Blog
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When I was in high school, I studied both French and Spanish. Because of my participation in French club as well as other language related events, I was invited to participate in a two-week trip to Paris, France to increase my language skills. Of course, the catch was my parents had to pay for the trip. I, of course, was thrilled at this opportunity and really, really, really wanted to go!
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“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” Psalm 139:14
God’s Word clearly teaches that all of us are “fearfully and wonderfully made” in His image. It also points out that each of us has been entrusted with a unique combination of skills and gifts to help us fulfill our calling and to mutually build up one another.
Our differences go even further—some of us are quiet introverts who rarely speak up, and others are highly interactive extroverts with a true gift of gab!
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“But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles.” Isaiah 40:31
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During this past holiday season, I learned of a gentleman known as “Secret Santa.” He is a businessman who travels to different parts of the US every year during the holidays and passes out hundred-dollar bills to random strangers as he senses a need. During the 2018 season, he travelled to Phoenix, AZ, and enlisted the assistance of a local homeless man. He gave the homeless man around $3000 in hundred-dollar bills and told him to go bless people. This homeless man went to a sidewalk in town and attempted to start conversations with people walking down the sidewalk.
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For many people the first of each new year is a time to reflect on the year just ended and to make impossible goals for the new year just ahead. I realized a long time ago that I never made it to January 31 before I’d dropped, broken or changed my goals. I’d started with such lofty ideas, goals, dreams and felt certain that God would bless my efforts. Then I’d be surprised each year when I became a failure before I had hardly started.
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Have you ever been frustrated by other drivers on the road? What a question! Who hasn’t been frustrated by other drivers? God recently convicted me of overexerting my highway prowess and it caused me to think about the areas in my life where I have influence.
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As we closeout 2018, we give thanks for our blessing, take note of unachieved goals, and begin to set new expectations for the upcoming year. We begin to pull together documents in preparation for tax season, and we update our family budget. We may look at our savings, and maybe even our investments. Each day about 169 million Americans look to Wall Street, considered the center of the financial market, to take stock on the performance of their investments. These investments fluctuate daily based on how well these publicly traded companies perform.
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“Did you tell her we’re here? We had an appointment for 11:00 a. m. and we’ve been waiting for twenty minutes.”
“She’s with someone else right now. Would you like to reschedule?”
“No. This is the time we set aside.”
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“Be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and put on the new self, created in God’s way in righteousness and holiness of truth.”
Ephesians 4:23-24, New American Bible, revised edition
It’s still early enough in the New Year that we might not yet have abandoned all of our New Year’s Resolutions -- and perhaps we are still trying to chart our way through 2019.
