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Trading all the “likes” for an hour of depth
Today I write this article as a challenge to myself as well as to share my thoughts with all of our readers. I often can’t count how many times a day I use my phone to check for new notifications, emails, and texts. Yes, I do a lot of work from my phone as that is what my job requires. However, will the world end if I wait an hour or two? Or would it be more enriched with me spending an hour of depth doing something more meaningful? Yes, I love receiving a FaceBook like or an Instagram love as well as giving them to all of my friends.…
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July Devotional
Scripture: Mathew 4:4 But he answered, “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Thought: We can not go about life by ourselves, we need God by our side. We need to read and study the scriptures. We need to spend time in prayer with God. God is just and will help us to not be in worry and trust him. Action: We need to spend time daily with God. Daily devotions or praying and meditating on his word. Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, We pray that you would surround us with your presence today and every day.…
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Forgiveness
We should forgive others as the Bible says we should, but sometimes it isn’t easy. We need to forgive others if they have wronged just as God forgives us. When we forgive others it helps us to have a better relationship with them and with God. Colossians 3:13 says, “Make allowance for other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.” This verse says a lot. We all have faults but we can’t hold it against them. We need to forgive just as God has forgiven us. We shouldn’t hold a grudge either because holding a grudge only leads to bitterness.…
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Speaking Truth in Love: Sometimes, we must begin small.
I struggle to speak the truth in love. Why? I want to please people and keep the peace. I have done this since I was a small child. I want the people I am around and love to feel accepted and supported. The problem with this is that sometimes my silence allows those that I love to sin. And, without correction from other believers, we will keep on sinning. Recently, I had an opportunity to practice speaking the truth in love in a small way. I was visiting with an elderly relative and several other family members. The elderly relative made a comment that I looked like I had really…
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Idols: Our focus determines our devotion.
Merriam-Websters online dictionary gives one definition of an idol as “an object of extreme devotion”. The online dictionary defines devotion as “religious fervor”, “the act of prayer or private worship”, and the “fact or state of being ardently dedicated and loyal”. I’m going to ask you a question and I want you to take a long moment to truly think about the answer. On a typical day, what do you spend most of your time devoted to doing or focusing on? If you answered God, good for you, you are in the minority. My guess is that most of us want to be able to honestly say that we devote…
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Do I have to wait?
The definition of patience is to stay where one is or delay action until a particular time or until something else happens. We live in a world where we always want the latest new things. The internet and cell phones allow us to always have access, and with two-day shipping, we don’t have to wait. We live in a society where a lot of things are on-demand and accessible 24/7. We often don’t have to wait or if we do it’s not for long. While some things are nice not to have to wait for, others it is perfectly ok to have to wait. We need to learn to wait…
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Oh Those Days
We have all had those days. The days when what we thought we were going to accomplish didn’t happen. Days where you are dog-tired at the end of the day. After all you have done, that to-do list never got completely finished. I can admit I used to make a lot of to-do lists. I was never able to completely check off everything on that list. At the end of the day, I felt overwhelmed that it didn’t get done. I was tired at the end of the day, thinking about what didn’t get done. I know God is watching us and looking at how we react or respond to…
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“Do I Have to Go?”
Keeping to my theme of asking monotonous questions, my next one is “do I have to go?” This has been another hot question at our home. We all find our schedules full of events and obligations. This time of the year seems to be much more with confirmations, graduations, and more. My son, who needs lots of rest, asks this often for even basic things like getting to church on Sunday or when he is asked to run errands. I have found myself looking at work events or large family events and thinking that if we just had that night or weekend off it would be amazing. So yes, sometimes…
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“Are We There Yet?”
As we hit the height of summer travels, this is a question that is asked extensively from small souls in the back seat of our vehicles. The days of travel get long, the miles are endless and the memories are amazing! However, how many times are we asked “are we there yet” during vacation trips or sometimes just across town? I always reply with the standard responses…”almost”, “a few miles to go”, or “honey, we just started out.” I love this time spent on the road with my loved ones, but always am glad when this question isn’t asked. It has reminded me as well that some of my conversations…
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Contentment No Matter the Circumstances
During a conversation I had this past week, I was complaining about the weather turning warm and not having my central air conditioning connected to the house. We are in the midst of an outdoor landscaping project and the unit needed to be disconnected. As the conversation progressed, I laughed at myself and said, “Wow, how soft I am! Imagine what I would complain about 75 years ago living on the prairie in a clapboard house with no central heating except a pot-bellied stove and certainly no central air conditioning! Here I am in the 21st century, living in a first-world country with all of the modern conveniences at my…
