Short and Sweet

In September, 2006 the then-editor (James) asked me to write a weekly article for the Colusa paper, limit it to two typed pages. That took some doing because I basically was taking a sermon manuscript and cutting it in half (or more), and tweaking it to relate to readers. It's hard to delete half of something you think is important! My sister-in-law, Kathy Craigo, who writes 'Thoughts I've Had' for the paper each week, advised me to shorten my articles so more people would actually read them. I didn't take her advice. Everything in life changes, and we move to the present, with a new editor in charge of the Tri-Counties papers (including Colusa County Sun-Herald, Corning Observer, Willows Journal, Orland Press), Amber Gillies. She has asked me to limit my articles to 500 words (from approximately 1400 average) so as to make room on the religion page for more articles. I respect that and today begin an attempt to comply. However, it is no longer conceivable to shorten sermons to fit this space, so I must write 'from scratch' each week (as Kathy Craigo does). Please feel free to contact me and give my your input on this new change. So, with that long introduction, let us begin something 'short and sweet.' I have begun preaching through the book or Romans on Sunday morning, verse by verse. In this great theological writing of Paul we find deep treasures to discover. Paul maintained a thankful attitude. His first personal words to these Christians in Rome were, "I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you' (Romans 1:8). And he had something for which to be thankful. You see, their faith was being reported all over the world. That leads me to a question. What is the real measure of a human being? If you take the time to look closely, you will notice that a human life is defined by a multitude of qualities, relationships, circumstances, and possessions. When you examine a person closely, you discover the extent of their education, experience in life, material possessions, career achievement, and success in raising a family. It is easy to see how a person is dressed, using language, and appears to others. And we tend to evaluate people in terms of all of these factors. But what can these things tell us? The problem with judging based on outward appearance is that appearances are often deceiving. With a little thought, a person can appear to be something that is not really true. We must look deeper. The old proverb that you cannot judge a book by its cover is never more true than today. Martin Luther King, Jr., touched on the key issue during his famous speech at the Civil Rights March in Washington in August 1963. He said, "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character." Indeed! The issue is not external appearance but internal character. We are who we are on the inside. Your character is whom you are when no one is looking. Zig Ziglar asked a very pertinent question. He said, "Your Christian attitude is contagious. Is yours worth catching?" How would you answer that question? The answer is critical. You see, our character will determine our influence.