I have come to understand that the darkness in the world is so great sometimes that we fail to stand on our belief about how great God’s love is for us. “Lord of all, of church and kingdom, in an age of changes and doubt, keep us faithful to the gospel; help us work your purpose out. Here, in this day’s dedication, all we have to give, receive; we, who cannot live without you, we adore you! We believe!” (God…..
When you believe that Jesus Christ is in you, around you, and through you, you can speak about your experiences with Him to others and know that your encouragement may make the difference between life-affirming or death sentences for them. Positive words, words of caring, love, and kindness, will help others through their troubles; negative words, words of judgement, anger, and hatred, will hurt those who really need you to love them. Many people think to listen to others gets…..
The one who sings prays twice. “The more you keep at it, the more things begin to change.” (Touched by an Angel) Music affects the soul and can influence and determine ethics, behaviors, and morals of every human being. As the fifth century Bishop of North Africa, St. Augustine, believed, “When we sing the words of our hymns and prayers, we add the dimensions of honor and praise to them.” When I stand in church and sing many of my…..
Today, I felt like I lost a good friend, but I hardly knew her. Her name was Queen Elizabeth II; she was laid to rest with her husband, mother, and father in the funeral vault of the St. George’s Chapel at the Windsor Castle. She was a cherished symbol of her country, England, and a loving mother to her children, grandchildren, and to everyone of the nations in the realm. Even though I didn’t know her personally, I feel like…..
Recently, I had the privilege of reading the book, Always Faithful, by Major Tom Schueman and Zainullah Zaki, and shortly thereafter, watching the movie, A Father’s Legacy. The themes of these two things intertwined like two vines of a tree reaching for the beautiful, blue sky and bright, warming sun. Both spoke of a father’s love of his children and what he willingly sacrifices for their welfare and futures. A quote used at the end of the book resonated with…..
I want to share two thoughts about life. One, “life can beat you down, but letting it beat you, that’s a choice.” (The Last Champion) Second, “life isn’t about what you can achieve; it’s about what you can become.” (American Underdog) Both of these thoughts are life-affirming and have caused me to continue to re-evaluate the direction that my life is moving in. Many of us do things because we’ve been taught to be the best people we can be. …..
As I write about Mother Teresa today, I wonder if anyone will ever be as selfless and loving as she was. Perhaps when God created her, He placed more charity and love in her than anyone else, except for His Son, Jesus Christ. In a world so out of focus, she is the person we all wish we could be, but I doubt that anyone else will make such an immense contribution to fighting for those in poverty as she…..
I have always felt like I belonged in another time, another place, and with other people. That point was never more clear than when I met my third husband. He was six and a half years my senior, but our love was unlike any love I’ve ever known. His first wife had often said that he belonged in the backwoods somewhere during the Revolutionary War. I have always had a keen sense that I was from the WWII years, believing…..
There is an adage, “If you want rainbows in your life, you must be willing to accept the accompanying pain.” As I reflect on my life, I have come to realize that my life didn’t stop because of my disabilities. Rest assured, we all have disabilities, maybe not physical or emotional ones, but disabilities none the less. Life continues on despite the races we want to win; many of those races are lost in the first turn or with the…..
(Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8 KJV) “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time…..