Tommy Mann

Our middle school used to hold a science fair every year. The gym would be turned into a maze of projects where students made radios out of potatoes or demonstrated how two magnets repel each other, and they explained it all on three-sided poster boards. If your science fair was like mine, every other table featured a paper mache volcano.  No matter how many kids submitted that project, we were amazed to watch each one, as the vinegar was poured in and added to the baking soda, and then the eruption came. It is a simple science experiment about chemical reactions, but it provides a great visual effect. Did you know this science fair project appears in the Bible? While there is no mention of the paper mache, the active ingredients in the fake lava are found in Proverbs 25:20. That verse says, "Whoever sings songs to a heavy heart is like one who takes off a garment on a cold day, and like vinegar to soda."  Taking off a garment on a cold day portrays forcibly stripping someone...

What does it mean to be united? We live in the United States of America, where fifty independent states cooperate together as a single unit. When Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, the United States rallied together because an attack on Hawaii was an attack on the whole. When Muslims terrorists flew planes into the World Trade Center, all fifty states responded with a loud voice. It is a good thing to be united with someone who will have your back. Think about Pearl Harbor: Hawaii was not even a state at that point, but because the territory was united with the greatest nation on earth, they were not alone to face the Japanese attack.  Being united with someone is good, so long as the one you are united with is good. You do not want to be stuck with someone that is detrimental to you. Fortunately, as Christians, we are united together with the best Person for us: Jesus. Romans 6:5 says, "For if we have been united with Him in a death like His, we shall certainly be united with Him in a ...

In Disney's iconic movie Frozen, there is a lovable snowman named Olaf, who in one particular scene, dreams about how great his life would be in summertime. He breaks into song about how much cooler he'd be "sitting in the summer sun, letting off steam." The lyrics are funny because he is blissfully unaware of the fate he would suffer once summer arrived.  We understand that snow does not belong in the summer. Olaf was mistaken when he sang, "Winter's a great time to stay in and cuddle,                                                                                                But put me in summer and I'll be a...happy snowman!" I'll admit though, this North Texas sun has me wishing for snow. We have had three consecutive weeks of triple digit...

When it comes to peace, some people are peacekeepers and some are peacemakers. The former simply shoots for keeping the peace, not rocking the boat or ruffling feathers, while the latter proactively strives to make peace where there is none.  The peacekeeper does not want to hurt feelings. These people will kick the can down the road rather than deal with a problem. There may be trouble brewing beneath the surface, but as long as things are not exploding at the moment, the peacekeeper will keep on keeping on. The peacemaker recognizes the coming confrontation and seeks to get out in front of it, to even prevent it from happening by brokering peace between the warring factions.  In his book on dealing with conflict, titled Firestorm, pastor Ron Susek wrote, "While peacekeepers try to sweep things under the rug, peacemakers try to sweep things out the door." (p.126) Those who are non-confrontational may avoid being peacemakers because they dread the difficult conversations that...

I recently read about a scam people are running at hardware stores. They purchase a pressure washer, then take it home and do whatever they needed to do--clean their driveway, their house, or anything else they needed done. When they are finished, they put the machine back in the box, take it back to the store, and claim it didn't work. They return the item for a full refund, and by the time manufacturer realizes there is nothing wrong with it, it's too late. The manufacturer and the store have lost a sale, and the money they spent sending back a perfectly good product.  Apparently these kinds of scams are common, with people even returning half eaten food to grocery stores. Our economy is a trust-based system where we long assumed people would do the right thing. Con artists were the rare exception to the rule, so that our system still worked. Maybe the store loses the occasional sale, but everything still ended up in their favor. But they are not the rare exception any longer...

People love to quote the first two words of Luke 6:37, which are "Judge not." For many people that seems to be all of the verse (or even the entire Bible) that they actually know. Others will quote the first eight words of the verse, which are, “Judge not, and you will not be judged." Jesus is not telling us not to judge, but is warning us that, once we start to judge, we need to expect to be judged by others. Those who "live and let live," who ignore other's sins in hopes that others will ignore theirs, are not doing anyone any favors. Rather than letting iron sharpen iron, we create spaces where sin flourishes, all while we pat ourselves on the back because we "judge not." Jesus didn't tell us not to judge, but actually taught us how to judge, as John 7:24 says, "Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment." Judge is an imperative in Greek, an action verb; we are called to judge, so long as we do it the ...