Love plays a major role in my everyday life. With love comes compassion, kindness, trust, and peace. It also opens the door to a beautiful relationship with Jesus. I was listening to a talk by Dr. Issam Nemeh regarding the importance of love and having the right state of mind as we live our daily lives. Having no doubt regarding your faith, living with love, and not allowing outside negative factors to weaken your relationship with Jesus. But none of this is possible without love. Love is a must. You can have a strong faith and live with love which…
I will speak for myself and say that although I would love to be without flaws, my list of things I wish I had not done or said is rather extensive. There are those sins that I immediately see, some that I see when reflecting upon the past, and I am certain there are plenty that have gone unnoticed. Flaws that I immediately notice are the easiest to resolve. I ask forgiveness from Jesus and pray that I can find the right words when apologizing to those I have hurt with my words or actions. Also praying for an opportunity…
After 59 years my family is closing out a chapter and moving forward leaving behind the family home where we were raised. My parents were incredibly happy living in the same home for most of their adult lives. They were comfortable with everything around them and there were few surprises. The home was manageable to them throughout every season of their lives. My father chose to leave the house and once that decision was made there was no looking back. He valued every moment our family spent living in the home, but after he made the decision to leave he…
Spring inspires us to clean up the yard and prepare the house for a beautiful summer. Just as we prepare our environment we also have to prepare ourselves. A dusting off of all the cobwebs that we have let settle in our minds. Making repairs on any damaged thinking we have let move into our brains. Often we are unnecessarily anxious about our future. Working overtime trying to control things that we believe are important to our growth and success. Worry and stress start to cloud our vision. Our wants escalate and become dangerous to our mental well-being. Cleaning…
Living life with love for others and having good intentions are important ingredients when striving for a unified world. Sometimes it is difficult to unveil the integrity of those who enter our circle of influence. Not that I am naive in thinking that everyone has good intentions, but I choose to react with love in the hope that compassion will prevail. Recently I received a phone call from an established person with whom I did not know. The conversation went fine and I was grateful. There were a few things said that alerted me to think, that was a bit…
I received a text from a friend with a photo and caption, “This is so not reality!” Noting that what appears in the picture is not anything like what was experienced at that moment. Creating an image on social media of what we want people to perceive, not always portraying the total experience as it plays out. It is hard not to buy into the images of everyone else’s life being so picture-perfect. But often that is what we get, picture-perfect, but not necessarily reality. All these perfect pictures drive our insecurities and tend to bring on…
Totality, what a breathtaking experience to see the total eclipse. From those who were able to experience it live, people described it as being so peaceful. I agree, as darkness moved in nature became silent and allowed all those participating to experience the stillness. Many of us experienced a beautiful glow at the base of the horizon, adding to the spectacular event. I couldn’t help but see similarities in totality and how we lead our lives as believers. Similar to the peace people experienced during the 4 minutes of totality, giving control to Jesus opens the door to living…
There are times when it is difficult to remember to stay out of the path of jealousy. Looking at those around us thinking, “If only that were me or if only I had that opportunity.” I quickly move to prayer and center my mind on my intended path, knowing that if I stay the course my path will be far better than I could have imagined. Each time I move in my intended direction my inner peace strengthens. It is that inner peace that helps me understand how important it is that I walk my path. If I begin to…
In this world filled with opportunity sometimes we miss all the joy that is around us. Chaos clutters our minds and we are overcome with stress and anxiety. But we do have the choice to see the good and to be grateful for all the little things that make life worth living. The text that says, “I love you.” Retrieving the newspaper, trash can, or mail on the way to the house. The call from a neighbor or friend checking in to say, “Hello.” The sun shining brightly on a beautiful afternoon. The car starting up on a chilly winter…
As I move through life I have an opportunity to be both an influencer and/or to be influenced. If I allow myself to be influenced, it will inevitably happen. Technology is amazing in so many ways, but we have to be careful that we understand when we are being influenced. Options are endless for AI, but do we fully understand the ramifications of what we think we are viewing? Are we able to use technology for the good and at the same time understand when we are being influenced? The key to this is keeping a clear perspective. Understand…