Month: August 2017
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Crushed
Pain brings up the most persistent questions for me; most likely for you, too. The question is age-old: “Why does a loving God let suffering happen?” No answer is perfect. For me, there is one answer that is inescapably true. C. S. Lewis wrote that “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our […]
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A slave of expectations?
The world we live in puts pressure on all us to do many things. It is a complex life demanding competency of us in multiple ways – operating a car, using high tech gadgets, maintaining a home, navigating our job, tending relationships – it’s a long list! Sometimes we are exhausted by it all, aren’t […]
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A crazy kind of fear
For a couple of weeks I have not felt well, dealing with nausea and pain, constant, but in varying degrees. A visit to my physician on Thursday was inclusive but given my medical history an intestinal blockage was a real possibility. Worse than the actual physical symptoms was the fear that began to take hold […]
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God, why me?
I danced with self-pity on Wednesday afternoon. I moped around wondering “why me,” questioning the fairness of it all. In the process I lost my balance, failing to account for a thousand blessings, seeing only the pain. Yes, the losses in my life are undeniably significant but it is also a fact that I enjoy […]
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Breakthrough!
Borrowed from military operations, the word ‘breakthrough’ is about that moment when an obstacle is finally overcome, when a scientific advance opens a whole new field of knowledge, when a level of achievement lifts a person to another level. It was first used of that moment when an army penetrated the lines of the enemy, […]
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Get Real, Live Best!
The man tried way too hard to be funny, engaging, telling bad jokes. He made himself ridiculous, his manner so forced that, at times, he was actually offensive. I felt sad for him, wanting desperately to pull him aside and say, “Give the act a rest and just be ‘you.’” He is a ‘wannabe.’ The […]
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Beyond all Expectations!
Eclipse fever took hold of America yesterday. Networks broadcast from locations along the totality path. Millions bought special glasses to see it or turned cereal boxes into viewers. Millions more posted pictures on Facebook (this writer included). The big build-up left some underwhelmed by the actual event! Unless you were in a narrow band a […]
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Home safe, forever!
A couple of months ago I took a road trip through the Midwest to visit family. I appreciated the break from the daily responsibilities of life! We all need those times when we ‘get away and find rest and renewal in mind and body. But, after several days I was thinking “there’s no place like […]
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Are you near-sighted?
When our daughter was about 9, we took her to an optometrist. Chris was squinting a lot, which should have been a clue that she was not seeing well. Her exam showed that she needed corrective lens. When we got her glasses and walked outside, her delight in her newly expanded sight was something of […]
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You Can’t Do This!
We love the ‘miracle moments’ in a story, don’t we? When the hero finally defeats the villain we cheer. Who does not appreciate a story about a person who, against all odds, gets an education, builds a family, and finds success? When we see success, we tend to forget the hard work – the years […]
CoffeeBreak With The Word 