01
Dec '18
Fresh Start
01
Dec '18
Well, Christmas is right at our doorsteps. My favorite time of year. That says a lot, considering I work in retail, which can get a little hectic, especially around the holidays. I still love it. Some people can become a little stressed, but being helpful and considerate can go a long way. I have found that showing courtesy can ease the nerves of a stressed out customer. Not every experience produces the same reaction, but it has been my experience that people are more courteous towards you when they have been shown courtesy by you. Sharing God’s Word is the most important thing we can do. This time of year especially. Some people have never been exposed to Christ and everything He did for us. They only understand the (Santa Claus) Christmas. This is the perfect time of year for a fresh start. December 25th nears the
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01
Dec '18
Buzz Kill
01
Dec '18
Fun-sucker, buzz kill, killjoy – we’ve all used these words to describe someone in our life at some point. We define these words as someone who steals our fun, someone who just doesn’t want us to have joy, or someone who tries to steal anything good we have in life. Instead of jumping up and down with us as we celebrate, they look at us like we’re crazy and make us feel, for lack of a better word, stupid. You know who I’m talking about. We’ve all had this person (or persons!) in our life.
I think many people on the outside of Christianity (and maybe even some Christians, and I’ll elaborate more on this in a bit with myself as an example) think that once they allow God into their life, that their life is going to become stale and boring, and all the fun will just be
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24
Nov '18
Love and Prayers
24
Nov '18
Come and listen, all you who fear God,
and I will tell you what He did for me.
For I cried out to Him for help,
praising Him as I spoke.
If I had not confessed the sin in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened.
But God did listen!
He paid attention to my prayer.
Praise God, who did not ignore my prayer
or withdraw His unfailing love from me. Psalms 66:16-20
and I will tell you what He did for me.
For I cried out to Him for help,
praising Him as I spoke.
If I had not confessed the sin in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened.
But God did listen!
He paid attention to my prayer.
Praise God, who did not ignore my prayer
or withdraw His unfailing love from me. Psalms 66:16-20
Lately, I have been in an unusually thankful mood. It is not because the world has become a more certain place. It has not. It is not because I have no feelings of anxiety and concern in
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24
Nov '18
Never Give Up
24
Nov '18
There have been countless times where I have felt like throwing in the towel. Whether at work or in personal circumstances, things can happen that can take their toll and can get the best of us. Being expected to perform well and to do things in a quick, timely manner can put so much pressure on us. We can start to feel the anxiety build up and begin to think nothing will ever be good enough to please anyone. Satan works hard at wearing us down. Why should we keep trying? Is it all worth it? YES!!! Never give up trying, and never throw in the towel.
It’s very discouraging to keep trying and feel like nothing is being accomplished. God understands what we are going through. He knows our struggles better than we do. We are
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24
Nov '18
Eggs and a Basket
24
Nov '18
Early this morning I started thinking how in the past, I’ve occasionally put all of my eggs in a single basket (and I was reminded how horribly that has usually worked out). Having a Plan A without a Plan B for a Type A personality like me usually spells disaster, mentally. It’s not something that I enjoy doing, and not something I often do – usually if I have a Plan A, I also like have a Plan B. That’s just the way I work. God gave all of us temperaments, and one of my temperaments is that of a planner, therefore, it’s just natural for me to have that alternate option. But – occasionally I’ll do it. Trusting more than I should, I’ll do it. Only Plan A. “Let’s do this!”
Well, I’ve found myself in life, as I mentioned, with all of my eggs in one basket. When that failed miserably, I was a bit shocked, but was I also relieved? In my gut (God’s still small
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