Those of you who are saying, “But most will survive this” miss the…

Originally posted on Facebook on Tuesday, March 17, 2020.

Those of you who are saying, "But most will survive this" miss the point.

I attended a meeting this morning with a briefing from the Director of Oktibbeha County Emergency Management Agency, Kristen Campanella. She commented that many of the deaths that occurred in Italy were mostly due to the medical system being overwhelmed.

Coronavirus COVID-19 spreads rapidly. The real risk is people presenting symptoms (or people who are just afraid that they've been exposed) trying to all go to the doctor at once. If that happens, those that really need treatment are hindered and many could die from things completely unrelated to coronavirus. If the system breaks down there won't be much help for anybody, for anything. That is the point.

So, let's give the system a chance by limiting unnecessary interactions with people, staying home wherever possible, slowing the spread of the disease and thereby reducing the demands placed on our medical professionals.

We'll get through this and fare much better as a community if we:
1. Remain calm.
2. Make good decisions based on good information.
3. Be considerate of each other.

I love you and am praying the best for every one of you.

Is our reaction to the novel Coronavirus COVID-19 faith or fear?

Originally posted on Facebook on Tuesday, March 17, 2020.

Is our reaction to the novel Coronavirus COVID-19 faith or fear?

The goal of fear is to prevent (pain, suffering or death). The goal of faith is to produce (well-being, productivity and life).

A defining characteristic of worry and fear is that it hinders productivity -the fruit of the Spirit; love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Are you preventing or producing? If you want to know whether you're operating under faith or fear, look at the fruit -or the lack thereof.

[SOURCES:]
Galatians 5:22-23
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

Luke 8:14
14 Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity.

Matthew 7:16-20
16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

May I be honest? I’m struggling.

May I be honest? I'm struggling. In difficult seasons I sometimes feel like I must have done…

Originally posted on Facebook on Thursday, January 30, 2020.

May I be honest? I'm struggling.

In difficult seasons I sometimes feel like I must have done something wrong or that God doesn't approve of me in some way.

It's easy to see why some would feel that way. Church culture teaches and acts like "believing" makes us God's favorite people who get preferential treatment and should have no trouble in their lives. But that isn't biblical. (John 16:33)

If it were true that believers shouldn't struggle, riddle me this: Why is every believer given a helmet, breastplate, waistband, boots, sword and a shield as standard issue? (Ephesians 6:11-17) Armor makes it pretty obvious we should fully expect and be prepared for a fight.

There are no magical words, including the name of Jesus, that will make our problems go away.

Sometimes life is just hard. The full armor of God: truth, righteousness, understanding of the gospel, faith, salvation, and Scripture are weapons granted to us for dealing with every difficulty all of us are certain to face.

So be encouraged, fight on and do not lose heart. Victory is assured for those who endure to the end.

As a participant in the Inroads program, I had the wonderful…

As a participant in the Inroads program, I had the wonderful opportunity as a high school junior…

Originally posted on Facebook on Sunday, January 26, 2020.

As a participant in the Inroads program, I had the wonderful opportunity as a high school junior to intern at Entergy in Jackson, Mississippi. There, I met this super smart computer science student from Millsaps College named Bhaskar Dutt. From the day I stepped off the elevator into the IT Department, Bhaskar was eager to share everything he knew with me.

Back when the primary means of connecting to another computer required a dial-up connection, Bhaskar introduced me to peer-to-peer protocols using the DOS game One Must Fall. He helped me resolve IRQ conflicts in my first custom build 486 PC. (And yes, it was because of the sound card.)

But, what Bhaskar did that was most profound was he related to me in a way that communicated that IT was a place that I, as someone who didn't look like most of the people in the room, belonged. As a result, I never left and will be forever grateful. #52WoG

I love this man. On Friday’s before work, Chris Walker and I would…

I love this man. On Friday's before work, Chris Walker and I would call each other, lay bare our…

Originally posted on Facebook on Sunday, January 19, 2020.

I love this man. On Friday's before work, Chris Walker and I would call each other, lay bare our lives and wrestle to bring them into submission of Christ. What I love about Chris was his refusal to accept anything without thinking it through for himself. He would take Scripture and work through why its reasoning was superior to his own.

Admittedly, our marriages were the impetus for most of our conversations as we stumbled and struggled to be husbands that loved our wives in the manner that Christ loved the Church. I remember we were discussing John 15 and Chris said with tears, "I love Laranda. I would jump in front of a bullet for her. But that's not what it means to love her. Loving my wife isn't a heroic act, it's laying down my self-interest for her benefit -every day."

Chris passed in 2016. I am grateful for the time he was in my life. I'm sharper for it. #52WoG

I spent a lot of time with my Uncle Henry growing up. On this…

I spent a lot of time with my Uncle Henry growing up. On this particular day, I'm sitting in the…

Originally posted on Facebook on Sunday, January 12, 2020.

I spent a lot of time with my Uncle Henry growing up. On this particular day, I'm sitting in the passenger seat of his pristine, blue Toyota Cressida. We're parked outside a convenience store. In one hand he has a five dollar bill and with the other he points to a compartment in the car filled with change. A man of few words, he says kindly, "Which one do you want?" I looked intently at the change that was more silver than copper and said, "The change." Uncle Henry smirked, turned off the car and said "Well, count it out. Let's see how you did." There were a lot of quarters and the change came out to a little more than seven dollars. "Smart," he said. "Come on." And, we went inside.

Maybe he knew it, maybe he didn't, but the many little moments I shared with him like that are etched in my heart and shaped my life. See, he made me want to make smart choices because I wanted to be like him. I am deeply grateful for that. #52WoG

This may be the most profound thing I’ve ever read on Facebook.

Originally posted on Facebook on Sunday, October 27, 2019.

This may be the most profound thing I've ever read on Facebook.

"Learn to shift your anger to compassion… Emotions are how your thoughts feel."

A day or so ago, I prayed, "God, I'm hurting. Am I supposed to ignore that? Does my pain matter at all? What am I supposed to do with these feelings?"

This post was an answer to my prayer. There's a resonance with, "Defilement comes from within" (Mark 7:14-23) and "Be angry and do not sin" (Ephesians 4:26).

I interpret the post to mean "better thinking promotes better emotional well-being". I've explored changing the trajectory of a thought so that you arrive at healthier conclusions. But, I've never considered the possibility of changing one emotion to another. Could this be how Christ, while subjected to the violence of being nailed to a cross, reacts with compassion rather than anger and exclaims, "Father forgive them…"?! (Luke 23:34)

This is a big idea with the aim being to recognize that you're angry but in the moment choosing to focus on what you can do to bring healing to the hurt that may have precipitated the situation. That shift moves you from victim to victor. This is another way we manifest being "more than conquerors". (Romans 8:37)

This Word was a great treasure and arrived exactly when I needed it. Thank you, Sister
@[1074383489:2048:Ora] @[1074383489:2048:O'Connell].

I joined SOMBA – Starkville Oktibbeha Minority Business Alliance…

I joined SOMBA - Starkville Oktibbeha Minority Business Alliance because I believe when a segment…

Originally posted on Facebook on Wednesday, September 25, 2019.

I joined SOMBA – Starkville Oktibbeha Minority Business Alliance because I believe when a segment of our community does better, we all do better. And, there's a real opportunity to grow contributions of our minority businesses to the economy of Starkville and Oktibbeha County.

So, I am thankful to Eileen Carr-Tabb and Scott Maynard for bringing this group together to grow this sector of our economy. And, I am delighted that after a year under the leadership of Rosa Dalomba we are growing our membership and hosting our first Meet & Greet over Jazz with music provided by Simeon QSax Weatherby and the band "Muzik in Action".

I am inviting you to join us. The event is free and it is a great opportunity to network with minority business owners and professionals in our area and to learn how we can grow together.

Please tag people you think would be interested.

I have a bad habit of letting my email inbox dictate my day…

I have a bad habit of letting my email inbox dictate my day because frankly, it's easier than…

Originally posted on Facebook on Monday, September 16, 2019.

I have a bad habit of letting my email inbox dictate my day because frankly, it's easier than clearly defining my own goals, thinking through how to achieve them and maintaining the discipline to consistently refocus and execute on the next step toward success.

But, this is much like everything else in life. Either I decide or someone else will decide for me. And, when someone else decides, it is seldom in your best interest.

If there is something I desire to achieve, I have to decide how I am going to spend my life to attain it. Either way, your life will get spent. So, decide every day. #Thriveday

There are occasionally long periods where I have no indication of…

Originally posted on Facebook on Sunday, September 15, 2019.

There are occasionally long periods where I have no indication of whether I'm headed in the right direction. There are no awards, no applause, no acknowledgment. If often feels like I am failing and not doing anything well.

But, Jesus is my compass in the dark -and also in the light because: "We walk by faith, not by sight." And my faith is this: when Christ is known, it changes hearts, brings heavenly government to earth and births good works by the hands of believers.

So then, bettering understanding of Christ (mine or another's) is always the right direction -even when I cannot see it. (See: 2 Cor 5:7-11)