Some have misunderstood our church’s apolitical involvement as, “politics is not important.” That’s not true. Politics is important. It’s just not the church’s mission.

But as Christian individuals living in a democracy, we should pursue human flourishing for those around us. That necessitates voting for candidates we believe would bless the people best, and even engaging in discourse regarding the issues (in person…NOT online!).

But few people can talk politics in a beneficial way. Christians should be different. Here are some helpful guidelines:

One word…GRATITUDE.

Before you stop reading, give me a chance.

I’m not saying you should be grateful FOR the hard time. Obviously, having cancer or totaling your car is not something you should be thankful for (though someday you may be).

Jean-Jacques Guiony, CFO of French luxury multinational LVMH supplier of fine wines, says that champagne sales are down because people are too sad about the state of the world to celebrate. Guiony said, “Maybe the current global situation, be it geopolitical or macroeconomic, does not lead people to cheer up and to open bottles of champagne.” With prices seemingly up for everything else, champagne prices are down 20% over the past two years and sales continue to drop.

Is that why?

Self-denial. Delayed gratification. I know, not exactly the best thoughts to draw readers in.

How’s this, then…Success! The way to prosperity!

“I have doubts. Does that mean I don’t have faith?” I’ve been asked this dozens of times.

There’s a great story about this in the Gospel of Mark. A man asks Jesus to help him with his son. He explains that he had already sought help from Jesus’ disciples but they weren’t able to. The man says to Jesus, “If you can, please help him!” Notice the “if” in his request for help, “If you can…”

How you manage your emotions has more of an impact on your marriage, raising kids, and doing well at work than just about anything else. In his book, Emotional Intelligence, Daniel Goleman demonstrates how a person’s ability to manage his or her emotions has more influence on their success in life than IQ.