Tag Archives: Bless Others

October 10, 2015 · 6:53 pm

Don’t Wait for Thanksgiving to Offer Kindness to a Stranger

imageI know it’s not thanksgiving yet, but hey, stores already have Christmas trees up, so I hoped you would humor me. Besides, I’m posting this to encourage someone to reach out to those in need this year.

Many people will not be celebrating Thanksgiving or Christmas this year and it isn’t because of a faith-based thing, it’s more of a funds-based thing. They just don’t have the money to buy the food and gifts to celebrate with; or any food sometimes. In fact, they don’t even have a place to live, which as you can imagine, gives them very little to be thankful for.

Today is October 10, 2015; National Homeless Day.

Over a year ago I was moved to write a fictional story about a young man who lived a hopeless, homeless life for several years. I have never experienced homelessness myself but have always felt terrible for those forced to live in the elements, especially in areas where exposure to the cold and snow can be dangerous and even deadly. Continue reading →

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July 2, 2015 · 9:22 pm

Weighty Luggage

When our lifetime of baggage becomes heavy clutter, it’s time to take inventory of what to keep, what to give away, and what to discard. Continue reading →

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Filed under Everythingelse, Faith, Following Christ Has Changed My Life, Inner Sruggles and Heartache, Life and Relationships, Life Lessons

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June 18, 2015 · 1:22 am

Be the First to Smile!

So many of my smiles begin with youA few days ago I stopped at Fred Meyer’s, my favorite grocery store. It was so crowded some of the aisles were impenetrable. People were rushing their carts about everywhere I looked. It took an awful lot of patience to finally get the items I needed. Continue reading →

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May 9, 2015 · 4:23 pm

Mother’s Day, Not So Happy for Everyone

grandma adn babyMother’s Day has circled the calendar once more and while for some it’s a joyful mom-honoring day, for others it’s another hurtful reminder of some kind of loss.

I’m told that Mother’s Day is the busiest restaurant day, but then I also heard that about Valentine’s Day.  Perhaps it’s a tie between the two. For me, it’s one of the reasons I’m not thrilled about going out that day. There are the long waits, rushed meals, and sometimes hit-and-miss service.

So, what makes these two days so special? The celebration of love. Whether it’s celebrating couples, family, or moms, the day is truly about love. Continue reading →

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April 14, 2015 · 9:41 pm

Letting Our Light Shine

In Matthew 22:36-39 a Pharisee, hoping to stump Jesus, comes and asks: “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” 36 

The Pharisee thought Jesus should say all of the commandments came from God and all of them were great, right? I mean, that does make sense, doesn’t it? However…

Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment.  And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” 37-39 

Jesus gave the Pharisee those two commandments because they cover all the other commandments combined. That’s what made them so great. If we love the Lord God with all our heart, soul, and mind, it should be naturally easy to also love our neighbor as our self. And if we happen to not like ourselves very much, we know we are valuable because we are made by God, and made in God’s very image.

However, in our fallible and errant condition, that’s not so easy at all. We often struggle to just be nice to our own family and friends. Yet as followers of Christ we are told we must demonstrate love and respect to all people, including those we don’t like, love, or agree with.

It’s God’s way.

Even those who rub us wrong? Yes!

Well then, they should be nice back to us if we are nice to them. Isn’t that common courtesy? Continue reading →

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October 16, 2014 · 11:14 pm

Longer Hugs, Please

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I don’t know who invented hugs but I bet they started in the Garden of Eden when God first blew the breath of life into Adam’s nostrils, and most certainly there was at least one hug involved when God presented Adam with his wife, Eve. Yeah, definitely a few hugs then.

In my opinion most hugs are delightful, and they are varied as the people who give them.

There is the I-love-you-dearly long hug.

There’s the snuggling-with-my-poo-bear hug parents share with their kids. Continue reading →

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November 26, 2013 · 3:16 pm

It Hurts Us More Than it Hurts Them

imageThere once was a man named Joe who was filled with a great deal of bitterness.

Whenever Joe thought of Dan, he became enraged.  Dan greatly cost Joe when he robbed him in a business partnership.

Whenever Joe thought of his neighbor Lucy, he resented the way she raked most of her fall leaves into his yard, year after year.  He had seen her do that himself, yet when he pointed it out she denied it.   Heat rose up his shirt collar when she worked in her yard.

He wanted to beat the daylights out of his neighbor Sam, across the street.  Sam borrowed a perfectly working snow blower and returned it broken, after he cleared his rocky driveway more than once.  Sam then told Joe the blower never worked. Continue reading →

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October 23, 2013 · 10:38 am

Don’t Miss Out On This!

imageIF YOUR KIDS KNOW JESUS, THEY  NEED TO KNOW WHO THEY ARE AS CHRIST FOLLOWERS

If you know a kid, or you are one of God’s grown up kids, your heart needs to know this!

Don’t miss out on this free offer from Keith Ferrin.  It is an identity booster for a Christ Follower.

I wish I would have known I had an identity in Christ when I was a kid, or even after I grew up!  It would have saved me a lifetime of heartache and empty identity searching.

I believe this is a great way to give our children a head start in life especially the way things are in this world nowadays. Continue reading →

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October 19, 2013 · 3:39 pm

Need Help Liking The Bible?

imageHappy Saturday everybody.

When I find something of great value I like to share it.

That is why I have spent countless hours telling stories of how God has transformed me from a person who felt meaningless and unwanted to a person who realizes that God, the Creator of the universe, the All Mighty, All Powerful God–is also my Father.

He redeemed this unwanted, forsaken, sinful, selfish, forgotten, fatherless self–ME–into His kingdom through the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son.

So now I can say,

“I got a Daddy!” Continue reading →

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August 21, 2013 · 12:19 am

True Love Never Fails

1st Corinthians 13:1-13

The Love Chapter

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If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

 If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing.

 If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud  or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.  It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. Continue reading →

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