Month: May 2016
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Invited to dinner, making excuses?
A dinner invitation evokes many different kinds of responses. Some accept gladly, looking forward to time around a table when they will enjoy the company of friends and family even more than the meal. Some accept but dread the encounter, feeling that the invitation was offered more from obligation than delight. Some make an excuse,…
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At home in your own skin?
There is a mark of maturity that I love to see in others, in myself. What is it? Learning to accept myself and be ‘at home’ in my own skin. People who have grown past the need to impress, perform, or get everyone’s approval are so refreshing because they are authentic, have integrity, and are…
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A story about generosity
In 1892, the concert pianist, Paderewski, played a concert at Stanford University at the invitation of one Herbert Hoover, a poor student, who along with a friend, sponsored the concert to earn funds for his education. When the concert ended, the students discovered that they were $400 short of his $2000 fee. They promised Paderewski…
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How Ignorant Can You Be?
The panelist on the news program made no effort to conceal her disgust with those on the ‘other side.’ Her professed aim was dialogue. Her demeanor spoke more than her words and plainly said, “I think you are ignorant, unworthy of my time.” Her intellect and accomplishments blinded her to any other perspective other than…
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Set your anchor
Are you a steady person, faithful to God and others through the up’s and down’s of life? Many of us are convinced that being ‘happy’ is so important that we will discard promises, quit a job, leave a marriage, and even abandon our pursuit of God in our quest for fulfillment and not experience the…
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What’s that smell?
The human sense of smell (Olfaction) is probably the most under-rated of our senses. Humans can differentiate between millions of odors. Did you know you can smell emotion? Things like fear and disgust produce sweat that betrays the emotion even if the person tries to conceal it. Our emotional response to others is sometimes an…
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The radiance of simple goodness
“This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine…” we sang the words, while holding up our index finger like a candle, urged on by our Sunday School Director. When I was 5 years of age, I was not really sure what it meant to ‘let it shine’ but it seemed like a…
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Salt in the Soup
Cooking up a pot of hearty soup on a cold winter day is a thing of pleasure for me. I find simple delight in combining all those ingredients, simmering them and filling the house with the comforting smell of dinner! In my opinion, it is just about impossible to make a good soup without some…
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A sordid story changed by LOVE
The old prophet told a horrible tale about a baby, despised at birth, left to die in a vacant lot, who was rescued and raised to become a woman of beauty. Her husband provided lavishly for her – “I dressed you in a colorful gown and put leather sandals on your feet. … You were…
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Do you count them as your wealth?
In his account, every relationship he knew was a disappointment. His father was emotionally distant. His mother was more interested in her social life than in her family. His bosses were ‘idiots.’ His children were ingrates. Tom (a pseudonym) had a painful story, but somewhere in it, he missed a part. He only saw the…
CoffeeBreak With The Word 