Month: May 2014
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Who tells you the truth?
“Plans go wrong for lack of advice; many counselors bring success. Everyone enjoys a fitting reply; it is wonderful to say the right thing at the right time!” (Proverbs 15:22-23,NLT) I thank the Lord for my wife’s good sense. Too many times to count she has provided me with a perspective that helps me find […]
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So Sleepy . . .
Around 2 in the afternoon I get so sleepy. Concentration eludes me, eyelids heavy. If I am on the road, I know I am a hazard to myself and others. Sometimes I find a place to park and take a 10 minute long power nap. Do you have a midday lull in energy, too? Jesus […]
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Tears by the bucket
I am no stranger to sorrow. Pastors spend a lot of time in the presence of people who are going through dark valleys. But, this time ‘round the sorrow is mine. “You have fed us with sorrow and made us drink tears by the bucketful.” (Psalm 80:5, NLT) “My tears have been my food day […]
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Just one terrible mistake
5 years ago, I was speaking one Sunday morning on the subject of loving others whole-heartedly and about some of the situations that complicate our relationships. Then, it happened. I spoke three words and saw the eyes of a woman in front of me widen as she thought of an entirely different image than I […]
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Church? Who Needs It?
Sam was a recluse. He had been married, had a family, and been active in his church. Around the age of 50, he abandoned family, friends, and church to live in a little cabin in the woods. He emerged to deliver a load of firewood and buy groceries then retreated to solitude. In the years […]
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Invested in Hope?
I invest money in an account that has existed since I was about 30. When I send those funds off to my 403 (b) account, they ‘disappear.’ Would I enjoy hanging onto those dollars right now? Sure. But, I keep on sending funds there each month as I have done for many years. Why? Because […]
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Off the Interstate Highway?
Bev and I mused about the ways in which our lives are changing as a result of her illness. We are working toward understanding that life will never be what it was, that we are in a time of transition, and that a new future will open us as we accept each day from the […]
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Jesus knows!
When I bowed my head to pray there was only silence. What could I ask that I had not already asked? No words were able to express the content of my soul, the anguish of heart, that I felt. Ever been in that place, overwhelmed by pain or sorrow? Job was! The ancient prince, who […]
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Working with joy?
Most people probably would not put the words ‘joy’ and ‘work’ in the same sentence unless they said something like, “I was full of joy when I left work on Friday.” Do you ever dream about finding a source of income so that the daily responsibilities could be left behind, once and for all? I […]
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Love your story, but . . .
People tell a lot of stories. Pull up a chair among friends and listen to the conversation. The words flow from one little story to another. In a past era, my Sunday nights were spent in church where ‘testimony time’ was standard practice. Christians had the opportunity to tell a story, hopefully one that showed […]
CoffeeBreak With The Word 