Category Archives: Message In A Minute

Message In A Minute: Ornaments

We decorated our Christmas tree a few nights ago.

It’s an annual extravaganza.

Christmas music, hot chocolate, boxes of decorations, and me praying all the lights will glow. The kids are much older, life is busy, but it’s a moment that has more meaning each year.

We have ornaments that are decades old, some are brand new, but almost all of them remind us of a person, place or time.

We have beautiful store bought ornaments, traditional family ornaments, and ornaments our kids made when they were little.

You likely have ornaments like these, each ornament means something special. Each signify an important memory. Though the ornaments are made up of plastic, cardboard, or glass, they symbolize something much more important.

No one would say that a simple ornament is important on its own. But for each of us, when we see one that takes us back in time, our thoughts reveal deep importance. We see more than the material before us.

Some of these ornaments are unforgettable, indescribable, deeply meaningful, incredibly personal, unquestionably memorable.

This season, when you remember, I encourage you to stop for a moment and thank God for wonderful people from your past, the many special times in your life, and for this present moment.

God is always at work, thank Him for the past, trust Him with the future, and walk in His grace today.

Decorate your life with memories of God’s goodness.

-Tom Wise

Message In A Minute: Get Rid of It

One summer, my wife and I, along with a few great adult leaders, took a group of teens to a summer convention in Denver, Colorado.

In this group of amazing young people was a young boy who simultaneously frustrated and inspired us.

This boy rarely ever seemed like he was listening to a lesson, but would be able to repeat back everything you said with an almost perfect display of comprehension. He would goof-off in some crazy ways. On this trip to Denver for example, he wore a “Joe Dirt” mullet wig almost 24 hours a day. But to balance out things like this, a few times he would quietly get tissues for other teens who were emotionally moved at the end of a lesson or devotion.

He is an awesome man today, we never doubted that, but it is nice to see the wig has been retired.

On the first day of the trip, the whole group stopped to get something to eat at an area restaurant. This particular young man didn’t finish his chicken strips, so he got a “to-go” container, placed the chicken in it and brought it with him. He placed the container of chicken strips under the bench seat in the rental van. Where it stayed.

For days!

The young man forgot about the chicken, the rest of us never knew the chicken was in the van.

Until around day 4 of the trip, there was an awful smell. We tried to air the van out, we searched for the source of the offensive odor in the seats and in the front of the van. By day 5 the smell was unbearable, the whole group was suffering from the mysterious cloud of spoiled chicken.

Once we found out the cause, we disposed of the chicken and we all were relieved. And I think this young man was kind of proud that he had pulled off an inadvertent prank on the group.

I’ve used this story as an example for years, when speaking about properly dealing with issues in our lives.

An unresolved issue in your life tends to linger and remind you of its presence. Make sure you deal with bitterness, lack of forgiveness, or regret in the right way as soon as you can.

Get that garbage out of your life. Or you may end up with an offensive reminder.

A fowl issue can turn into a foul odor rather quickly.

-Tom Wise

Message In A Minute: The Right Question

Your happiness in life has a lot to do with which one of these questions is more important to you.

What do people think of me?

Who has God made me to be?

If you are like me, you’ve spent too much time worrying about what people think of you. Sure it’s important to be a good person and earn respect. But there are some people who will go out of their way to misunderstand you. You can’t please everyone.

Within reason, we should work to have a good reputation. However, we can’t let small opinions from small minds derail us from big goals.

Recently, I’ve dedicated myself to being who I believe God made me to be. Finding out what talents I’ve neglected in the past, getting rid of negative attitudes, and concentrating on doing what I can do to bless others. It’s simple, but it’s not easy.

My natural inclination is to care too much what people think. Some of you lean the other way. You may be excessively proud of how little you care what people think. But be careful you aren’t just using that as an excuse for a having bad attitudes or behaviors.

I’m confessing here, I’m going to need God’s help. I want to focus on being all God wants me to be, for my family, for my church, with my friends, and at my job.

What about you?

I encourage you to make a decision today. Determine which means more to you.

What do people think of me?

Who has God made me to be?

-Tom Wise

Message In A Minute: Respect

Years ago while visiting Arlington National Cemetery, my family and I observed the Changing of the Guard ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

It’s an awe-inspiring ritual.

Before the ceremony began, we sat with the crowd as the current guard walked the twenty one paces. A highly ranked soldier came to the middle of the observation area and respectfully but sternly requested all to stand for the ceremony. The crowd complied and remained silent.

In the front row of the crowd was a nicely dressed man in his sixties, who happened to have a hat on. As the ceremony was starting, a young man in his early twenties, wearing sandals and covered in tattoos, discretely made his way to the front. I will always remember what happened.

The young man whispered to the older man, “please take your hat off sir.”

The older man immediately took the hat off, and I’m guessing by his reaction, he had simply forgotten he had the hat on. Im sure he didn’t intend any disrespect.

The lesson for me was clear.

Respect isn’t always dressed to impress, wrapped in a uniform, or reserved for those with more experience.

Respect is learned.
Respect is practiced.
Respect is a mindset.

I have immense respect for our military. I am overwhelmed with the sacrifices a soldier and his or her family offers for our country. I sense a debt of gratitude every time I see an active soldier or a veteran.

While it’s true, the kind of respect I’m speaking about is earned. I also have this spiritual pull that encourages me to show a level of respect to everyone. In fact, I am compelled to see other people with respectful eyes.

I know not everyone lives a life worthy of respect. Not everyone’s actions deserve respect. Not everyone’s words require a respectful response.

But every person is also made up of more than their attitudes, actions, or words.

And I wonder.

What if we treated each other with respect to begin with, would the attitudes, actions, and words that resulted be different.

I think so.

Thank you to all our active duty Military, our Veterans, and the families, I appreciate everything more than I can explain.

And I encourage all of us to live with more respect for each other. It won’t fix all of our problems. But it may help us collectively create a better world.

-Tom Wise

Message In A Minute: Let It Snow

Years ago, when my children were very young, my family visited my Aunt and Uncle’s house for Christmas.

My Aunt and Uncle have always been great with children. This particular time, my kids happened to find some styrofoam around the packaging of one of the opened Christmas gifts. Without my wife and I noticing, our children began to make a mess.

When we realized it, we apologized and started to help our kids clean up the mess. But my Aunt and Uncle had a better perspective. In fact, my Uncle helped them make more of a mess.

My Uncle and the kids pretended it was snowing inside the house. There were small bits of styrofoam all over the carpet. The kids were covered in white and having the time of their lives. It was quite a scene.

Years later, our kids still talk about how much fun they had that morning.

As relatively new parents, my wife and I were worried about the mess. But somehow, my Aunt and Uncle knew moments of delight turn into memories that last. We were focused on the debris that would have to be cleaned up, but my Aunt and Uncle were focused on the elation each child was demonstrating.

Make sure you find wonder in the moments. Don’t let worry and stress overshadow the blessings in the present. God is always at work.

Most mistakes won’t derail you. Many circumstances we view as messes, can be seen in a different light. Best of all, God’s grace can make things right, even if the mess is overwhelming.

There will be big messes in life. There are times to be focused on the aftermath. But, those times are rare.

Don’t miss the wonder in the moment, it may turn into a lasting, joy-filled memory.

Celebrate the moment.

Let it snow.

-Tom Wise