by those who first "get wisdom."

Wise people do not let others do their thinking and make their decision.  They listen to all advice and then seek guidance from the Holy Spirit and make their own decision.  

The Iran hostages should have been home a long time ago!

Several Republican presidential candidates criticized the Obama administration's decision to swap seven Iranian prisoners for The Washington Post's reporter Jason Rezaian and three other Americans on Saturday and I think they were right in doing so. We are all happy to have the hostages released, but I do not think negotiating with a terrorist country was the way to go about it. Their release should have been unconditional because they were not guilty of any international crime.

Our hostages were released from Iranian custody in exchange for seven Iranians who were in prison for crimes they committed and it does not matter to me if their crimes were violent or not. This exchange further proves that Iran is no friend to the U.S. or its allies and Iran continues to get the upper hand in negotiations with the Obama Administration. Obama should not have been in negotiation with Iran to get a nuclear deal while Iran held innocent American hostages.

It is not true that the hostage release had nothing to do with the private nuclear deal because Iran warned Obama in December if additional sanctions were enforced against Iran the hostage swap was off and the nuclear deal was in trouble. Obama immediately from his vacation in Hawaii began the process to delay any announcement of further sanction against Iran. 

Even Hillary Clinton believes the Obama administration should not have thanked Iran for releasing the prisoners (hostages) or for following through on its obligations. Hillary said, “These prisoners (hostages) were held unjustly by a regime that continues to threaten the peace and security of the Middle East.”

The other two Democrat candidates, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley said, “The exchange represented progress in relations between Washington and Tehran.” I guess if you call U.S. weakness progress then we have made great advances during the Obama administration.

Even though I am now a Republican I do not think it is fair for Republican candidates to give all or any credit to President Reagan for the release of American hostages when he was sworn in as President of the United States. I think Iran had tired of the issue and President Carter’s administration had laid all the groundwork for the release of the hostages. I will never believe Iran released the 52 hostages because they feared Reagan being elected. I do not think Iran was even fully aware of who Reagan was or what he stood for at the time. Iran then and now released the hostages because they thought it was in their best interest to do so and fear had nothing to do with it. Iran contacted President Carter in September of 1980 with a proposal to release the hostages. I rather think Iran thought they could deal with the next administration better if they changed the tone of the hostage situation.  

Then as now Iran was given money to release the hostages. The agreement that led to the release involved $11 billion to $12 billion ($36 billion in 2015) in Iranian assets that Carter had frozen 10 days after the seizure of the U.S. embassy. The Iranians did fear having to start negotiations over with a new administration and believed that they had gotten most of the benefits they could from holding the hostages. I think the same is true today $150 billion dollars (the exact amount is disputed) in their hands is better than possibly getting nothing if a Republican is elected President. I do not think Iran has any intention of keeping the Obama nuclear deal. The release of hostages military and civilian was all about money and insulting the United States.  

I hope not, but I believe Iran will take more U.S. hostages in the near future. Hostages for Iran are like money in the bank – a bargaining chip for getting more concessions from the U.S. and the West. Let us not kid ourselves Iran releases hostages when it is in their best interest and only when it is in their best interest. When they have gotten all the propaganda mileage and concessions they think they can out of a hostage they grow tired of them and release them, but always take another hostage to start the negotiating process all over again.

The only way Iran or any rogue nation will come to the negotiation table and negotiate fairly is by force. The only force they understand is military force. You have to remove their ability to threaten other nations and keep them from ever having the ability to do so in the future. I think Germany and Japan are examples of that. If Japan or Germany would have been allowed to rebuild their military capabilities soon after the war they would have engaged in future nation building conflicts. National pride at any cost is still prominent among some people in both countries, a foolish pride, that is similar to the racist pride among some groups in America.

Obama announced Sunday following the hostages leaving Iran he will allow eleven companies to remain sanctioned from doing business with Iran and the response from Iran on Monday for his doing so should bring him comfort.  On Monday, Iran’s foreign ministry responded that the, “Islamic Republic will respond to these aggravating and propagandistic measures (11 companies sanctioned) by pursuing its missile program stronger than ever before.” Obama did not keep his word not to add additional missile sanctions, in other words he lied to Iran, so how can we now complain about Iran not keeping their word to honor the private nuclear deal.

I must have missed something during the nearly last eight years because Obama said Sunday when speaking of the hostage release, “These things are a reminder of what we can achieve when we lead with strength and with wisdom, with courage and resolve and patience.” I have seen little strength, wisdom, courage or resolve coming from Washington in a long time. I guess I have seen a lot of patience because when you are weak you have no choice but be patient. Obama’s ‘red line’ remark to Syria’s President did not show much resolve or courage when he failed to follow through with his threat. His withdrawal of troops against the advice of his own military advisors did not demonstrate much wisdom in Iraq and Afghanistan. His bowing to the Saudi king showed weakness from the very start of his administration.

If the United States cannot stand up to Iran a country only slightly larger than Alaska how could it stand up to China? The failure of the U.S. to stand up to Iran for the past 37 years has been a failure on the part of both Democrat and Republican politicians. They must take the blame for the monster they created. 

Obama and Kerry insist that the private accord with Iran provides no room for its ruling clerics to cheat. I hope they are right! But if Obama lied to Iran about sanctions how do we know he is not lying to us about how secure we are. If they are wrong the world will certainly suffer.

Teachings of Pope Francis - Part IV

Do we really believe in love for God and for others?

Think about making a world of goodness, beauty and truth. You can do this, you have the power to do it. If you do not do it, it is because of laziness.

We should ask the Lord for the wisdom of discernment. Many believe they live in light but they are in darkness and are unaware of it! Where Jesus is there is always humility, meekness, love and the Cross.

Can we learn once again to walk and live in the ways of peace? Violence and war are never the way to peace! Open yourself to dialogue and reconciliation. Rebuild the harmony that has been shattered.

God's world is a world where everyone feels responsible for the other. Is this the world that we desire?

How can we bear witness? How can we forgive? How can we not hate our neighbor? How can we avoid gossiping? Think upon Jesus' suffering.

Let's all think of a person with whom we are annoyed, whom we are angry, someone we do not like. Let us pray for this person and let us become merciful with this person.

Let us pray our leaders will govern us well.

We cannot serve two masters - you cannot serve both God and money. It just doesn't work. May the Lord help us all to not fall into the trap of idolatry of money.

Let us overcome our fear of getting our hands dirty so we can help those in need.

Have complete trust in God and in His mercy. This is the power of prayer! Let us never tire of knocking at God's door. Every day let us carry our cares to God in prayer.

Solidarity is a word that bothers us because it requires us to look at another and give our self to another with love.

We cannot follow Jesus on the path of love unless we first love others, unless we force ourselves to work together, to understand each other and to forgive each other. We must do works of mercy and charity with love.

Sometimes we find arrogance in serving the poor! Some exploit the poor for their own personal interests and their own vanity. It would be better if these people stayed at home!

People can't and mustn't be lacking in hope, hope is part of your being.

Difficulties must not frighten you but on the contrary spur you to go beyond them. Following Jesus is demanding, it means not being satisfied with small goals but aiming on high with courage!

Go out of yourselves. Open your heart to brotherhood, to friendship and to solidarity.

Let's stay united in prayer. Saints are ordinary people who instead of complaining let down their nets for a catch. They look for opportunities.

Let God write our history.

The wise man seeks advise the fool turns his back on advise.

My dad told me many times, “A man can learn from the preacher and the drunk if he will just listen.”  He would say, “One is not smarter than the other they just have different experiences.  The preacher will tell you what to do and the drunk will tell you what not to do.”  Both pieces of information are valuable.

My dad had a third grade education and was one of the wisest men I have known.  He worked his way up to be the number two man at Sheffield Steel’s Coke Plant.  He supervised engineers and at my dad’s funeral in 1958 several of the men told me that my dad could figure equations in his head faster than they could on paper.  He listened as he moved up and memorized the equations.

Over the years I have had to deal with many men and women who would come to me saying they were looking for help with a problem.  It quickly would become apparent that they didn’t want advice if it required them to listen and make changes.  In fact, the entire conversation would usually be about why they couldn’t change, why they didn’t need to change, and why they were not responsible for the results they were getting.  They simply did not want to LISTEN! 

Ten minutes into these discussions, I would realize I was dealing with a fool.  There was no point in continuing the conversation.  More talk would not change anything.   In fact most of the time they would leave my office upset that I would even attempt to offer any advice, because they thought I could not possibly know what they were going through. 

Dr Henry Cloud gave me clarity about something I had struggled with for years. The difference between a wise person and a fool is not about:

Position - Plenty of business leaders, pastors, and politicians are fools.  I have met wise office clerks, gardeners, and even one extremely wise car wash man.

Intelligence - I know fools with master’s degrees and Ph.Ds.  Some of them teach in universities and have written books.  I know wise people who never graduated from high school and a few who can’t read.

Talent - I know fools who are successful entrepreneurs, worship leaders, and television pundits.  I know wise people with average talent and modest income.

According to King Solomon, there is one major thing that makes the difference between wise people and fools: How they receive instruction and correction (Proverbs 1:5; 9:8–9; 10:8; 12:15; 15:12; 17:10; and 19:20.)  How they listen!  A wise person: Listens without being defensive, accepts responsibility without blame and changes without delay. 

If you are dealing with a wise person, talking is helpful.  They listen and soak up what you say and use it to adjust their lives for the better. Your input can make a difference. 

If you are dealing with a fool talking is a waste of your time.  They refuse to listen, they resist change and the problem is never with them.  The problem is always out there somewhere caused by someone else and bad breaks.  Their favourite line is you do not understand because you have not been through what they have been through or you have not had done to you what they have had done to them.

In the beginning I wondered why some conversations never seem to go anywhere.   They would leave and I would be left confused and frustrated.  Now I know.  This happens when you are talking with a fool. 

This doesn’t mean that I would write fools off.  Instead, I changed strategies. More talk won’t help a fool.  Instead, you must: Stop talking; Provide limits and Give consequences. 

At an Egyptian exhibit at the Houston Museum I once read "The wise man doubts often and his views are changeable.  The fool is constant in his opinions, and doubts nothing, because he knows everything, except his own ignorance" Pharaoh Akhenaton, c.1250BCE.  I have used that in sermons many times over the years.  The fool is constant in his or her opinion because they have never heard another opinion.  They refuse to listen to anything new. 

Jesus taught that in order to be wise, a person must put into practice what he has learned.  I believe books give knowledge, but books do not give wisdom.  Wisdom comes from listening to others with the intent of learning from their experiences and putting them into practice.  You keep the good and discord the bad. 

I have met a lot of seminary trained people with book knowledge about the Bible, but there is a difference between book knowledge and life experiences.  No one can experience everything, but you can experience lots of things simply by listening to others and not assume you know everything. 

Many people throughout the years have turned their brain and ears off at the door of the church assuming they knew more than the man or woman in the pulpit.  Some students do the same in class.   Don’t assume anyone knows more or less than you.  Listen to everyone and you will be surprised at what you can learn.  You can also learn what the speaker thinks he or she knows, but doesn’t.

Some people when they come to you for advice come to have their own opinions strengthened and not corrected.  God did not put us here to give strength to stupidity.  Be honest and say what you think, without pride and with a willingness to acknowledge you could be wrong.  Never assume what works for you will work for everyone.  Don’t assume you know what they are going to say before they say it.  You need to listen to them as well!  And if you do not know how to fix their problem admit it - don’t make a fool of yourself!