Barnabas File

“To err is human; to forgive, divine.”—Alexander Pope If you have ever been in a leadership role, this has happened to you.  Someone has accepted an assignment, and you not only expect them to complete it, but you are depending on them to do it.  Then they pull out, fail to show up, or don’t follow through.  What’s a leader do in this situation? First, don’t get angry.  You are not only wasting your energy but your time as well.  What is done is done, so focus all that energy on assessing the situation, picking up the pieces, and moving on.  If the task is important, give your attention to completing it. Second, recognize your responsibility.  Did you fail to provide something that the person needed?  Were you disconnected and not aware of their progress or lack thereof?  Where did communication break down?  Accept responsibility if necessary.  Now that’s out of the way.  Let’s move on. Third, as my Grandda...

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”-- John 16:33,NIV Earlier this month I attended a Mental Health Conference which featured a presentation by Timothy Jennings, a psychiatrist who studies the influence of various factors—diet, exercise, stress--on depression.   A lot of what he said was way over my head, but these two statements got my attention: “Religion based on fear damages the brain.   Religion based on love is healing to the brain.” Now I certainly cannot follow all the research that led Jennings to that conclusion, but as a Christian believer, his findings make sense to me.   This got to thinking how our view of God impacts our thinking, our mental health, and our subsequent actions. Kim Davis, the county clerk in Rowan County, Kentucky, has stated that issuing marriages licenses to gay couples is a violation of God’s authority and her consc...

 According to an Associated Press story , Kansas House Speaker Mike O’Neal has apologized for an e-mail he sent earlier this month where he quoted Psalm 109:8 in reference to President Obama:  “May his days be few; may another take his place of leadership.” The next verse (which he did not quote) says, “May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow.” O’Neal apologized last week, saying he did not intend to offend anyone. He said the Bible verse was meant to call for Obama to be defeated in the upcoming election. His response included this statement: “I understand the debate over the verse interpretation, about which I have explained and for which I have repeatedly apologized to the extent anyone misconstrued my intent or was otherwise offended.” Speaker O’Neal has adopted what has become the response when one commits an error.  Basically the speaker is saying, “If you were offended by what I said, I am sorry that you interpreted what I said in such a way...