Charlie's Journey's Journal

George Washington is considered the “Father Of His Country”.  The title bestowed on Washington is understandable due to his service as a politician, military leader and the first president of the United States.  In fact, considering all that he did for the nation, it is fitting that President’s Day be so closely tied to his name (and his birthday – February 22).  The legend and accurate history of George Washington are often difficult to separate.  Many of the stories we learned as youngsters may or may not have happened, but there is overwhelming proof that he is a true American hero.  While it is easy to laud the impact Washington had on our nation, it is also important to recall the price he paid to become a preeminent Founding Father.  General Washington took on the responsibility of commanding a rag-tag band of part-time soldiers to fight the British military machine.  His dedication to the cause came at the expense of his own personal comforts, ...

The dramatic moment in a Michigan courtroom a couple of days ago was a reminder of the powerful feeling of retaliation.  As a father was providing the court with his thoughts on his daughter’s attacker he lost his composure (and his control) rushing toward the accused to literally take matters in his own hands.  Honestly, most of us can empathize with his actions.  In fact, many could sympathize with him … and some might even justify what he did.  Yet, the truth is that justice cannot condone that behavior.  Victim-initiated justice (aka vigilantism) is understandable and might even be considered noble by some, but victims make terrible judges.  They have lost their ability to dispense true justice because they are driven by emotion rather than rightness.  I pray that none of us will ever have to face what those families had to endure in that courtroom, but this principle is not merely reserved for these intense criminal confrontations.  The de...

Have you noticed how many people are wanting to tell us what to think?  Everywhere we turn someone is informing us what is correct – often, in direct conflict of what someone else has said.  Interestingly, this is not just a modern problem, it is something that has been going on since the beginning of time.  Thankfully, this age-old problem has produced some very insightful observations from the Bible.  Here are a few gems mined from the Old Testament:  Proverbs 14:8 - The wisdom of the sensible is to understand his way, but the foolishness of fools is deceit.   Proverbs 14:15 - The naive believes everything, but the sensible man considers his steps.  Proverbs 21:2 - Every man’s way is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the hearts.   Proverbs 12:15 - The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man is he who listens to counsel.   Isaiah 55:8 - “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, n...

A few years back I was part of the hiring team for an agency.  The hiring process took several months and the training courses were almost a year long, so we wanted to make sure we selected the proper people.  To accomplish this, we went through a strenuous interviewing and backgrounding process which included visiting a candidate’s social media sites.  Even though this was early on in the social media craze we found that what people posted online said a lot about their personalities and personal integrity.  In the half dozen or so years since my employment screening days, the presence of social media (or maybe it should be called “personal media”) has exploded.  Just about everyone I know has a Facebook page and many have various other accounts – Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, etc.  While this form of communication has developed a lot in a short period of time one thing remains the same – it still speaks volumes about our personality and integrity. In an...