What is a sense of community? It is the personal relationships you develop, your family, friends, and neighbors. It is the feeling that you belong, that you matter. It is to actually get involved in your surrounding area. In thinking about these three ideas of community, what have we lost, not only in ourselves, in our communities, and in our nation? I believe we have lost that sense of speaking to one another respectfully, with actual interest and compassion. When…..
In the recent release of the movie, The Last Supper, I loved how Peter described who he was before he met Christ and followed Him, and what he became after Christ passed. He was a fisherman by trade, who loved to walk along the shoreline and watch how the powerful waves tumbled and polished the stones as they moved through the water. Some loved the changes that happened to them; others needed more tumbling and polishing to remove the jagged…..
The Reasons for the Cross To be or not to be … To love or to hate … To feed or to starve … To clothe or to make naked … To build or to destroy … To ask or to be silent … To accept or to fight … To give or to receive … To get involved or to be apathetic … To share or to take … To be light or to be dark … To be…..
When Jesus and the disciples drew near to Jerusalem, Jesus sent two of His disciples into the city to find a donkey that He could ride into Jerusalem on. If anyone challenged the disciples, they were to say that He needed the donkey. The owner would say, “Yes,” to them and give them the donkey for Him. Many people gathered and placed their garments on the ground so that the donkey had a path to walk on. They waved palm…..
You Ordained for Us Dear heavenly Father, we thank you for Your abundant gifts of peace, light, love, hope, and grace. They are the foundations of all who truly love You. Just as the pure, white snow adorns our lawns, Your gifts have nourished the earth for the spring to come. Although peace is fleeting around the world, we ask You to place peace in the hearts and minds of those who are at war. We ask that You hold…..
I have not served in the military, but yesterday, after hearing that the United States and Israel attacked Iran, the hollow feeling that I had in the pit of my stomach in the 1960’s and the early 1970’s came back from my teenage and college years with the Vietnam War. The loss of three of my high school friends in that war remains in my heart as the sacrifices of our service men and women are being called upon once…..
When one of your students calls you, “Ma,” do you know what that means? It is a sign of respect for you. Such was the case on the last day I taught in middle school in 2007. My home room students gathered around my desk and gave me a cake that said, “Thank you, Ma Maier.” My students and I had made our homeroom time together like a home. I was so proud of each and everyone one of them……
A Greater Purpose Choose to live in Jesus Christ; engage the world with Him. Speak to what is wrong in the world, and right it. Find your passion; use it in everything you do. Cherish your families, friends, and neighbors for they are God’s gifts. Forgive those who seek to persecute or harm you for they struggle with God. Encourage those who are lost to be found. Guide your children to see good in the world, despite the darkness……
There are two songs that, if we connect their meanings, might help us look towards a better future as individuals and as a nation: I Believe, written by Stillman, Drake, Graham, and Shirk, and Somewhere from West Side Story, written by Bernstein and Sondheim. I often get ideas for blogs when I am cleaning my house, as if cleaning takes all the “bad stuff” out in my vacuum cleaner. The same is true of what we need to do with…..
What does God want us to do with our lives? Our minds, mouths, moods, and attitudes are dependent on each other. If you want these things to shine with God’s love, it is never too late to start anew, even if your past has been fraught with difficulties and negativity. We choose who we will become; taking everything to God, He will guide us and make all things new. Ask and it shall be granted unto you. Instead of dwelling…..