Consider this

           Every song has a “tone” or a “pitch” around which everything is organized.   Notes that do not relate to that particular pitch are said to be “off-key”.   There is nothing wrong with those other notes; it is just that they do not fit in that particular song.   Notes that do not fit properly create “noise” instead of “music”.             Spiritually speaking, if our teaching is to have the beauty and harmony that God intended then it also has to have a centre-point around which everything is organized.   Fortunately, we do not have to guess what Jesus’ message ought to sound like because he set the tone for his ministry.             “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of s...

            An ancient philosopher named Heraclitus observed that, “The only thing that is constant is change”.   A quick glance in a mirror would likely confirm the truth of his statement.   Everything changes all the time.             Therefore, it makes sense that one of the keys to a happy life is the ability to adapt to change.   Those who are able to “roll with the punches” are much better off than those who rigidly try to hang on to a set of circumstances that no longer exist.               In the Old Testament, one of the most common accusations that God makes against his people is that they were a “stiff-necked people” (Nehemiah 9:16-17).   In other words, they refused to turn their thoughts or vision to anything new.   This “stiff-necked” nature caused them to miss many blessings ...

            I am a fairly competitive person.   In fact, I am so competitive that I have been known to incite family fights while playing board games at Christmastime. To me, if you are not playing to win there is no point in playing at all.   A competitive attitude can be a good thing because it causes you to challenge yourself and it pushes you to do your best.             On the other hand, it is hard to be happy when you are ultra-competitive.   If you lose at something, you are mad because you feel that you should always win.   If you win, you are not happy because you only did what you expected yourself to do.   In a sense, having to win all the time is a “no win situation”.             One other problem that competitive people have is that it is hard for them to be happy when other peo...