Love Part 1

Hello Everyone,

Today I want to begin a several part blog on love.  This is one topic that I need to know much more about.  See, I love my wife and I love my children.  But what does that really mean?  Does it mean I feel warm inside when I'm with my wife?  Does it mean I really enjoy my children?  The answer to both of those questions is sometimes yes and sometimes no.  But it doesn't change the fact that I love them both.

But, before we get to what love is, I want to take the rest of this blog to talk about what love is not.  For those of you who read this blog inside the United State, we use this word entirely too much and we water down what it really means.  You might hear someone say, "I love my car" or "I love my school" or something else.  But that's not real love.  You can enjoy your car and you can really enjoy your school but real love is reserved for something else.

For all you young ladies let me tell you something else that is not love.  If a guy starts telling you he loves you and then starts pressuring you to have a physical relationship with him, that's not love.  That's lust and selfishness.  See anything someone uses to get something from you, is not love.  When you are dating, you might have heard if you love me, you will do this or that.  But that's not really love, most of the time it's someone trying to con you into getting something they want.

I've even heard Christians say that you are not walking in love if you don't give them the money they need or give them something else they want.  Again, that is not love.  Love does not seek to get it's own stuff.  Now let me ask you this, where are you upset with someone else because you aren't getting what you want from them?  It could be that you need rethink how you love are loving someone.

When we think about love, we often think of a feeling, but that is not love either.  Feelings are great and when I feel really close to my wife and get those warm, gooey feelings about her, I really enjoy them but that doesn't define my love for her.  In fact, I don't think feelings have anything to do with true love at all.

Well, I like to keep these fairly short so we will pick it up here next time with a little more about what love is not.

That's another Opinion of the Minion

The News

Hi All,

OK before I start, let me say that I mean this first part in jest.  Let's take a look at the news for a few minutes.  As I have stated before, I live in Fort Worth, TX.  Over the past few days, we have had an ice storm that shut down most of the city.  We did need the news to tell us which schools are closed and which businesses are closed and we did watch it for that.  But what we didn't need the news to tell us was what was going on outside.  When I looked out the window, it was white outside.  There was sleet on the ground and ice in the street.  When I looked at my wife's car the windshield was covered and so was the top of my Expedition.  The conclusion I drew from all this was that there was sleet on the ground and that the roads would be bad.

Fortunately for me, I didn't need to look outside because for the entire news broadcast, they went from one person to another showing sleet on the ground.  Each one of them would take their cue and act like they were breaking a story worthy of some type of national news prize.  It would go something like this:

Newscaster:  Now let's go to Frank in downtown Fort Worth.
Frank:  I want our camera man to zoom in on the gutter by the side of the street.  Get a tight shot of the white stuff.  As you can see from our close up, the rain that came down earlier was affected by the drop in temperature.  When the temperature went below 32 degrees, this liquid turned to a solid and it's now sleet!!!

Newscaster:  Thank you Frank for that information.  Now let's go to Sue who is in Berkeley.  Sue, what do you have?
Sue:  What we're looking at here is the total coverage of an entire front yard plus their bushes with sleet!!!

This scene goes on for 30 minutes!  Why is that when we got it the first time?

OK now on a much more serious note, we do need to be careful of the amount of time we watch the news.  Remember news companies get paid to sell stories and for the most part, bad stories sell much better than good ones.  The last time I watched the news, there were three stories about bad things happening to people, the weather, one bad story, sports and ending it all was one bad story.  If you feed yourself on those things, you can start to meditate and focus on these bad stories.  Before you know it, fear can begin to creep into your life and the next thing you know, your eyes are on more of the bad things going on in life than the good things that God can do for you.

I made a decision to spend very very little time watching the news and like one of my favorite preachers said, I missed several crisis that were on that I didn't even know about.  They didn't bother me in the least.  If you are going to spend time watching the news, I suggest you pull out the Bible and see what the news is on your future!

That's another Opinion of the Minion.

Dirty Politics

Hello Everyone,

I spent a lot of time talking about politics. And I think that it's important to give politics it's due. But it saddens me to see so many people get so excited and so animated about this subject and then when it's over the excitement goes with it.

I wonder what would happen if people channeled the same fervor and excitement that they have for the political issues and directed it toward constructive pursuits.  What would happen if we got very excited about helping our young people today?  What would happen if feeding people that needed food got as much a tension as much excitement as whether or not it's okay to burn the US flag or not?  What would happen if people got as excited about loving their neighbor as they did about condemning their neighbors choice and political party?

I think we would live in a vastly different world. Guess what poverty, low self-esteem, financial need, and  stress those don't have a real political party. So let me ask all my politically active friends what are you doing every day to help someone else in need?  Jesus praised people by saying, "When I was hungry you fed me when I was imprisoned you came to visit me when I was in need of clothing you gave me clothing."   He never said when I ran for political office you bombarded Facebook or the social media of the day with long laborious posts condemning the other party.  He didn't mention how you should vote.  When He judged people, he said, "When I was hungry you didn't feed me, when I was naked you didn't clothe me and when I was in jail you didn't visit."

Now before my far right wing or far left wing readers write me some critical comments, let me say that I am not against anyone voting there conscious.  As a matter of fact, I plan to early vote and I have already made up my mind how I am going to vote.  Many Americans gave their lives over the last 250+ years to give me that right and I plan to honor them with my vote.  I am completely for voting and doing what's right for this country.  I'm just appalled by what I hear through the media, Facebook and other places about politics from what some public entertainment figure has to say to what the left and right media have to say.

What troubles me is that I don't hear much about people helping others.  I remember one time I helped someone by giving them some supplies that they needed for their young kids.  The Lord told me to give them so much and I decided to give more than what the Lord asked me to do.  Now let me say that I did not hear the audible voice of God telling me to do anything.  I just knew in my spirit it was the right thing to do.  Anyway, after I gave them what the Lord told me to plus some, I felt like the Lord was smiling at me and was proud of me for what I did.  It was like He was saying, "Son, you act like me more and more!"  As I sat there in the car that day, I wept with joy at being that close to God and knowing that I pleased him.  I have never ever had that feeling or anything close from trying to make a political point. 

So what am I trying to tell you today?  What I'm saying is that it's high time we got off the sidelines and quit just talking about what needs to be done how we should vote what the right politician is doing or not doing and it's time that we stepped out and started making a difference in somebody's life.  So I want to encourage you today. After you're done voting and making speeches and talking about what's right and wrong with America please take the time to find that single mom and your church that needs a helping hand and give her some help. That's what causes me to have pride in America.  It's seeing Americans helping Americans not bickering and arguing about the political system or who should be in office but just an American helping someone who needs help!

That's Another Opinion of the Minion

Is It Right?

Today I want to talk about something sort of serious.  The question - Is it right?  I talk alot about doing the right thing because it's the right thing to do.  Now I am not perfect at it but I really do want to do the right thing.  I believe this is the best way for me to live my life.  It's also the way the Lord wants me to live my life.

There is something else I should say before I get to the main point of this blog.  Doing the right thing means doing it when no one else is looking.  I have seen many fake people who only appear to do right when others are watching but the true test of whether or not we do the right thing is what we do when we are alone.

For example, I tried to lose weight for years.  I would go on diets and when I was out with people, I would eat a salad or something reasonably healthy.  If I was around others when I was "dieting" I ate reasonably well.  And yet several weeks into my "diet" I still weighed the same weight.  Why was that?  Because when I wasn't around other people, I wasn't eating healthy.  I was eating cookies and ice cream or some other form of sugar.  Was I doing the right thing to lose weight?  A small part of the time I was but not all the time.  Which brings me to another great point.  Doing the right thing means that is your way of life.  Does it mean you are perfect?  Certainly not!  For all of us Christians who go around trying to hold other people to the standard of perfection, stop it.  The bible says no one is perfect.

But what I am telling you is that we should try to do the right thing.  This brings me to my point today.  What is the right thing?  I have heard people say that we should do what makes us feel good.  That is the right thing.  Unfortunately, this just isnt true.  There is a right and wrong period.  It doesn't change. 

I was recently in a situation at work where I was going to have to tell someone we worked for that we had not done a very good job.  I thought about several ways to "spin" it and finally decided that the right thing for me to do was to tell them the truth along with what my plan was to correct the problem.  This person could have gotten very upset with me but this person did not.  This person just accepted what I said and told me to correct the problem.  End of story.  I could have tried to spin things but that would have only made the situation worse.  Many times doing the right thing will not feel good but it will get you the result you want.

There are times when I have wondered if I what I was doing was right.  Obviously even in our society today, we know that killing someone is wrong (or at least it's supposed to be).  But there are times when right/wrong is more difficult to distinguish.  Most of the time we know the right thing to do.  I know in my life there are times when I face decisions.  Sometimes I afraid of what will happen.  Sometimes I really want a certain outcome.  In those cases, it can be very tempting to manipulate the situation to get the outcome I want.  When that happens, I start to rationalize that what I am doing is right but sometimes it's not. 

Let me try to illustrate.  Have you ever been to a store or the bank and had the teller give you the wrong change.  Let's say I go to the store and the clerk gives me an extra $20 that really isn't mine.  There is a CD or something else I want to do with that $20.  Maybe I even want to take someone to lunch who really needs me.  That would be a very good use of the $20 right.  So I start thinking to myself that if I take the $20 and use it to help someone else then keeping the $20 is right.  How about if I just say to myself that it's the clerk's fault because he gave me the money.  I didn't do anything wrong.  After all I didn't take the money.  It's his mistake.  How about this.  Maybe God used that clerk to give me the $20 and this was really a blessing from God! 

What am I doing?  I really want to keep the $20.  If I step back for a minute and look at the situation, I know the right thing to do.  That isn't my money.  Make no mistake, God doesn't work in that way.  He has a million ways to get you money and doesn't need to resort to taking it from a clerk who will get in trouble for having the wrong change in his drawer at the end of the day.  The right thing for me to do is to bring the error to the clerk's attention and return the money.

To many of us this example seems a little trivial.  I mean it's only $20 right?  Well how about when we are talking about an unborn baby?  Uh oh, now what?  Did you ever notice that everyone who is pro abortion has already been born?  Ladies and gentlemen, I know abortion is a very sensative subject and I will not engage in a debate about it.  I'm merely trying to make a point.  If you have been a part of an abortion (and I have gotten a girl pregnant who had an abortion while I was at the clinic) then know this - there is total and complete forgiveness.  God loves you deeply and making a wrong decision doesn't change that.  You are not a second class citizen and you have not been cut out of God's family for it.

So let me sum this up.  We are all faced with decisions every day.  I don't think we will ever be perfect.  If so, we would not need God.  But I do think we should do our best to do right.  To do the right thing, we have to define what is right and what is wrong.  Let me end with this, you have got to stand for something or you will fall for anything (I don't know who said it but it's true).

That's another Opinion of the Minion

Christmas Part 1

OK.  We are now officially in my favorite time of the year in Texas.  It's Christmas time.  It's not X-Mas, etc.  It's Christmas.  What do I like so much about Christmas?  Is it the tree, the lights, all the parties and food?  Is it Santa Claus or decorating the house?  Nope.  My favorite part of this year is carrying on the first Christmas tradition.

See, because God loved the world so much, he sent his son, Jesus to earth so we could reconnect with him.  Jesus came because he wanted to give this gift to God, his Father.  What's the common thread?  God gave Jesus so that the world would be blessed.  Jesus gave himself so that God would be blessed.  That's what this season is all about.  It's about giving, not getting.  I am not sure where but I heard somewhere that it is more blessed to give than receive.  At least in my life, that's really true.

Now we have a lot of traditions and I am thankful for them.  I used to enjoy decorating the Christmas tree.  That stopped when I was a young child though.  Apparently we were making a popcorn string to go around the Christmas tree when some part of the light fixture fell from the ceiling and hit me in the head.  Now my parents were renting that place and I don't know if we had to pay for the fixture after it broke from hitting my hard head or not.  OK - I still enjoy decorating the tree and the story above is true or so my parents tell me.

I love to go looking at the Christmas lights.  One of my favorite memories was going with my cousins in the back of my Uncle's suburban when we were kids.  We went to a place called Interlocken (sp?) in Arlington.  What fun we had that trip.  I can also remember the parties and the family fun.  My Aunt Pat used to have a platter that was shaped like a Christmas tree.  She would fill it with this fancy candy and I loved to get into that platter.  That was something I looked forward to every year.  But the older I get, the more I focus on the only real tradition that matters - giving.

As a matter of fact, I like to think about who I can bless and how.  There have been many times when I did something nice for someone and I could hear God inside me (my Dad) saying how proud he was of me.  Now don't get me wrong, I don't think there is anything wrong with wanting stuff and getting stuff for Christmas.  After all, someone will get blessed by what we do and it's OK to let someone bless you - even though I get really uncomfortable when people bless me.  I must admit, I would really prefer to be the blessor than the blessee.  For me, I am much more concerned with whether people will like what I got them than if I will like what they got me.

So I want to encourage you as you go through this season.  It's good to make your Christmas list and while you look for things for parents, family, friends and that special someone, look around for someone outside your ordinary box to bless. Remember that's the first true tradition of Christmas.

That's another Opinion of the Minion

What is the Definition of You?

Hi Guys and Gals,

While DD and I are working on the next part of Friendship vs. Dating, I wanted to take a few minutes to discuss who defines you?  I was asked by a friend of the Minion,  MW, to write about this subject.  MW, thank you so much for your encouragement on FaceBook.  I really appreciate it.

So lets talk about it.  What is the definition of You?  One definition is "used to indicate a specific individual."  This is from The American Heritage Dictionary.  That doesn't tell me anything about you so it's not very helpful.  Since the dictionary can't help where do we turn?  Should we turn to the people around us?  How about our parents?  How about the people we work with?  Can they give us a good definition of who we are?

I think we look to the people around us a lot.  And while they may know some things about us, I don't think they are the best place to look.  This article was started based on "The Football Player Who Couldn't Play."  In it, I talked about wanting to play football but being a terrible player.  I thought that I would be in the right crowd if I was a player.  Why did I think that?  Because most of the popular kids in school were football players.  I was letting the people around me define what I should be.  In that case, it was a bad thing.  What if people say that to be in the right crowd, I have to do drugs or have sex?  Then I can only define myself as "good" if I am doing drugs and having sex.  Does that sound crazy?  It should because it is.

Now, lets move forward a few years.  When are parents talk about being successful, many times they want us to be doctors or lawyers and it seems like that is a good standard for defining whether or not you are a "success."  So maybe, we can look to the world's standard to define us or at least who we should be.  So let me tell you something personal about me.  I am a lawyer.  At least I have a law license.  I have passed the bar exam in Texas.  So the good news is that based using worldly standards, I can define myself as a success right.  Absolutely wrong.  Being a lawyer, doctor, janitor, policeman, or a dentist doesn't define me or you.

So we have looked at the crowd we hang out around and "the worldly standard" to define us without finding a good place.  Where should we look next?

As you can probably guess, this is where I was headed all along.  Especially if you are a Christian, you should look at that book we carry to church on Sunday.  I can tell you some things from that book about you.

1.  You are loved.  God has an intense burning love for you.  He isn't sitting back trying how to knock you down, he is sitting back waiting for you to take him up on his promises.  His love is more passionate for you than words can describe.  Did you know his heart aches just to spend time with you and tell you much he loves and admires you?

2.  You are headed to Heaven when you are done here.  I have never been but the Bible describes it as a pretty cool place.

3.  You can overcome every trial.  The bible says that we overcome the world by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony.

Well, you get the point.  I could go on for pages defining you from the bible.

"OK Mr. Minion, that's fine," you say, "but how do I know who I am and what I am supposed to do here on earth?  How do I know what I am supposed to like and not like, etc.?"  Who defines that part of us?  The answer is a little hard to swallow.  It's not your parents, your family, your friends or anyone else.  Who defines you? - The answer is You should define yourself and no one else.  Why?  Because no one can truly look inside your box and see all that is there besides you.  Even if your family and friends have your best interest at heart, they cannot define you.  The don't have the ability to do that.  Who you are is something between you and God.  Just like me playing football (or at least being on the team) you are the only one who knows what you really like.

I can't tell you how often I have heard a boy or girl say they liked something their boyfriend or girlfriend did just to get approval from them.  You cannot define who you are to get approval from someone else.  If you do that, you miss out on so much of the great potential God as deposited in your life.  Guess what, no matter how hard you try to be liked by doing what other people like or saying what they say, some peole won't like you.  This past weekend, I ran into a guy who has hated me for 10 years.  No matter what I say or do, I can't change that. 

When I went to law school, most of my family didn't believe that I would make it through.  I am not saying that they didn't have a reason to believe that.  Because based on my performance at college, they were expecting me to do the same thing and I would have failed.  If I had listened to them, I would never have even tried to go to school, much less graduate has high in my class as I did.  Am I saying that to brag?  No.  I am telling you this to say, don't let anyone else define you because their definition will be incomplete at best and completely wrong at worst.  They will miss some of the great things inside of you.

Let me close by saying, dare to step outside of the shadows of what other people think.  Dare to step outside of what society thinks.  Step up and be what you want you to be.  You will be much happier if you do.

And that's another Opinion of the Minion