John Harrell's Blog, page 62

Playing It Safe

Do you like criticism? I believe most of us would say no. But the only way to avoid criticism is to hide from the world.

Playing it safe might sound appealing. You never ruffle anyone’s feathers. But you never achieve anything, either.

In today’s world people get criticized for doing what’s right. Our world has turned upside down, and that’s not progress. But I say, stand up and speak up for goodness. You might get some pushback, but keep doing what’s good and right…

Validation

Aren’t we all looking somewhere for validation that we are important and valued? Many people are looking in the wrong places.

Money, position, sex and power aren’t enough. If you are chasing those things you will always be chasing.

Our value comes from knowing who created us. His name is God, and God doesn’t create junk. If the God who created everything that is beautiful made us, too, that’s good enough. See yourself the way God sees you. Then see your fellow man in the same way. God made them, too!

Leaps and Bounds

Progress is slow, sometimes painfully slow. Other times we grow by leaps and bounds. It’s never just one way or the other. Progress is a mixture of both.

I know this to be true: if you keep working on what you are trying to accomplish, you will succeed. Don’t give up when things go slowly. Your next breakthrough is just around the corner…

Originality

We are made in the image of God, the one who creates everything. We are given the gift of creativity which can, and should be used for good. We can lift others or bring them down.

I read that someone in Hollywood has plans to remake “The Wizard of Oz” and “It’s A Wonderful Life,” two great movies. They plan to make the stories about people of color. No problem here, but why bastardize these classic works of art? Create something new, something unique. Most of the storylines are the same common theme. Come up with your own story.

I encourage you to tap into your creative talents. The world is waiting…

Outcomes

Those of us who set goals have a desired outcome, an end point. Setting a time to accomplish our goals gives us a different dynamic. We aren’t just drifting along hoping for a successful outcome.

One of my friends is about to begin a chemotherapy protocol. His desired outcome is complete eradication of the cancer, and his doctor has set the time frame for his treatment.

How do you pray in situations like this? If you pray for success, you might be disappointed. I pray for a God-ordained outcome. Further, my prayer is that my friend will see God’s hand in his situation. It’s all in God’s control anyway. My hope is to see His Divine power work.

Remember, even God can’t please everyone all the time. Stay in communication with him anyway. He likes that…

Informed

It’s vital to keep informed about important events. It’s equally important to question who is giving you information, and whether or not they report accurately. We should not believe everything we hear.

In 1963, the Warren Commission was formed to investigate the assassination of President John Kennedy. After months of testimonies and interviews, the commission determined Lee Harvey Oswald was the assassin and that he acted alone. What is interesting about the commission is, one of the investigators was Allen Dulles, the former CIA Director. Kennedy had fired Dulles after the failed Bay of Pigs invasion, and said he “wanted to break the CIA into a thousand splinters and throw them in the wind.” Does it sound like Dulles had a conflict of interest? He did, and it makes one wonder why he was on the commission. I’ll leave the reason up to you to investigate for yourself.

Question everything. And I mean everything…

Here We Are

In 1965, the late Paul Harvey recorded “If I Were The Devil.” Harvey was simply noticing what was going on already, and he knew we would continue to devolve. Here is what he said:

If I were the Devil if I were the Devil

If I were the Prince of Darkness
I’d want to engulf the
Whole world in darkness
And I’d have a third of it’s real estate
And four-fifths of it’s population
But I wouldn’t be happy until I had seized
The ripest apple on the tree – thee
So I’d set about however necessary to
Take over the United States
I’d subvert the churches first
I’d begin with a campaign of whispers
With the wisdom of a serpent
I would whisper to you as I whispered to Eve
“Do as you please”
To the young I would whisper that
The Bible is a myth
I would convince them that man created God
Instead of the other way around
I would confide that what’s bad is
Good and what’s good is square
And the old, I would teach to pray after me
Our Father – which art in Washington
And then I’d get organized
I’d educate authors in
How to make Lurid literature exciting
So that anything else would
Appear dull and uninteresting
I’d threaten TV with dirtier
Movies and vice versa
I’d peddle narcotics to whom I could
I’d sell alcohol to ladies
And gentlemen of distinction
I’d tranquilize the rest with pills
If I were the Devil I’d soon
Have families at war with themselves
Churches at war with themselves
And nations at war with themselves
Until each in it’s turn, was consumed
And with promises of higher ratings
I’d have mesmerizing media fanning the flames
If I were the Devil I would
Encourage schools to refine young intellects
But neglect to discipline emotions
Just let those run wild!
Until before you knew it
You’d have to have drug sniffing dogs and
Metal detectors at every schoolhouse door
Within a decade i’d have prisons overflowing
I’d have judges promoting pornography
Soon I could evict God from the courthouse
Then from the schoolhouse
And then from the houses of congress
And in His own churches I would substitute
Psychology for religion and deify science
I would lure priests and
Pastors into misusing
Boys and girls and church money
If I were the Devil
I’d make the symbol of Easter an egg
And the symbol of Christmas a bottle
If I were the Devil
I would take from those who have
And give to those who wanted
Until I had killed the
Incentive of the ambitious what will you bet
I could get whole states to promote gambling
As the way to get rich
I would caution against extremes
In hard work, in patriotism, in moral conduct
I would convince the young that
Marriage is old fashioned
That swinging is more fun
That what you see on TV is the way to be
And thus, I could undress you in public
And I could lure you into bed
With diseases for which there is no cure
In other words, if I were the Devil
I’d just keep right on doing what he’s doing

Pay attention. We can change course if we are willing…

Inaction

People on the internet can act like real jerks. They will insult others, offering unsolicited opinions about how we should vote. Rudeness has become part of life, I guess, but some remarks are incendiary.

In the United States, we live in a totally free society. Freedom of speech is one of our greatest treasures. Therefore, people are free to say whatever they wish. Yet I don’t believe insulting others is productive. You can disagree without acting like an ass. With every generation that passes away, some decency dies with it.

When dealing with passive aggressive behavior, no response is the best response…

Encouragement

I’m known by friends and acquaintances as an encourager. It’s a mantle I’m happy to carry. People have called me all hours of the day and night looking for a word of encouragement. A couple have been hanging on to the last amount of hope they had in them. I’m glad I answered my phone.

When you see an opportunity, encourage others. Take the time because you don’t know what people are going through, or what they’ve experienced. Mental health was shredded during the pandemic. Many are hurting.

Take the time…

Outsiders

Do you ever feel different, like you are an outsider? You are, and that’s a good thing.

You are an outsider because of your uniqueness. There’s no one else like you. There’s no club of people exactly like you.

Be proud of this. It’s the outsiders who change the world….