The Caffeinated Christian

James 1:5 says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”   I have asked God for many things in prayer, but none more frequently or fervently than I have asked Him for wisdom.  Wisdom is the ability to apply truth to a situation.  Wisdom helps you discern the variables and make the best choice.  Wisdom is a telescope on consequences.   The ways God has answered my request for wisdom have been various.  Sometimes it has come with insight, sometimes through careful study.  There are many times in which I can honestly say that even though I was the one speaking, wisdom has come in such an unusual way that it was almost as if I were a spectator to my own words.  It was as if I were hearing things come out of my mouth that did not originate in my thoughts.  Most of the time that sort of thing will get you into trouble.  With wisdom it borders on miraculous. Sometimes wisdom walks through the door.  He

I am the father of two daughters.  I have survived Dora the Explorer, Selena Gomez, The Wiggles, Hannah Montana, Blue’s Clues, That’s So Raven, and High School Musical 1, 2, and 3.  I have been married since ’97.  A wonderful Chinese girl has just moved in with us.  We have a 6 month old Shih-Poo dog who was spayed this week; a dog who I am not sure feels the same way about me now as she did last week.  I am surrounded by women.  I understand a world that cries for no apparent reason.  There are times I stop by a field to stare at a bull just to remind myself of who I am.  I am man. As man as I am, there is one aspect of girl culture that has captured me.  I must confess, I really like Taylor Swift.  I would not consider myself a Swiftie by any stretch, but I own 1 song of hers on iTunes and when she comes on the radio - yes - I turn it up and sing.  Hey bro, don’t diss me - shake it off! Taylor Swift is a culture study.  Her skill as a songwriter to stick a song in your head

The critic is easy enough to recognize, but what about the cynic?  Who is he? Put simply, the cynic believes he has a better grasp on reality than you.  He never gets it wrong, but you always do.  He will not help, but he is first in line to point out your mistakes.  He will vote “No” and tell everyone why, but he offers no alternatives.  Deep into the night, you see his face and you hear his voice rehearse his favorite lines, “I knew it.”  ”I told you so.”   Cynics are chronic side-liners with a clever excuse.   He is justifiably jaded and you can’t possibly understand how he feels or comprehend what he knows.  I think Chicago Journalist Syndey J. Harris’ description of a cynic states it best, “A cynic is not merely one who reads bitter lessons from the past; he is one who is prematurely disappointed in the future .” —Sydney J. Harris, On the Contrary So how are we to deal with the cynic so we can get some sleep? Don’t swallow the nocebo.   You’ve heard of a placebo, but

I am not a sound sleeper.  Maybe you, are like me in that when you wake up in the middle of the night it is often with a negative thought.  2:00 a.m., an idea that didn’t work.  2:45, an improvement in a process I can’t seem to make.  The 4:00 a.m. wake up call is from a comment that someone made weeks ago continuously reverberates in my brain.   If we want to be effective in any venue of life, there are two things we must do: 1) deal with people, and 2) get some sleep.   This week I want to write about three people who keep me up at night and how the Bible informs us to deal with them.  The three that interrupt my sleep most often are:  1)The critic   2) The cynic 3) The whiner Let’s talk first about the critic . Criticism is not necessarily a bad thing .  As a matter of fact, I would say that we need to invite some critics into our lives.  Proverbs 13:18 says, “ Poverty and disgrace come to him who ignores instruction, but whoever heeds reproof is honored. ”  Think a