SPIN

Sometimes I catch Bill O'Reilly on his late night show, 'The Factor.' One of the show's themes is: 'The spin stops here.'

We all know spin when we see it and hear it, unless we're the one doing it. Then we seem blind and deaf to it.

I remember growing up to stories about the legendary George Washington. It seems he chopped down his father's prized cherry tree and then freely admitted he'd done it. I, along with the rest of my classmates, was encouraged to be truthful, just like young George.

Had I been a little brighter at the age of seven, when this story was first told to me - and hearing my teacher say that little George was only six years old when he chopped the tree down - I might have been suspicious that a first grader would have the power to hatchet down a full-grown cherry tree. Duh.

' ... how deeply deception can become rooted ... in our own souls ... '

But no matter -- because this story never happened. There is nothing in the family memoirs or history to suggest that either the chopping or the confession was anything but fabricated.

It was an invented story, albeit edifying as well as memorializing - but alas, spin.

It might serve to illustrate how deeply deception can become rooted, not only in a culture, but in our own souls - and I'm not talking about cherry trees any longer.

We need to be watchful for 'spin' coming out of us. It's easy to spot it oozing from someone else; not so easy to spot it gushing from us. If we are to live lives of Jesus-style honesty, in speech, heart and action, we must spurn 'spin.'

And be blessed.