05
Sep '20
Unmet Expectations
05
Sep '20
Two quotes* online popped up in front of my face within hours of each other, and I couldn’t stop contemplating either of them or their meaning. In context, both were referencing God. While both different statements, my thought process continued ruminating on them toward the same thought pattern:
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22
Aug '20
Only With my Savior
22
Aug '20
We’ve made it a little more than half way through the year. It sure hasn’t been easy for anyone. There’s been a lot of loss and heartache for people. Our lives were turned upside down. It’s been anything but normal. I only make it through the chaos and confusion because of my Savior. He promises to walk right by
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02
May '20
Finding Inspiration (in This Time)
02
May '20
With this coronavirus pandemic taking over our lives, it’s been tough to find the inspiration to write. It’s so easy to get caught up in the fear and stress of it all. But, we can work our way out of feeling down and depressed. We only need to look to God. When we focus our attention on Him and not on our problems, our outlook becomes different. When we think about those who are on the front lines every day, taking care of us, making sure we’re safe, that’s our inspiration to fight through our troubles. So many people are out there keeping us going, providing everything we need to make it through. Things are different, things have
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25
Apr '20
Hope
25
Apr '20
“What would I do at this time without hope?” I’ve asked myself that question many times over the last few weeks of being at home in isolation. The coronavirus is front and center everywhere. Jobs are being lost, people are getting sick, some losing their lives, the economy is falling quicker than a lead balloon and we can’t escape any of it when turning on the tv.
I’m not going to sugar coat it – week one of isolation (5 weeks ago for me starting to work from home daily) was a bit tough for me. Everyone was nervous and we didn’t know much about this virus (not that we
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07
Mar '20
God’s Faith in Me
07
Mar '20
When I doubt myself, God has faith in me. When I think I’m not good enough, God has faith in me. When I feel like an outsider, He is my friend and companion. He cheers me on when I have no one else. When I am angry, He calms me down. When I am hurt, He lifts me up. When I have lost my way, He finds me. When I don’t know what to say, He gives me the words. He is my stronghold. He is my life line. Without Jesus, I
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29
Feb '20
Praying in All Seasons
29
Feb '20
Our pastor has recently been teaching on the various aspects of prayer. So many things can be changed through prayer – mainly, our own hearts. As I’ve pondered these last few weeks of teaching, I’ve been seeing a lot more things about prayer online. Maybe it’s just that it’s in the forefront of my mind that I’m noticing this, however, it’s been consistent.
One of the things that I’ve been focused on recently about prayer is something that went along the lines of this: “Just because you may not feel close to God doesn’t mean you should stop praying. Your prayers don’t
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29
Feb '20
Flesh vs. Spirit
29
Feb '20
We’re only human, right? We’re allowed to get upset and throw temper tantrums. It wasn’t our fault to begin with, and the other person should have known better. We battle constantly with our desire to control things that are out of our control. When we don’t get our way, we start to find fault in others and in the way everything turned out. We often let our emotions get the best of us. Our emotions are what can get us in trouble. When we give control to our selfish desire to have things our way, we end up in a battle that we
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22
Feb '20
Make the Change
22
Feb '20
During the night Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Up! Leave my people, you and the Israelites! Go, worship the Lord as you have requested. Take your flocks and herds, as you have said, and go. And also bless me.” Exodus 12:31-32
At various points of my life, I have dealt with situations where I was certain of something only to change my mind. It wasn’t that I really changed. However, the circumstances had changed which forced me to adjust. A few years ago, my daughter cheered for a certain team. She got along with several of the teachers at the gym, and both my wife and me formed relationships with the
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22
Feb '20
Only With God
22
Feb '20
We made it through yesterday at work. Certain days can be a little rough, and yesterday was one of them. Only with God, was I able to accomplish things. He settled my stress and guided my hands, and just led me through my work. Plenty of times we feel the pressure but He takes the reigns and tells us to just rest in
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15
Feb '20
Just Do It
15
Feb '20
But Moses pleaded with the Lord, “O Lord, I’m not very good with words. I never have been, and I’m not now, even though you have spoken to me. I get tongue-tied, and my words get tangled.”
Then the Lord asked Moses, “Who makes a person’s mouth? Who decides whether people speak or do not speak, hear or do not hear, see or do not see? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go! I will be with you as you speak, and I will instruct you in what to say.” Exodus 4:10-12
When I was growing up, gym shoes were not the fashion statement they are today. Back then, the most popular shoes were ‘Converse All-Stars.’ All the basketball players had them, and when the man they called
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