“Say what?” “Can you hear me now?” These familiar jingles have been used in popular commercials to get our attention. The catch phrases invite us to listen in. Hearing is what we do in response to an audible voice, startling noise or soothing music. According to Google, ‘to hear means to perceive with the ear the sound made by someone or something.
At this point in Lent, as we find ourselves on the threshold of Easter coming quickly, it’s a good time to consider the challenge of letting go. It could be any number of things:
Whatever the circumstances, letting go is nearly always a challenge.
“I can’t find a bowl. I wonder where she keeps them?”
We were enjoying the generosity of one of our members who had insisted we take their private cabin for the weekend. An unfamiliar kitchen had me searching for utensils and bowls to prepare our dinner. And then I opened a cupboard to the sight of stacks of empty margarine containers and bags of used twist ties.
Curveballs in life are inevitable. Unexpected surprises can level us or become opportunities to learn. The curveball thrown to Joseph when Mary told him about her “surprise” pregnancy certainly caught Joseph off guard, quite a curveball. But the story in Matthew 1 gives us 5 insights on how to respond when life throws you a curveball.
Okay folks, it’s Lent, not lint. Most of us have noticed the ‘Lent buzz’ has begun. And Lent is not what you clean from your drier vent. Lent is talked about in the news, there are multiple Facebook suggestions, even social media solutions are offered. First, let’s define what Lent is. Biblegateway.com offers this definition for Lent:
I’m intrigued by stories of survivors. Is it possible to survive a free-fall from the Sears Tower in Chicago? The answer is yes. Or what if you fulfill a lifelong dream of skydiving and your parachute fails, could you survive the fall? The answer is still yes. The Wiki How-To manual says, “Hundreds maybe thousands of people have fallen from such heights and lived to tell the tale.”
What is your first reaction when you read the word change? Is it a moment of dread and despair? Perhaps, you are thinking of changing the furniture in your living room – excited? Maybe you are thinking of packing all your belongings and moving to a new city with great anticipation of what new things you will uncover.
Whatever your reaction, you are not alone! In a quick search through Google, there were over 12.5 billion results. It seems to be a popular topic!
“Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.” Matthew 5:37
I knew Saturday was going to be frantic.
With a baseball parade early in the morning, two baseball games, a soccer game and a car that needed to be repaired, my husband and I were going to have to hustle to make all those activities work.
Leadership development is an important component of the success of any organization, church and even family. The adage that “birds of a feather flock together” is perhaps truer today than at any time in history. We go to church, movies, concerts, trips and just hang out with people, who are in many ways, just like us, or at least share many of our values. Research conducted by Roger Highfield states:
“It’s going to be okay. You’re going to be all right.”
Through the slits in my eyelids I could vaguely see a small crowd of people hovering over and near me as I lay on the floor. But I distinctly heard those reassuring words. Against the bright overhead lights, there was the outline of a woman hovering over me, kneeling at my right side, taking my pulse. Her voice had the assurance of someone who knew about life and death. I decided she must know I was going to live. My anxious breathing evened out and the pain began to subside.
