I had a mini-debate on Twitter today over the motives behind donating to Hurricane Harvey. If you can donate, please do. It will help the hundreds of thousands of displaced people who had their lives torn apart by one of the biggest storms to ever hit the United States. It was simply devastating. There is no other way to say it.
That said, if you’re donating, don’t announce it. There is no reason to brag on your donations. It’s unnecessary. It’s reeks of self-promotion. It’s also unbiblical. I brought up the first four verses of Matthew chapter six in our online discussion. Matthew 6:1-4 (NIV) 1 “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2 “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. That’s my stance on publicly announcing what a great thing you’ve done for others. Now, celebrities using their platform to urge others to vote? I’m good with that. Just don’t do it to gain public praise. What Houston Texans star J.J. Watt has done, raising $11+ million in relief efforts, is fantastic. He’s using his platform as a pro athlete to stand up and serve as a bullhorn to the country, pleading for help for his city. Now, if he was bragging about all the amazing sums of money HE donated, I’d have more of a problem with that. One of the guys I was discussing this with suggested that Matthew 7 would apply here, too. I couldn’t agree more. The motives with which we broadcast our comings and goings online are important. In this age where our lives' highlight reels, a.k.a. social media, play such a huge part in the way we view each other, it’s vital that we choose to showcase ourselves in a way that promotes God, not ourselves. If you can afford to donate, please do. There are people who need the help. Just don’t go bragging about how great you are for doing so.
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Guess what? I’m writing a book.
I never thought I would get the opportunity to add ‘author’ to my bio but I’m determined to do it. I got the feeling I needed to write this book while on vacation in the mountains of North Carolina this summer. Over the Fourth of July holiday, my wedding anniversary by the way, I explained to a few new friendly neighbors what I did for a living. I got the expected line of comments and questioning: “Isn’t it hard working in the media?” “Do you have to report on murders and stuff?” “I would hate that job.” I already knew what the perception of local and national news/media outlets were from my every day encounters with interviewees. People don’t really like news. They don’t consume it because they think it’s depressing. It’s a grim, bleak outlook thanks to a number of factors. I, then, was given the chance to explain to these new friendly neighbors how I fit into the media world. I get to do the two-minutes of happy news each day that uplifts your spirit and reminds you that there is good stuff going on in the world besides those murders, robberies, natural disasters and Presidential tweets you’re bombarded with each night. The world is far brighter than it’s made out to be in the newspaper, TV and online. I hope that my daily human interest segment On The Road is a breath of fresh air in a world full of smoggy media pollution. Now, not all media and news coverage is awful and dreary. Many stories are encouraging. I wanted to write about my slice of journalistic responsibility and how my faith compass has helped guide me to present stories in a Godly manner. I am still working on a title. I think the words On The Road will feature prominently somehow. I am feverishly working on this book every day and hope to complete it by the end of 2017. Life seems dark and hopeless if you only plug in to a dark and hopeless source. If you choose the bright, shining, uplifting one instead, you’ll find that life can be more exciting than you ever imagined. Hopefully, my two minutes each day is a reminder of that. Beer, football, Hooters and cereal are in big trouble if you believe this trend.
Recent data would suggest that millennials don’t care much for these things anymore. At least not in the way that they have traditionally been consumed. I know plenty of millennials. Heck, I technically am one. I was born in 1985 and squeezed right into the very top end of the age division as one of its oldest members. I have read that the Millennial-age began in 1984. If so, I barely qualify. But, knowing many millennials, I think I can speak to what they do and do not like. Both of my siblings are millennials. My wife coaches high school kids. I know for a fact that they like Instagram, beaches and artsy-farsty things that are boutique-y in nature. Also, they (ahem, we) like anything labeled “organic”. Apparently, beer is out. So is football. If that’s the case, then Sundays will be freed up for more church and family visits to the park. I’m not sure if millennials are choosing to spend their newfound free time in those places. Perhaps that data will be scrounged up in the next survey. The things on this list that surprise me: Fabric softener. Do you not do laundry, millennials? Cereal. Do you not like Frosted Flakes? Diamonds. Do you not want engagement rings? Listen, I get that lifestyles are different for younger people. They are in the beginning stages of being able to spend their discretionary income and choosing entertainment choices that are faster and cheaper. I understand the delay in homeownership and thus the subsequent decline in home improvement stores. But bars of soap? You dirty millennials need to wake up and clean up your act. Then tweet about it. |
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June 2018
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