All tagged relationship

The mangoes of the Philippines are amazingly delicious! It's their national fruit, and I've found no other mango like the queen of mangoes, the tu-od variety. I posted this photo on Instagram and Facebook a few years back, proclaiming their goodness, and saw a lot of agreement.

But there are plenty of other wonderful fruits in the Philippines and SE Asia—papayas, guavas, lanzones, jackfruit, and even durian, and much more.

Yet, the fruit I'm most excited about in the Philippines doesn't grow on trees.

Journalists embedded with combat troops made the Viet Nam conflict the first televised war. Network news brought the war into American living rooms every evening. It was an undeclared war that brought continuing protests on college campuses, at military induction centers, and government monuments for over a decade.

Televising this "conflict" fought on the other side of the world created a tug-a-war for the American psyche. The embedded journalists revealed the realities of the daily struggle of war, as thousands of young soldiers died in an undeclared war that divided a nation.

It was not a bright spot in American history, but it brought about a more honest view of combat and politics that lingers today.

A Journey of Faith

Quoting a truth is easier than living it out in real life. Putting truth on a plaque or poster is nice, but it doesn't change a person's life.

Memorization of Scripture is good for retention, but it won't produce transformation in a person's life on its own. What we know in our minds doesn't automatically bring change in our hearts or our self-will.

Truth doesn't bring transformation until it's transferred from thought into action, which requires an active, personal faith.

I was a praise and worship leader for four decades. I suppose I could still lead, but my role in life and ministry is different now.

I miss that role at times, especially when I see leaders overly concerned with their performance and presentation of the music. It grieves me when I see this for that shouldn't be their focus.

It's easy to see that American culture exalts good performance and entertainers. But this is more of a human flaw than a cultural one.