M o n t h l y N e w s f r o m F P C Ty l e r • Vo l u m e 1 1 , I s s u e 1 : J a n u a r y 2 0 1 6
Who Brings Out Your Best? By The Rev. Dr. Stuart Baskin There is a piece of advice I give to young people, as they go about the business of dating and finding a life partner. I tell them, “Look for the one who brings out the best in you—the one who elicits from you the best of who you are.” I say this because I frequently see a person give in to his or her passions and fall head-over-heels for someone who brings out their worst. It is possible for two very good people to be a bad match for each other, and the best way to figure this out is to step back and ask the question, “Do I like who I am when I am with this person, or do I find myself behaving in ways I don’t like?” This little exercise requires a person to engage in some self-examination to decide what qualities they like about him or herself, and compare these qualities to the behaviors their latest flame brings out in them. It requires them to engage both their heads and their hearts in choosing a person to date and potentially to marry. This advice also extends to other ar-
eas of our lives, both individually and communally. As we head into 2016, we will be entering a heated political season as our nation sorts out some major issues and prepares to elect a new president. Now in my role as pastor, I do not endorse candidates or parties, but surely our faith can give us some guidance in our political decisions. So here’s what I have to say as we head into this political season. Electing persons to political office is somewhat like finding a mate. It is a matter both of heart and mind. We will be wooed with words that spark our passions. This is not a bad thing, but we also need to temper our passions with a healthy dose of self-reflection. Like a young person searching for a mate, we should ask ourselves, “Does this candidate bring out the best in me? Does this person bring out the best in our character as a city, a state, or a nation? Or does this person stir up in me the worst in who I am?” In short, we need to engage our heads as well as our hearts. That’s who we Presbyterians are.
i n t h i s i s s u e | H I G H L I G H T S & F E AT U R E S Living into Lent | pg 2
Potter House Needs | pg 7
Souper Bowl of Caring | pg 5
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First Presbyterian Church of Tyler, Texas 230 West Rusk Street, Tyler, Texas 75701-1696 (903) 597-6317 | www.fpctyler.com