Author name: Tom Stuart

Your destiny is a person

Overcoming /

There is both a mystery and majesty about the word destiny. In a very real sense it holds transformative power because there are moments in time in which circumstances and decisions can alter it irrevocably.

I still laugh when I think about George McFly’s attempt to impress Lorraine in the movie Back to the Future. “I’m your density. I mean…your destiny.” George’s dense introduction did not get him very far. But with some major help from Marty, his future son, George’s wish became a reality and the destiny of the McFly family, hanging so delicately in the balance, was restored.

When Simeon held the eight day old Jesus in his arms he was holding the child in whom the destiny of the world would one day be determined. He was forecasting that what people choose to do with this child will determine their eternal destiny. Destiny is a powerful word. A person’s destiny speaks of his or her ultimate destination. That is a sobering thought. Especially when you realize that there are only two destinies from which to choose – a falling destination or a rising destination.

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The Balance of Trade in Relationships

3 Comments / Relationships /

What happens when you send out ten friendly “vibes” to someone and only get two in return? Or what about the opposite of that – how do you react when you are being inundated by “vibes” that you don’t want to return? I don’t know about you, but both of these scenarios set off my ‘vibe” alarm system.

When it comes to monitoring the quality of our relationships most people have a sense of uncomfortableness when the exchange of “vibes” is not reciprocal. That happens because healthy relationships typically are marked by a give-and-take balance. When things are out of balance, it sets off an internal warning system that is meant to prompt us to do something about it.

Positive relationships require maintaining a healthy balance of trade. A mutually beneficial interchange requires both buying and selling. When someone is selling more than they are buying that is good for them but not for the other person, and vice versa.

You can relate to this principle when you think about how you feel when you have to deal with a high pressure salesman or phone solicitor. Some relationships are just like that. One person is doing all the talking, it’s all about them and they have no interest in what you feel or think. It is a one way, trade deficit relationship. They are treating you as if you have nothing of value to contribute to the conversation.

Here are three valuable tips to help us maintain a balance of trade in our relationships.

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No Exaggeration

5 Comments / Communication, Leadership /

Sad to say, exaggeration in religious circles is the order of the day. It is jokingly referred to as speaking “evangelastically.” That is why Billy Graham at the start of his ministry made a covenant with his team not to exaggerate his crusade attendance figures.
In my years of ministry I’ve seen many forms of religious exaggeration. And truth be told, at times I have fallen prey to it myself.

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3 lessons from the blizzard

2 Comments / News & Reflections /

The storm of the decade hit the Midwest with a vengeance on Saturday. Blowing winds and nearly two feet of snow inundated the Twin Cities deflating not only the the Metrodome roof but everyone’s plans for the weekend. Storms have a way of getting our attention and testing our hearts.

Job knew something about storms. He was battered by the storms of life including a tornado that killed all his children and a lightning storm that incinerated all his sheep and all his servants. If that were not enough, he also had to endure the chilling blasts of incessant condemnation from his so-called friends. It was fitting therefore that in the end, God chose to speak to him in a storm rather than through a still small voice like He did with Elijah. (Job 40:6)

Some things are only communicated clearly through storms. Storms have a way of getting our attention because they disrupt our lives. God speaks to us in many ways through storms. (Psalm 29:3-9) Most importantly He uses stormy trials in our lives to reveal what is in our hearts. (Deuteronomy 8:3)

Storms bring out the good, the bad and the ugly in people.

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The priority of private disclosure

Communication, Relationships /

We live in a world where the ethical scales that should maintain a proper balance between private disclosure and public exposure have gone awry. Public exposure more often than not is outweighing and countermanding the Biblical priority of private disclosure.
Hardly a day goes by that we do not hear some breaking news about another celebrity indiscretion, marriage infidelity, business corruption and even church leader hypocrisy. You can insert the current names that come to mind here. They are the ones who fuel the ratings of likes of TMZ and provide the material for the late night comedians.
Sin gets way to much public exposure! It’s bad enough in private. And who in their right mind would want their dirty little secrets shouted publicly from the housetops? (Luke 12:3)

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