Danny Boy III

(cc) IvanWalsh.com - Flickr

(cc) IvanWalsh.com - Flickr

[PART 3 OF 3]

In my first Danny Boy post

  • I shared with you the fascinating history surrounding the tune to which the words of “Danny Boy” were set, back in the early 1900’s;
  • I explored the possibility that this song may have played an important role in my own family’s history 😉 ;
  • I shared my long-held desire to someday record a four-part harmony version of the song with my four brothers, in honor of my sweet Dad.

Cowboys and Indians

(cc) davidd - Flickr

(cc) davidd - Flickr

When I was a little boy (with three brothers), one day we decided to play Cowboys and Indians. For some reason, I didn’t have a toy gun, so I improvised. I got a pair of blunt-ended elementary school scissors, unfolded them, and — voila! — a makeshift gun (what a smart little boy I was!).

Why?

Ashley O'Rear (Age 9)

Ashley O'Rear (Age 9)

I had never prayed as hard in my life as I did the morning of March 16, 1997. It was a Sunday morning, about 6:30, and I was driving from Children’s Medical Center in Dallas back to our house about 35 minutes away. Four hours earlier, Susan and I had been told by a doctor at Children’s that our 9-year-old daughter Ashley had a brain tumor.

Moral Courage (Part 2)

(cc) Walt Stoneburner - Flickr

(cc) Walt Stoneburner - Flickr

In “Moral Courage (Part 1)“, we looked extensively at the meaning and origins of morals. Morality, in the external sense, is the standard of right and wrong as established ultimately by God and revealed in His word. My own personal moral code is shaped as I decide whether or not, and to what extent, I will follow His standards. And that’s where courage comes into play.

Moral Courage (Part 1)

(cc) Walt Stoneburner - Flickr

(cc) Walt Stoneburner - Flickr

What do you think of when you hear the words “moral courage”?

Webster defines “morals” as: “moral practices or teachings; modes of conduct; ethics”. [1]

“Ethics” is defined as: “the discipline dealing with what is good and bad and with moral duty and obligation; a set of moral principles; a theory or system of moral values; the principles of conduct governing an individual or a group; a guiding philosophy; a set of moral issues or aspects (as rightness)”. [2]

So your morals can be defined as “what you believe about what is right and what is wrong, what is good and what is bad, what your moral duties and obligations are, and how you should conduct yourself”.

The Conclusion

(cc) photon_de - Flickr

(cc) photon_de - Flickr

[PART 12 OF 12]

Let’s review what we have discovered from the book of Ecclesiastes. What have we learned by following Solomon’s quest for meaning and purpose?

The first outside piece of the Oreo cookie, the first half of Solomon’s philosophy of life, is the idea that “everything is meaningless!”

The Double Stuff filling is all the stuff he waded through in his search for meaning and purpose, and the resulting conclusions concerning each endeavor:

  • Money – meaningless;
  • Wisdom – meaningless;
  • Hard work – meaningless;
  • Achievement – meaningless;
  • Life is good;
  • There is a time for everything;
  • Injustice is all around us.

And now, finally, we come to the conclusion, the other outside piece of the Oreo, the other half of Solomon’s philosophy of life. After all his searching, after all his attempts to find meaning and purpose, after all the frustration of coming up empty-handed again and again, here is what it all boils down to.

The Next Four Years

(cc) Mark Skrobola - Flickr

(cc) Mark Skrobola – Flickr

One week ago, the United States of America elected its 44th President, Barack Obama. He will be the first African-American in the history of our country to serve in that capacity. Election Day 2008 was truly a historic day in many ways … some good, some bad. Here are my thoughts.

Sorrow and Joy

Joy and Sorrow

(cc) George Miller – Flickr

[PART 11 OF 12]

As Solomon chronicles his quest for meaning and purpose in his life, he makes an interesting observation regarding sorrow and joy.

“It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of every man; the living should take this to heart. Sorrow is better than laughter, because a sad face is good for the heart. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure. It is better to heed a wise man’s rebuke than to listen to the song of fools. Like the crackling of thorns under the pot, so is the laughter of fools. This too is meaningless.”
(Ecclesiastes 7:2-6)

Huh? Sorrow is better than laughter? That doesn’t make sense! A sad face is good for the heart? Doesn’t that contradict Proverbs 17:22?

“A cheerful heart is good medicine,
but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.”
(Proverbs 17:22, which, by the way, was also written by Solomon)

Tolerance or Intolerance?

IntoleranceTolerance has become the Great Religion of America.

Webster defines tolerance as:

“sympathy or indulgence for beliefs or practices differing from or conflicting with one’s own; the act of allowing something” [1].

In other words, if you don’t agree with me or don’t believe the same thing I believe, I will indulge or allow that difference and still accept you as being “OK”. I am not required to change my belief system in order to be tolerant. I simply allow for the fact that your belief system isn’t the same as mine.

I think that is a good definition of tolerance, and constitutes a healthy and realistic approach to life … most of the time. I also believe, however, that there is an appropriate time for intolerance. Let me give you a couple of examples in an attempt to help you understand what I mean.