John Harrell's Blog, page 2

Super Sized

The 2004 documentary, Super Size Me brought the ill effects of fast food to the forefront of American society. For one month, the documentary filmmaker had to eat three meals per day at McDonalds. He was required to say “yes” every time the server asked if he wanted to super size his meal. The fast food diet seriously compromised his health.

Morgan Spurlock, the filmmaker and star, gained 24 pounds. His cholesterol shot up to 230 from 178, and his liver developed non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Spurlock became depressed, and he found himself craving McDonalds food. This only took one month to come about. Yet, it took him a year to lose the weight and regain his health.

Robert Kennedy, Jr. is catching hell for leading the efforts to clean up our food. Children have been affected the most. A majority of kids already have a chronic disease, and childhood obesity is skyrocketing. Parents want answers and they want healthier choices. Politicians want to quiet Kennedy because the money from lobbyists is enormous.

A new voice has arrived in Washington DC. In our local communities, we must demand that recess returns to the school day. Kids need to get active and work up a sweat for an hour each day. Adults do, too…

Hate Me

Many people have a strong desire to be liked by everyone. They seek attention and get validation through “likes and comments.” I’m cut from a different cloth. It’s nice to be liked, even admired, but that’s not my motivation.

Telling the truth is vital for building trust, and trust is built over time. Sometimes the truth is a painful message. When you find yourself in the position of having to deliver a difficult message, do it with some gentleness and self-control.

Politicians are the worst at pandering. They will say whatever pisses off the fewest people in order to secure votes. Getting elected to Congress is a pretty good gig. I believe if we removed the fourth branch of government, special interests and lobbyists, we would attract better candidates. When the money leaves, so do the grifters, the pandering masses.

There are a small handful of people who criticize me for spreading encouragement and hope. Their hateful comments don’t bother me. I figure they need encouragement more than most if they find fault with what I write. They might need a little examination of their heart as well.

God alone is in the business of changing the heart of mankind. My job is to continue writing what he inspires me to write. The hate will continue, but so will I…

The Battle Rages On

What do you spend your time reading or watching? The New York Times used to be the gold standard for accurate reporting. Not anymore. CNN made its mark by starting out as a solid, independent news source. That died a long time ago.

Recently, a college student was told to leave a children’s literature class because the student told the professor they objected to course material about gender identity. Isn’t college the place we are taught to challenge our beliefs and our thinking? And I’m not sure what gender has to do with children’s literature.

We are in a spiritual war. The war has intensified recently. There is good news and there is some bad news. The bad news is, it’s going to get worse before it gets better. The good news? God wins. We are on the right side.

Keep praying. Pray for our country. Pray that our leaders make good, wise decisions. Pray for the protection of our children.

The battle will end one day. Until then, stay strong…

Unwanted Anniversaries

Today marks the 24th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11th. For months after the attack news pundits refused to call it what it was, an attack. Their favorite description was “the events of September 11th.” Well, 2,977 people died in this so-called event. Our lives were altered forever.

Everyone knows where they were when they first learned of the attack on The United States. We watched as the jets flew into the twin towers. We saw the people jump to their deaths rather than be burned alive. Anger built inside of us. We wanted to get the people responsible for this.

Americans came together. We were a united front in our desire to have justice. Not everyone was included in our newfound togetherness. If you were an Arab living in the United States, you were looked at sideways. It was guilt by association, even though they may have been your friends and neighbors for years.

The United States is strong. We have an inner strength and rebellion in us that began over 250 years ago. We have overcome innumerable challenges and we will face new ones in the future.

September 11th is an anniversary I wish we didn’t have to commemorate. Yet, we must never forget.

God bless this great country…

The Politicization of Jesus

Was Jesus a Republican or a Democrat? When you read the narrative of either party, they want you to you think he was one of them.

Jesus wasn’t overtly political. He told the citizens to “give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and give to God what is God’s.” The Pharisees were, once again, trying to trap Jesus. They were greatly outmatched.

Jesus cared for the people. He hung out with the sinners, the tax collectors and even a prostitute was in his inner sphere. He accepted all and called out the hypocrites.

Recently, Senator Tim Kaine stated that “our rights are given to us by the government, not by God.” I guess he’s never read the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution. It’s clearly spelled out that our unalienable rights are granted by our Creator. There are some in Washington who would love to remove God from society.

I’m unsure of Jesus’s political beliefs. I have an idea, but I might be mistaken. But one thing I know for certain is, Jesus stood for what is right. Justice transcends politics…

Unsolved Mysteries

If curiosity killed the cat, then I have beaten the odds. My insatiable curiosity has outlived well over nine lives.

Unsolved mysteries fascinate me. Consider Stonehenge. Those stones weigh 50,000 pounds each, and they would have been transported twenty miles. But for what reason? They are a group of stones set in a circle.

What about Flight MH370? It left Malaysia in 2014, bound for China. At one point the transponder was turned off and the plane turned south. It eventually crashed in the Indian Ocean. Wing fragments and other debris were found, but the black box remains missing. I’m curious why the pilot turned away from his destination, yet the copilot didn’t intervene.

I love documentaries about mysteries. Mysteries of The Bible is a great one. Unsolved mysteries are a rabbit hole that is never ending.

Keeping your mind active and thinking about things will extend your life. You gotta do more than crossword puzzles. Find your interests…

The Broken Commandment

When God gave Moses the Ten Commandments, the first commandment was “you shall have no God before me.” It sounds simple enough, right? Not necessarily.

Do you put God first every morning when you wake up, and keep him first all day? I thank God every day when I open my eyes, but there are a lot of distractions that follow. My phone, email and other things can take my mind off of God. The devil lays a lot of traps for us.

There are only Ten Commandments. You would think I could observe and follow only ten things. But I don’t even win the battle of the first commandment. Fortunately, we serve a merciful, forgiving God who is always on our side.

God wants the heart of man. And he will change your heart if you allow him in…

One More

I’m out one more day.

Out Today

I will return tomorrow. Thank you for reading.

Without a Net

Sometimes life presents us with opportunities. And sometimes those opportunities are not asked for, nor are they welcomed.

Last night I was having drinks with a friend of mine who I hadn’t seen in a while. We have spoken but our calendars didn’t align until yesterday. Two years ago this month, his oldest son took his own life. It’s one of those heartbreaking stories of loss. This is a good family which makes it even harder.

My friend manages a charitable thrift shop. The other thing the store does is run a food pantry. Every Saturday, they give away 1,500 boxes of food. Three years ago it was around 250 boxes per week. They are helping thousands of people in the Central Texas area.

My friend got a new boss a while back. His supervisor is good at looking at the bottom line because he quickly noticed the store loses money. This man completely misses the point. The store is underwritten by a very large church. It’s charity. This “supervisor” put my friend on notice that he was in danger of losing his job if the bottom line doesn’t improve. What a tool.

My friend wants to do something to help others who have lost a child. Empathy is shared experience, and he can listen, understand and guide others who find themselves in similar situations.

My thoughts are, perhaps God is doing my friend a favor by presenting him with this fork in the road. My hope is he steps out without a safety net and lets God steer his steps. He’s a good, good hearted guy who can make a difference. And isn’t that what makes this crazy life worthwhile?

It’s time. Trusting God when you’re scared is an indescribable act of faith. It’s time…