Blog Archives

HONEST TO GOODNESS!

6/25/2023

If I’m honest, I can honestly say that I was honestly taken aback by John Johnson’s story posted earlier today on www.Newswer.com. Honest! Maybe you will be too. Honest! You see, his article was titled “Leading Honesty Scholar Accused of Dishonesty”. And, to be honest, the sub-title only served to further intrigue me: “Peers Say Renowned Harvard Researcher Fudged Data in Multiple Studies”.

Now, be honest here. In your honest opinion, can you believe what I read? It’s honestly quite disturbing. According to Johnson…

A behavioral scientist at Harvard Business School who is considered to be one of the leading scholars on honesty has been accused of fabricating data in multiple studies, reports Science. Francesco Gino has been called out by three peers in behavioral science at the data investigation blog Data Colada, per the Harvard Crimson. The trio says they have found evidence so far of bogus data in four studies, but "we believe that many more Gino-authored papers contain fake data," they write. One is a famous 2012 paper asserting that people are more likely to be honest when filling out tax and insurance forms if they are asked to attest to the truth of their statements at the top of the form rather than the bottom.

The odd thing is that the paper already had been retracted because of fraudulent data by another of its co-authors. But Gino's contribution to the paper is now in doubt as well, reports the Chronicle of Higher Education. "That's right: Two different people independently faked data for two different studies in a paper about dishonesty," write Uri Simonsohn, Joseph Simmons, and Leif Nelson in their Data Colada post. Gino is now on administrative leave and has not commented on the controversy. Nor has HBS.

"It's obviously something that is very sensitive that we can't speak to now," a man who identified himself as Gino's husband told the New York Times by phone. The controversy has rocked the academic world of behavioral science because Gino has "so many collaborators, so many articles, (and) is really a leading scholar in the field," says Maurice Schweitzer at the Wharton School. Schweitzer himself is now going over eight studies he co-authored with Gino, and other scholars in the field are doing the same.

The honest truth is that all of this is more than a little troubling. One small error in research might be considered an honest mistake, and thus forgivable. But honestly, dishonesty in four different studies relating to honesty? The poor academician would have been far better off to do an honest day’s work rather be dishonest in is research.

At least that way, even with the name of Francesco, he would still be considered an honest John! And whatever he got in remuneration for his work, at least it would have been considered an honest buck!

Now, be honest, at this point, are you tired of all the honesty puns? I honestly hope so, because at this point, I have all but exhausted my phrase thesaurus of honesty idioms!

And yet, I must say it one more time. If you are honest, you are probably not only tired of the honesty puns here, but also of the headlines being filled with stories just such as this one documenting the impugning of honesty in modern culture!

Let’s be honest! Dishonesty has become almost as prevalent, if not more so, than honesty itself. Far too many in the field of research lie. Far too many in the field of media lie. Far too many in the field of politics lie. Far too many in the field of academia lie. Far too many in the field of politics lie. Far too many in the field of jurisprudence lie. Far too many in the field of commerce lie. Far too many in the field of athletics lie. And sadly, if we would be honest, far too many in the field of religion also lie.

It is as if the practice of dishonesty has become an art form; and we seem to pride ourselves on our ability to distort the truth with the subtlest of methods and in the most delicate of ways. And yet, if we would but honestly be honest with ourselves, all of this is done to our shame!

You see, there was a time in Western Civilization when virtue reigned supreme. When it did, the pursuit of truth was paramount among those virtues, and considered commendable among all. Would that our world still believed this! Alas, the almost universal embracing of dishonesty has all but vanquished the telling of truth!

But whether or not the world any longer embraces the truth, those of us who follow Jesus Christ do. And indeed, we must! For it is in the Word of God that we read such fundamental admonitions as these:

“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” (Exodus 20:16)

“There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers. My son, keep your father's commandment, and forsake not your mother's teaching.” (Proverbs 6:16-20)

“Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who act faithfully are his delight.” (Proverbs 12:22)

“A dishonest man spreads strife, and a whisperer separates close friends.” (Proverbs 16:28)

“Better is a poor person who walks in his integrity than one who is crooked in speech and is a fool.” (Proverbs 19:1)

“The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them.” (Proverbs 11:3)

“Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.” (Ephesians 4:25)

“Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices.” (Colossians 3:9)

“Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit; let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” (1 Peter 3:10-12)

And above all, what we read in Philippians 4:8-9...

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”

Now, be honest… In light of all these things, should not we who follow Jesus Christ practice more honesty in our dealings with others, with ourselves, and with our God?

I, for one, honestly think we should!

Honest, I do!

STORY SOURCE:

https://www.newser.com/story/336909/leading-honesty-scholar-accused-of-dishonesty.html.

SCRIPTURES:

https://www.openbible.info/topics/honesty.

TICK, TICK, TICK…

6/20/2023

I shudder to think what would have happened if my wife had not noticed the small black dot on the back of my left leg just above my calf muscle. It is certain that I had not seen it. And by “it”, I mean the stealthy tick that had embedded itself, and had thereby begun the process of gorging itself – all while sucking every single ounce of life-giving blood out of my body!

My wife volunteered to remove it; and I quickly acquiesced. Unfortunately, when she grasped it with a pair of tweezers and pulled, all that came away was the headless body of the insidious parasite. “ Little Mr. Ichabod” had left his entire cranium, complete with an ongoing working set of jaws, gnawing away at my innards. The result? You guessed it, was a trip for yours truly to the doctor’s office.

Once there, the doctor dug a little deeper, as it were, and in short order, was rewarded with a degree of success. I say degree because that success was partial; for all the doctor was able to retrieve was half of a tick’s head. Let’s just say the little booger was using its head; and it was doing so for all it was worth and to the very last moment!

Upon hearing this news, I quite naturally freaked out! After all, like some of you, I have seen pictures of the heads of such hideous little creatures magnified a bazillion times over and displayed on the internet. Who in the right mind would want any portion of any such abominable creature embedded in their flesh?!

To his credit, the doctor repeatedly assured me that I would be okay. I was told that the remaining bits of the creature, infinitesimal as they were, would either be absorbed by my body’s defenses or else rejected by it and forced to the surface of the skin where it would be expelled as detritus. (Easy for him to say; they weren’t in his body and eating him alive!)

But just to be sure that I would be okay, I was placed on a regimen of antibiotics, which would supposedly annihilate any residual germs and/or infection introduced by the sinister foreign body lodged within me. Needless to say, I went straight to the pharmacy and got my medicine. What is more, I have not missed one single dose since the episode unfolded!

I am now happy to report that, so far at least, I have managed to survive the ordeal. That’s right – so far so good. As of yet, there is no sign of Lyme Disease! Nor is there any hint of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever! Time will tell, of course; but all indications are that I will survive this untoward assault on my being.

But while my body has been mending, my mind has been racing. As a result, I thought I would share a few of my thoughts here.

Upon reflection, it strikes me that ticks are little more than parasites. Their entire purpose in life seems to be to attach themselves to some unfortunate host and then to proceed to suck the life out of that hapless individual. Unless I miss my guess, that’s about it. Otherwise, ticks seem to serve no essential purpose. As such, they are an unfortunate, if ubiquitous, aspect of life.

But what is worse is the fact that I have known a few people who are little more than much the same. Who among us has not known such a person? The kind who attaches his or herself to someone else in order merely to suck the life out of them? And indeed, in many cases, to do so until they eventually bleed that person dry?

As a follower of Jesus Christ, I certainly believe in helping those who are less well-off then myself. After all, helping those who cannot help themselves is the essence of Christianity. Otherwise, where would any of us be if Christ Himself had not come to our aid?!

What is more, being a follower of Christ means that I am sent as a lamb to the slaughter. For this reason, I am willingly to give of myself on behalf of others, even as Christ did for me.

Still, the same Christ Who gave Himself for me and you, and Who said we are to go the extra mile on behalf of others did not further specify that we should go three, or four, or any more miles. The same Christ who said we should turn the other cheek knew we only had two cheeks. He also knew that we only had two hands.

And perhaps that is exactly why we should be willing to offer a helping hand once or twice; but thereafter, we should be a little more discerning!

It is for this reason, no doubt, that the Bible spends just as much time admonishing us to beware of shiftless characters as it does admonishing us to help our fellow man. A person in genuine need is one thing; but someone engaged in endless chicanery is yet another! That is to say that the same Bible that says we are to look to the interests of others as much as to our own interests also says that, if anyone is not willing to work, neither should he or she be allowed to eat.

It strikes me that the message here is clear. While compassion is essential to those who purport to follow Christ, forbearance nonetheless has its limits! All of this is to say that a wise person will eventually recognize whenever he or she has turned enough cheeks and/or has gone enough extra miles. Wise persons will thus recognize whenever a parasite has attached itself to them, and will quickly take steps to prevent themselves from being sucked dry as a result!

And the sooner the better. After all, whenever a parasite has affixed itself, with each passing moment, one’s blood is draining, one’s strength is ebbing, and above all, one’s clock is “tick”ing…

He who has ears to hear, let him now hear...

Tick, tock, tick, tock, tick tock...

SCRIPTURE:

https://biblehub.com/philippians/2-4.htm;

https://biblehub.com/2_thessalonians/3-10.htm.

SEE ALSO:

https://www.openbible.info/topics/lazy_people.

REMEMBER ME?

6/16/2023

In a powerful scene in the 2016 television miniseries, Harley and the Davidsons, the title character tells his business partners that they need to give people something by which to remember them. His exact words, coming in the final part of the three part miniseries, itself aptly titled “Legacy”, are: “This is about the next generation. Let’s give them something that will do our names proud when we’re gone!”

I love this quote. Who among us, if we would be completely honest, has not wondered whether or not our name will live on in any way after we are gone? After all, few of us can expect that our life’s work will make us into a household name like Harley-Davidson. That pantheon is reserved for a select few, such as Johnson and Johnson, Proctor and Gamble, DuPont, Ford, Mercedes, etc…

Still, this quote speaks to what happens to any individual who, whether he or she has tasted worldly success or not, has nonetheless found that they are still not fulfilled, and are thus looking to find a way to leave something behind that makes an impact on others.

That is why another of my favorite television episodes comes from Little House on the Prairie, season 8, episode 14, which bears the similar title of “The Legacy”.

The folks over at the Little House on the Prairie Wiki website summarize the plot. Charles Ingalls, played by Michael Landon, and a friend, named Jack, deliver some tables, hand-made by Charles, from Walnut Grove to a store in Minneapolis, for which Charles makes a few "as a hobby".

After Jack dies suddenly on the return trip, Charles decides he wants to do something to be remembered for, and he agrees to move to the city to work full-time on producing the tables for a trial period before selling the farm and moving the entire family.

Things go well at first, until a big furniture manufacturer copies the table and underprices them, and sales dry up. Meanwhile, things have not gone well at the farm, as the whole family has had to pitch in to do the work Charles normally did. Charles soon decides that his greatest legacy will be his children, not his furniture.

The final scene jumps ahead to the modern world (1982 at the time), where one of Charles’ tables, complete with the identifying brand, “CI”, burned on the underneath, is bought as a prized antique at an auction. Not surprisingly, the young couple who purchases the hand-crafted table inquires as to who the original craftsman with the initials “CI” was, only to be told that no one seems to know. Whoever he was, he clearly did fine work; but his identity has long been forgotten to history.

The point of the episode is clear. Charles Ingalls left behind little to warrant recognition from the world at large as praiseworthy. Even the table itself is a fictional concoction for the purposes of entertainment. And yet, the real Charles Ingalls did exist. He was the father of a noted author named Laura Ingalls Wilder.

You likely know of her. She went on to pen a whole series of books, in part, because she was inspired to tell the story of her father and mother and their struggle to raise a family on the nineteenth century American frontier.

No doubt Mrs. Wilder herself had no idea that her books would one day become international bestsellers, and then be made into movies and even an award winning, decades-long running television show, touching untold millions of people.

All of this is to say that the greatest legacy any of us can leave is our impact on those whom God has entrusted us to influence. And so, my friend, if you feel led to design and manufacture a world class motorcycle, go for it! More power to you. If you can build a better mousetrap (or even a table), then by all means, do so. May the world beat a path to your door!

But remember, as you do, that the greatest legacy you will likely ever leave is still the impression you make on those with whom God has ordained that you cross paths. Spouses, family members, friends, neighbors, co-workers, teammates, customers, etc… The point is that there are no accidental encounters; nor are there any accidental relationships. They are all, each and every one, by Divine appointment!

No doubt this is what the Apostle Paul had in mind when he wrote these words to the believers at Galatia (chapter 6, verse 10): “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” I take this to mean that we never know what the significance of even the smallest act of kindness, compassion, and/or love will be upon another person.

But God does! And He does not make mistakes. Therefore, if He has ordained that you cross paths with any other person, then He has done so for a reason. Only eternity will reveal all that He had in mind in having done so. Only at the day of Judgement will we know the who, the what, the when, the where, and the why of His Divine will!

All of which is to say that, when that day comes, most assuredly, we will also learn what a genuine legacy was all about!

And by the way, for what it’s worth... We will also undoubtedly learn that a household name in Heaven will last a whole lot longer than one will here on earth…

SOURCES:

QUOTE:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxlC-qKX_VY.

TELEVISION MINISERIES:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harley_and_the_Davidsons.

SEE ALSO:
https://littlehouse.fandom.com/wiki/Episode_814:_The_Legacy.

SCRIPTURE:
https://www.biblehub.com/galatians/6-10.htm.

TROPHY WIFE!

6/12/2023

Continuing in the vein of my earlier post of 06/04/2023 before, as I write this, it was exactly forty years ago this weekend when my beautiful wife and I were married. After dating for seven years, and one week after I graduated college, we tied the knot back on June 11, 1983. By God’s grace, that knot has now remained securely tied for four decades.

To make this a special day for us, I decided to try to recreate that original day as best I could. To this end, just as had been done forty years ago, I took her to a nice steak house yesterday afternoon before we spent the evening together. And then, to top it all off, when we awoke this morning, for breakfast, I took her to… wait for it… wait for it… Waffle House!

That’s right, forty years ago, in my twenties, I had a very high metabolism and was literally hungry all the time. Thus, I went to bed each night and got up from bed each morning thinking about my next meal! As I recall, the closest restaurant to our hotel that morning happened to be a Waffle House. And so a tradition was begun! (So much so that, in the ensuing years, as John Jenkins once famously said, if you needed me, I could be found at God’s house, my house, or the Waffle House!)

I dare say that, over the years, my wife and I have come to look forward as much to breakfast at Waffle House as a part of our annual wedding anniversary celebration as we have anything else.

Seriously, two verses from the Old Testament Book of Proverbs come to mind here. The first is from chapter 18, verse 22: “Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD.” The second is from chapter 8, verse 35: “For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the LORD.”

The day I met the young lady who was to become my wife was surpassed in my life only by the day I met my personal Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. In finding the Lord, I found life and the blessings of God. And in finding the wife whom the Lord had ordained for me, I found so many of those very blessings.

Forty seven years ago, I met a beautiful young lady. Exactly forty years ago, she became my most treasured trophy! I thank God for our four plus decades together. And while I do not know if either of us will be around to see another forty (seven) years, I treasure each and every one we have had, and greatly look forward to any and all yet to come.

For you see, my greatest trophy is still my cherished wife! And I hope to keep her as long as I possibly can!!!

SCRIPTURE:

https://biblehub.com/proverbs/18-22.htm;

https://biblehub.com/proverbs/8-35.htm.

JOINED TOGETHER

6/8/2023

My precious wife had a birthday recently. I had asked her about a dozen times what she wanted for her present; to which she never replied other than simply to say, “Let me think about it.” Naturally, it was only after I grew tired of waiting and had gone out and bought her two or three things that she up and told me what she really wanted.

And what did she request? Of all things, a Legos table, complete with pull out drawers and two matching chairs. The 30 inch square top of the table is fitted with the small raised dots common to all Legos, obviously intended to be the base for grandiose building projects dreamed up in the minds of eager little construction engineers.

As you have likely already concluded, she did not want the table to play with herself; but rather for our grandsons to enjoy. Anyway, it arrived and the two of us took about thirty minutes putting it together. Thereafter, it sat upstairs for a couple of days awaiting their arrival. Needless to say, when they happened upon it, all else was forgotten as they busied themselves with the creation of their respective masterpieces.

A lot of memories came to me as I observed them playing there. In my day, it was Tinker Toys, Lincoln Logs, and PlaySkool Plastic interlocking bricks. But, oh how I loved them all. I could busy myself all afternoon on a rainy day with such toys.

Still, none of these would ever go on to become the worldwide sensation that Legos has become today. From humble beginnings in 1949, Legos have grown to become “the world's most powerful brand”, complete with its own international day of celebration each year.

Of course, if you have ever played with Legos, you understand the basic premise. Each piece is attached to and/or built upon another. In this sense, every single piece counts. And while every single piece is indispensable, so also are each of the other pieces it depends upon. And while each piece, in and of itself is relatively small, when linked together, Legos often make up massive and impressive feats of engineering.

I share this because, for me, it is a picture of the church of Jesus Christ. The New Testament gives us numerous pictures of the church; and one of these is that of a building. In chapter 2, verses 19-22 of his New Testament Letter to the Ephesians, the Apostle Paul puts it like this:

“Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.”

To this, the Apostle Peter adds these words (in chapter 2, verses 4-5 of his First New Testament Letter):

“As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”

In each case, believers are likened unto stones being built upon the foundation of Christ and up into an edifice that glorifies Almighty God. Resting upon Him, we each link together with others, doing our respective part to build up the building which is the church for God’s glory!

There are no insignificant Lego pieces. Neither are there any insignificant believers. Whatever your role, whatever your part, whatever way you are designed to fit into the whole, find your place, get connected, and do your part for the kingdom. Others are dependent upon you. As is the perfect will of God!

SOURCES:

LEGOS INFO:

https://www.bricksmcgee.com/blog/international-lego-day-lego-facts/;

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lego.

SCRIPTURES:

https://biblehub.com/niv/ephesians/2.htm;

https://biblehub.com/niv/1_peter/2.htm.

OF LESSONS LEARNED AND BLESSINGS EARNED…

6/4/2023

As I pen this blog, it is exactly forty years to the day since I graduated from college. Given that about a zillion other people besides me also hold university degrees, I suppose my son was right when I told him this earlier today, and his playful response was: “Well, so did I, but I’m not bragging about it!”

In my defense, and at the risk of sounding a little braggadocios, I grew up in a farming context where formal education was not highly prioritized. Thus, my grandfather quit school at the end of the third grade to go home and work on the farm. All his life thereafter, he could barely read, could write little more than his own name, and knew only the rudiments of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.

His son (and my father) later followed suit and quit school after the tenth grade. He could read and write; but when the world changed and he could no longer make a living farming, he regretted not ever having finished school. So much so that, in mid-life, he pursued his general equivalency diploma in order to progress in the modern working world.

Hence, when I graduated high school at age seventeen, I had technically accomplished something no male member of my family had ever done. And when I then graduated from a major southern university four years later, I had truly taken a step into the unknown.

But I thank God for my education. It clearly opened a lot of doors for me down through the years that would not have otherwise been opened. I also learned a lot in those four years, not only in the subjects in which I double-majored, but in life as well. Many of those lessons have also served me well down through the years.

Naturally, I wanted all three of my children to go to college as well. I am thankful that they each did, and also that they each graduated with degrees from state universities. As did their respective spouses. There is little doubt that they are where they are this day in life due largely to their educational achievements.

And now, I find myself in the position of hoping that my seven grandsons will one day follow suit. Having said this, I realize that the world is changing. In many respects, college degrees are no longer valued in ways that they once were. Nor are they necessarily needed. After all, no less an individual than Bill Gates quit Harvard to start a computer business! And Elon Musk quit graduate school at Stanford to go into business on his own!

Still, I continue to believe in the value of education. In my own case, I followed by Bachelor’s degree up with both a Master’s and a Doctoral Degree. But increasingly, what I truly value in a person is the ability to learn from life and then to apply what they have learned, irrespective of their level of formal education.

Thus it was that a little impromptu exchange that recently took place between my oldest grandson and myself was so heartening to me. The little league baseball team he plays on (as either pitcher or as first baseman) managed to go undefeated for the whole season. At their little awards picnic following the final game, they enjoyed pizza and cake. Thereafter, each player was given a bag of goodies and a trophy.

At the conclusion, as he brought his newfound hoard over to show his grandmother and me, I jokingly told him to give me that trophy, so I could put it in my own room at my own house. (I am forever teasing him, his brothers, and his cousins in just such a way.) He looked at me, and shaking his head from side to side in response, said flatly: “NO, you gotta earn it!”

I put on quite a big show of acting all disappointed; but inside I was shouting to beat the band! Why? Because, from my perspective, at the tender young age of six, he had already learned one of the single most important lessons there is to learn in all of life: “You gotta earn it!”

A flood of memories came back upon me… I could hear the truths being poured into me as a young lad as both my father and grandfather said things to me like: “Nothin’ in life is free, son!”; “There ain’t no free lunch, boy!”; “You can have anything in life if you will just work for it!”; “All your life, remember this – nobody owes you anything!”; “Whatever you want you can have – you just gotta pay for it!”; and yes… “If you want it, then go earn it!”

Sorry to be a bragging grandfather here, but my wife and I are starting to feel pretty good about the first grandson down the shoot. If he spends the next half century knowing he has to earn it, and then truly does so, he’ll turn out okay!

In the meantime, the same Bible that tells us that hard work is required of us if we expect to receive and enjoy the rewards of life (Proverbs 14:23, Proverbs 12:24) also tells us that those who do not do so should expect little reward for their lack of due diligence (2 Timothy 2:5, 2 Thessalonians 3:10-12).

And for these reasons, I will always be encouraging my grandsons to learn and to earn. That is to say, to learn early these essential lessons, and then to get busy earning their way in this world!

SCRIPTURE SOURCE:

https://www.openbible.info/topics/hard_work;

https://billygraham.org/story/5-things-the-bible-says-about-work/;

https://biblereasons.com/reasons-to-work/.

HONEST TO GOODNESS!

TICK, TICK, TICK…

REMEMBER ME?

TROPHY WIFE!

JOINED TOGETHER

OF LESSONS LEARNED AND BLESSINGS EARNED…

Cleo E. Jackson, III

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