Posts Tagged ‘Hope’
Inflation
Inflation, a topic that frequently surfaces in conversations, has become a pressing concern for many Americans. While the name-calling and blame-shifting surrounding it may be intense, let’s focus on the reality that most of us are experiencing: our money doesn’t stretch as far as it used to. If you’re reading this update, you might have…
Read MorePersonal evaluation – We need it
Personal evaluation is the exercise that helps you grow and move forward in life. It’s often difficult to do because it requires a rigorous and revealing look into your life — the good, the bad, and the ugly. It is so important for a variety of reasons, but primarily because it provides YOU with evidence…
Read MoreAge and aging
The older I get, the more poignant the words of Ecclesiastes become. The last chapter begins…Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, “I find no pleasure in them”— For some, age moves them further from God, not closer. Oh, we all…
Read MoreLosing your ability
I was listening to the lyrics to a song the other day. The song is titled “I Lose My Ability.” The title sort of bugs me, so I had an attitude before I heard the words. I was thinking, as it relates to being a Christ-follower, it must mean I lose my ability to make…
Read MoreBroken
“Kintsugi” is a Japanese word that refers to something called the “Golden Carpentry.” Ok, I’m not a cultural expert, but I understand that this is a handicraft technique in Japan that fixes broken ceramics. It is a time-honored practice of using lacquer, gold, silver, or platinum powder to repair what has been broken. Here’s what’s…
Read MoreMovies
If you’ve made it a habit to read these blogs, you’ll know I love movies. I love the entertainment. I enjoy the distraction. I like the way this medium can be used for education and understanding. But here’s an insight. There are many, and the numbers are increasing, that would rather live in a movie’s…
Read MoreAge is just a number
You’ve heard the phrase, “Age is just a number.” People who use that phrase are usually on the “high side” of that number. Be that as it may, what does it mean? It’s a statement that age doesn’t define who you are. It clearly doesn’t represent what you have accomplished. It doesn’t indicate what is…
Read MoreMarch Madness
If you’re a college basketball follower, you’ll be familiar with the term “March Madness.” This expression goes back to the Illinois’ statewide high-school basketball tournament. In 1939, a spokesperson with the Illinois High School Association, Henry V. Porter, wrote an article called “March Madness.” He wrote, “A little March madness may complement and contribute to…
Read MoreWithout hope nothing works
Without hope, nothing works, at least in the “long term.” Dale Carnegie once said,”Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.” One of the primary, central themes of the Bible is hope. The need for hope…
Read MoreA day wasted?
In the Diary of Brooks Adams is an entry about a special day when he was eight years old. He wrote, “Went fishing with my father; the most glorious day of my life,” and through the next 40 years there were constant references to that day and the influence it had on his life. Brooks’…
Read MoreFrustrated
Life is fascinating. It doesn’t always seem to turn out the way you expected. My dad and I went camping every summer. I can remember the preparation checklist for camping…tent, lantern, sleeping bags, food, and fishing gear. One summer, we checked all the boxes preparing for our trip…except one…excessive rain. It rained so much, that…
Read MoreAnticipation
Anticipation. That is the title to a 70’s song by Carly Simon. Just a few lines of the lyrics say, “We can never know about the days to come, But we think about them anyway.” It’s a secular perspective on life. Every person who walks on this planet could identify with those lyrics. But as…
Read MoreInspire the Next Generation
Who will inspire the next generation? That’s a great question to ask yourself today. You may be the sort of person who says, “I can’t inspire a rock.” Well, don’t sell yourself short. Like it or not, people are watching you. You may not know they are, but they are. Years ago I was working on…
Read MoreRenewal
It’s Springtime. Enough said. Looking out of my office window, I’m just a little taken back by the palate of color from the trees and plants. It deeply inspires me. But like many of God’s blessings, it can become commonplace. I can become insensitive to the seasonal miracles that God gives all human beings. After…
Read MoreThe REAL definition of HOPE
Hope is such an awesome thing. We can’t live without it. It is the theme of the scriptures from Genesis to Revelation. Our hope in God our Creator and hope of a future in God our Redeemer. But hope is misunderstood today and I don’t want you to miss this. Hope today is defined as…
Read MoreKicking the bucket
Nobody talks about it, but it’s firmly planted in the back of everyone’s mind. In fact, if you want to kill the conversation at a dinner party, just bring up the subject. It’s uncomfortable. It’s awkward. However, I’ve often thought that strange. For something that is absolutely, 100 percent inevitable to every human being, every…
Read MoreIt’s going to be alright
I just read a meme that really got my attention. It was a reminder of historical events listed by the year, the event, and what was said about it. I won’t share all of them but here’s a sample: 2000 – y2k is going to destroy everything; 2002 – West Nile Virus is going to…
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