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Advent #4: Experiencing the Love of Christmas

December 24, 2014 by

Christmas amplifies loneliness. It doesn’t create it but it certainly magnifies it.

For some people as they see others enjoying family and friends it brings them face to face with their own emptiness. It’s one reason Christmas is so hard for so many.

 

Photo Credit: Smabs Sputzer

Photo Credit: Smabs Sputzer

 

During the year it’s easier to stay busy with work, hobbies and volunteer activities. The loneliness may hide in the shadows but if you stay busy enough you can keep it at bay.

 

But at Christmas, when everything slows down, many are brought face to face with their emptiness.

 

And so for a few days they have to deal with the deep hollow in their hearts. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Heaven, Love Tagged With: , ,

God Rocks #12: Surprising Peace in the Midst of Anger

November 20, 2014 by

Part of the series “God Rocks: 101 Amazing Everyday Gifts!” Stories and promises of the awesome blessings God gives us each day. I hope it encourages you today!

 

I was driving to work on the freeway when a car a ways in front of me pulled over from the far left lane into the middle lane without looking and cut off a guy in a pickup truck. He slammed on his brakes then immediately pulled into the left lane and sped up. Just as he passed the car that had cut him off he swerved to the right in front of it causing that driver to slam on her brakes almost causing an accident.

By this time I backed way off from them thinking, “Not sure what game you’re playing but I don’t want to be a part of it.”

Then I thought, “Really? All that anger for one mistake? Was it worth it?”

 

 

Photo Credit: Randy Rathbun

Photo Credit: Randy Rathbun

 

Yet, unfortunately I think that’s a picture of how so many people live in their relationships. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Happiness, Heaven, Love Tagged With: ,

God Rocks #11: Seeing God Everyday

November 4, 2014 by

Part of the series “God Rocks: 101 Amazing Everyday Gifts!” Stories and promises of the awesome blessings God gives us each day. I hope it encourages you today!

 

I was having lunch with an atheist friend a few weeks ago. He said, “I look around at our world and universe and I don’t see God.”

I replied, “I look around at our world and universe and don’t understand how someone can’t see God.”

 

Photo Credit: Steve Levi

Photo Credit: Steve Levi

 

I have friends who are Christians who talk about karma and luck. Then say, “I never see God act.”

Occasionally I’ve replied, “I don’t believe in karma or luck. And frankly I see God everyday when I’m looking.”

I’ve had people tell me, “I get along just fine without God.” [Read more…]

Filed Under: Heaven, Love, Success Tagged With: ,

God Rocks #10: Healing for Hurting Relationships

October 30, 2014 by

Part of the series “God Rocks: 101 Amazing Everyday Gifts!” Stories and promises of the awesome blessings God gives us each day. I hope it encourages you today!

 

Divorce in our country is rampant. Over half of all marriages end in it. And by far the majority of serious relationships implode before they ever get to marriage.

 

Photo: Bert Kaufmann

Photo: Bert Kaufmann

 

 

The results are lives devastated. Families destroyed. Friends divided. Hearts broken. Confidence crushed.

 

Feeling as though your soul has been torn out. Your insides ripped apart.

 

Often it starts with a thoughtless comment or action. That’s followed by a sharp response. Retaliated by additional actions and words. Until the relationship spirals out of control.

Each feels the other one started it. Each one waits for the other to apologize and make amends.

Each thinks, “Well I’m not the one to blame.” And you know, they might be right. But the destruction is still just as real. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Happiness, Love Tagged With: ,

God Rocks #4: Miracles for Our Insignificant but Important Needs

October 9, 2014 by

Part of the new series “God Rocks: 101 Amazing Everyday Gifts!” Stories of the awesome blessings and promises God gives us each day. I hope it encourages you today!

 

The son of close friends along with his wife and two young children just left on a medical missions project.

We attended their church for a send off with their family and friends. Tears were shed and hugs given.

I can’t imagine embarking on this with two small children but they felt God’s calling and went.

When they arrived at the training facility in Hawaii one of insignificant but important items they had to leave behind was the jumper for their infant.

 

Baby in Jumper

 

Remembering our children at that age it seems insignificant yet can be so important to have something like a jumper or windup swing. Put them in it. They’re happy. And you can fix dinner, use the bathroom or even glance at a book for five minutes.

 

But they couldn’t bring it so now what? [Read more…]

Filed Under: Love, Success Tagged With:

God Rocks #2: Peace When You Hurt

October 2, 2014 by

Part of the new series “God Rocks:  101 Amazing Everyday Gifts!”  Stories of the awesome blessings and promises God gives us each day.  I hope it encourages you today!

 

We stood singing during the worship service Sunday morning. In front of me were two twenty-something women deep in conversation. As the rest of us sang they continued to talk only occasionally glancing up at the worship leaders.

I thought, “What you can’t just stop talking long enough to at least worship? Why did you bother to come? Why not just go out for a cup of coffee instead of distracting everyone else?”

Photo by Andrey

Photo by Andrey

My thought vibes evidently didn’t connect because they never even paused.

I grew more aggravated.

Then I realized I wasn’t worshiping because I was focusing on them. That irritated me even more. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Happiness, Love Tagged With:

Touched by Unimaginable Love

August 14, 2014 by

We live in an impersonal world. Yet we all desperately need to connect with those we care about.

Some people have hundreds of Facebook friends yet never meet one for coffee.

Many are surrounded by colleagues every day yet go home to an empty house.

Many attend mega-churches yet remain anonymous.

And frankly too often at church we’re told about a God who will love us. But only if we’re spiritual enough. Attend often. Follow the rituals. And keep all the rules.

Then maybe God in some distant way will concern himself in our lives. Maybe.

But it leaves people feeling alone. Like orphans. Unloved and untouched. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Love Tagged With: ,

How to Prevent a Church Split–Part 3

August 5, 2014 by

I think if Christians spent as much time trying to share the good news of God’s love as they do focusing on who’s most spiritual they could change the world.

I also think a lot of non-believers look at churches going through all this inner family bickering and think, “No thanks. I’ve got enough problems.”

I mean, why wouldn’t they? [Read more…]

Filed Under: Love Tagged With: ,

How to Prevent a Church Split–Part 2

July 31, 2014 by

We were in Jerusalem at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the traditional burial place of Jesus. We stood in line inside the huge domed center waiting to enter a small stone hut that allowed a glimpse of the rock where Jesus was laid supposedly. Priests from competing denominations who control that church kept walking through in all their royal garb waving censers smoking with incense. One after another shoved through the crowd to purify the area from the previous priest. Obviously the area had not been purified enough by someone from a different denomination.

Several thoughts ran through my mind. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Love Tagged With: ,

How to Prevent a Church Split

July 29, 2014 by

A church I know formed when a group split from another church. Yet, in the last 25 years they’ve spawned a church because of another split, fired numerous pastors and turned over the membership regularly. All with devastating results.

People come to church to find peace and love in an otherwise often impersonal and crazy world.

So when a group leaves to start a competing church it feels like a civil war splitting friends and families. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Love Tagged With: ,
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