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Finding Peace When Faced with Death

January 29, 2015 by

Number 26 in 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!

 

My father-in-law passed away a few days ago.

No matter how many times I’ve faced the death of a loved one I’m still always blindsided. Partly by grief and partly by the doubts that assail me. Doubts I thought I’d already dealt with.

 

Photo Credit: Beverly

Photo Credit: Beverly

 

“Will I see him again? How can I know for sure? Is Heaven real? Who’s there? Will I be there?”

I know, coming from a spiritually focused writer and ex-pastor, you’re shocked perhaps. I mean I’m supposed to have it all together, right? Well, not always.

I find the love expressed by friends and family tremendously supporting. But I also often find the platitudes given do little to calm the storm.

 

So I wrestle again and try to find that peace.

 

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Happiness, Heaven Tagged With: ,

God Rocks #20: Finding Release from Worry

January 6, 2015 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!

 

An epidemic of worry is raging.

Sales of anxiety and depression medication have increased exponentially over the last several years. Today they drive billions in revenue.

And that’s only a slice of those suffering from worry and anxiety.

 

Photo Credit: Leonard Farshore

Photo Credit: Leonard Farshore

 

What about just your garden variety? Worrying about losing your job? Worrying about your struggling child? Worrying about the questionable results of your lab report? Worrying about how to keep your marriage together?

And how do we fix those? Sometimes a little too much alcohol. Staying absorbed in way too much TV. Racing from church service to service. Working ourselves to a frazzle. Or just trying to ignore the problems.

 

But at some point when the buzz and distraction wears off the problems still loom and the worry creeps in again.

 

I know I’ve lived there. Heck, occasionally I still live there. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Happiness Tagged With: ,

Advent #3: Healing for the Hurts of Christmas

December 23, 2014 by

A short series in Advent focusing on a few significant snapshots of the Christmas story and the amazing gifts they reveal.

 

Christmas Eve is both joyful and difficult for me.

After we were married and had children we celebrated Christmas Eve with my family.

 

Photo Credit: Ian Muir

Photo Credit: Ian Muir

 

Early evening we attended candlelight service at church then went to my parents home. We were greeted with eggnog and appetizers. Then in the family room in front of a blazing fire we’d open gifts. Christmas was big for my mom so she always bought lots.

Our kids giggled with excitement and loved grandma’s.

After gifts we ate dinner and dessert.

What great memories.

When my parents both died in 2004, it left a hole that quite frankly still has never been filled up.

 

I understood firsthand how people struggle so much with Christmas.

 

Missing the fond memories or mourning never having had them. [Read more…]

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

God Rocks #18: Overcoming Worry (Part 2)

December 11, 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!

 

Worry runs rampant today. It and the accompanying stress some researchers say is the leading cause of illness.

We worry about our health, our finances, our family, the news. Frankly there’s never an end to what we can worry about is there? I mean have you ever woken up on a morning and thought, “Wow, everything is perfect today?” No neither have I.

 

Photo Credit: Troy Mason

Photo Credit: Troy Mason

 

But that’s only half the problem. Think about how so many people respond.

Some abuse alcohol or drugs as an escape. Others miss-use prescription drugs.

Some over eat to the point of obesity.

Many get lost in hours of TV or video games.

 

Yet, the problem is after all of those solutions nothing has been really fixed.

 

The problems and the worry remain. And the cures bring their own additional problems. Then that creates even more worry in a downward spiral. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Abundance, Happiness Tagged With: ,

God Rocks #13: Surprised by Joy Even when Rejected

November 25, 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!

 

Christians are being persecuted in greater numbers around the world today than at any time in history. You see it constantly in the news.

But frankly, we don’t need to go very far from home to find it.

 

Photo Credit: Sam Gewinski

Photo Credit: Sam Gewinski

 

What about the woman whose husband leaves her because she gave her life to Jesus and suddenly has changed?

What about the man passed up for promotion when he no longer feels comfortable going along with less than ethical business practices because his life has changed?

What about the friends you had who no longer want to hang out because you don’t party like you used to? [Read more…]

Filed Under: Happiness, Heaven 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 #7: Unthinkable Peace in the Midst of Grief

October 21, 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!

 

All of us suffer losses. The loss of a loved one, the devastation of a divorce, the implosion of a career, a financial collapse.

And it leaves us reeling. Shocked at first. Then devastated as reality sets in. Angry at God or someone else. And finally depressed when we realize we can’t turn back the loss.

 

 

Photo by renu parkhl

Photo by renu parkhl

 

 

Some of you maybe in the midst of this mourning right now.

 

Grief overwhelms you. You’ve fought it but now you’re just numb. And you don’t know the way back out to the sunshine. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Happiness, Heaven 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: ,

How to Find Peace with Difficult People

July 24, 2014 by

Jerry Seinfeld had a great line, “People. They’re the worst!”

Do you ever feel that way?

I imagine we all have a few of those difficult people in our lives. They seem to go out of their way to make our day less wonderful. A rude remark. A “constructive criticism.” A purposeful slight.

Frankly, we just don’t like hanging around them. And often we don’t need to.

But what about the ones we can’t avoid? In a church or other organization. Where we work. In our family.
What do we do then? [Read more…]

Filed Under: Love Tagged With: ,
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