Devotionals

My favorite fiction author is Charles Dickens. He was a master of satire, using it to comment on social injustices during the Victorian era. (He grew up in extreme poverty with a father in debtor’s prison.)  His parodies feature memorable characters such as Oliver Twist, Tiny Tim, and Uriah Heep, whose traits are often sharply exaggerated. Perhaps the most famous of these is the [...]

What Will Jimmy Wear? In the 90s sitcom, Seinfeld, there is a bit where a man named Jimmy is attracted to the show’s female lead, Elaine.  He expresses his interest in her, but the conversation quickly goes awry because he awkwardly refers to himself in the third person.  Alluding to himself, his first words to Elaine are, “Jimmy is pretty sweet on you,” leading [...]

In the 1960s, a field of study was born known as “observational learning.”  It focuses on the process of acquiring new behaviors by imitating others.  According to experts, the methodology involves four stages: attention (noticing the behavior), retention (remembering it), reproduction (replicating the behavior) and motivation (having a reason to do it).  With that in mind, I intend to draw your attention to six [...]

Previously, in my role as a supervisor, I tried to learn the personal goals of my team members.  It was an opportunity to understand them better and, of course, to help me discern how I could help them progress beyond an occasional work evaluation.  On hearing the question, one employee sat thoughtfully for a few moments before sharing that he was only a few [...]

“V-J Day in Times Square” is the name of the famous photograph taken on August 14, 1945, in which a U.S. Navy sailor spontaneously grabbed and kissed a total stranger, a dental assistant, dressed in all white, in New York’s Times Square.  The iconic image captured the nation’s sentiment as America eagerly anticipated President Truman’s announcement of the end of the war with Japan.  [...]

“The road to hell is paved with good intentions.”  Apparently, a guy from the 12th century named Saint Bernard of Clairvaux is the source of the saying, but I first learned it from my mother.  While not found in the Scripture, it echoes biblical truth.  Put another way, the idea that “it’s the thought that counts” doesn’t cut it with God, which is evident [...]