Author: walter bright

Some Days You eat the bear – Other Days the bear eats you

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A few years ago, Billy Collins wrote a masterpiece called “Some Days.” Some Days you eat the bear and other days the bear eats you is Collin’s poetic explanation of the piece. In it he asks the question: “How would you like it if you never knew from one day to the next if you were going to spend it striding around like a vivid god, your shoulders in the clouds, or sitting down there amidst the wallpaper, staring straight ahead with your little plastic face?” In essence, what he is saying is, Some Days you are at the top of your game – other days you are not. Some Days, as a writer, speaker, singer, preacher, parent, a Christian, leader, professional, athlete – you are on top of the world, but other days you are dull, uninspired, bored, creatively challenged, down, depressed – at a wall. How do you deal with this kind of emotional roller coaster? How do you manage to stay focus, and keep a sound mind when you are feeling dry, less inspired than …

Context is Everything

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Context is everything. I heard a story about a guy who had a very unique way of reading the Bible. In his effort to hear what God would say to him for that day, he would hold a closed Bible in his hands, close his eyes, than open the Bible with his eyes still shut, drop a pointing finger on the page of the bible, open his eyes, than read the verse on which his finger landed. Well, one morning, his first attempt landed him on a verse that said,”and Judas hang himself.” Feeling unsatisfied, he dove in for something else and his finger landed on another verse that said, “go do likewise.” Well you can imagine that was the last day he played Russian Roulette with the Bible. Come to think about it, most Christians I know approach the word of God Just like that. They reach in for something, than pull it right out of its context. But it’s important that we read and interpret the word of God by taking into consideration …

Patience: the Rose among many thorns

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Somebody once said that if you ask God to give you patience, “he may allow difficult situations in your life to help you cultivate it.” Unfortunately, these situations are never pleasant and none of us look forward to any one of them. But apparently, they seem like the most logical place for patience to develop. Paul understood this very well. Remember the thorn in his flesh? Speaking to this very situation he said, “In everything we do, we show that we are true ministers of God. We “patiently” endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind. We have been beaten, been put in prison, faced angry mobs, worked to exhaustion, endured sleepless nights, and gone without food.” 2 Corinthians 6:4, 5 NLT In the same chapter he adds the following We have been despised We have been slandered We have been called impostors We have been ignored We live close to death Our hearts ache We are poor We own nothing In such difficult times and dark situations, there is one word that stands …

6 Reasons why you should forgive people who are not sorry.

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Recently, I was speaking about the power of forgiveness at a meeting and there a young woman two or three rows from the front. I could tell that she had something on her mind. She seemed a bit anxious. Apparently, she didn’t want to interrupt or draw attention to herself. But I could sense that she was struggling very hard to ignore the urge to ask a question. Finally she gave in, and with a raised hand, she asked, “but what if they are not sorry for what they did?” I thanked her for the question and assured her that I would address the question in the next session. However, I took some time to counsel with her after the meeting because she was obviously looking for an answer to deal with a pressing need.  The following is a summary of what I told her and later shared with the group: Forgiving someone who doesn’t see the need to ask for forgiveness or show any sign that they are sorry for what they’ve done wrong is …

5 ways to Rekindle the flame in the ashes of your love life

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  As we approach Valentines Day, I would urge you to take advantage of the opportunity to make thing better in your relationship with you spouse. Here are 10 Simple, yet powerful ways you can rekindle the ashes of your love life: 1. Address every unresolved issue in your relationship I understand that women feel very deeply about things, but men do too. It is important to deal with hurts and disappointments as promptly as possible. If we allow the sun to go down on our wrath, we run the risk of opening the door to resentment and bitterness. This is never a good place to dwell in a relationship.. It is important, therefore, to resolve every conflict. Repent and forgive. 2. Focus on the little things Sometimes in life the things that matter most are small things. Little gestures of kindness. Little acts of grace. Little moments of tenderness. Little sacrificial service. All these can add up to spark an unstoppable flame. It really doesn’t have to be a diamond ring – I’m sure that wouldn’t hurt, cuz …

3 Incredible Promises & 1 Big Reason

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“But now, God ’s Message, the God who made you in the first place, Jacob, the One who got you started, Israel: “Don’t be afraid, I’ve redeemed you. I’ve called your name. You’re mine. When you’re in over your head, I’ll be there with you. When you’re in rough waters, you will not go down. When you’re between a rock and a hard place, it won’t be a dead-end— Because I am God, your personal God, The Holy of Israel, your Savior. I paid a huge price for you: all of Egypt, with rich Cush and Seba thrown in! That’s how much you mean to me! That’s how much I love you! I’d sell off the world to get you back, trade the creation just for you.” Isaiah 43:1-4 MSG Check out The Promises: When you are in over your head – I will be with you When you are in rough waters You will not go down When you’re between a rock and a hard place It won’t be a dead-end Check out the …

Personal Evangelism: How to share a much clearer message

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I sat down for a cup of coffee at my favorite neighborhood Starbucks a few days ago and just as I did, a couple came in and sat just next to me. I promise, I wasn’t trying to listen to their conversation, but sitting that close to them, I could hear everything. She obviously had a great heart and desire to see her fiancée come to faith in Jesus. But she really didn’t know how to help him get there. I think he left a bit more confused than he came. Most of us have a passion to see our friends and loved ones come to a saving knowledge of Christ, but we often lack the ability and confidence to share our faith because we just don’t know what to say and how to say it. I would like to use Paul’s conversation here with King Agrippa to share three simple steps on what to say in your effort to share the good news with friends. Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the …

11 things I tell Seniors in my Church

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At one time in my church, there was no one under 50 years old. Last January, I told a couple of women in my church that my mother just turned 75 and they were  like – “oh my word, she’s very young.” I love seniors, they are fun to hang out with. You learn a lot from them. Their wisdom, and strength rub off just by hanging with them. But other times they can come across as being too set in their ways. Here are 11 things I usually tell them: The internet/ technology/ social media is not of the devil Yes! The internet is sometimes used for great evil but it can also be used for great good. It all depends who’s using it and for what purpose. So, learn how to use it and use it for uplifting and educational purposes. The world has always been evil Sometimes when seniors talk about the evil in the world, it almost sounds like things were not that bad back in the day. There has always been wars and …

Cultural clashes in defining beauty

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My wife was recently in Boston to give a short talk at TED. The video is available on their website right now. I would appreciate it if you took just a few minutes of your time to follow the link/video still below, watch the video and give her your feedback. About this speaker Dalali is not only my wife, but the mother of my two children and the most amazing person I know. She is a State Street new hire, who graduated from California State University, Chico with a double major in project management and accounting. Her research focuses on how leadership styles played an important role in political upheaval. Delali is also a certified SAP associate and led a project to convert SAP ERP Financial case studies from IDES to GBI dataset, to support SAP curriculum progress at her university. About this talk In this talk she shares her personal story of how growing up in West Africa, she was bullied and marginalized for being skinny. Her family worried about her, put her on …