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Too Young to Get Married: A Wedding Anniversary Tribute
On the day I write this, it’s my wedding anniversary. You’re too young, they said. You’re making a mistake, they said. You don’t know what love is, they said. It’s harder than you think, they said. You’ll destroy your life, they said. He’ll never change, they said. And here we are 40 plus years later and we are still happily married. I was 17 when I met my husband. He rode in on a while horse, actually, no, it was a tan sports-edition Mazda. But it was cool—so cool. At 17 to have a boyfriend with a car, an apartment, and a “high paying” job, whoa, I hit the big…
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Lincoln and Francis Schaeffer Help us Remember and Give Thanks on Memorial Day
Two of the most majestic, stirring places to visit in Washington DC are the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington cemetery. Our images of both from a trip during cherry blossom season serve as a perfect backdrop to this tribute to all those who have given their lives to protect ours. Way back in high school our chorale memorized Lincoln’s Gettysburg address set to beautiful music. I sang it softly as I read the entire address, engraved on the south wall of Lincoln’s memorial. I’m so grateful to Lincoln for capturing in such beautiful language the remembrance of the sacrifice of the fallen, giving thanks, and offering great inspiration from it as…
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Never Too Old to Have Impact for Christ
Throughout Scripture, the Lord used many older people as His instruments of grace. He even called Joshua “old, advanced in years” (Joshua 13:1) and still wanted him to keep serving because “there remains very much land yet to be possessed.” What God said about Joshua reminded me that you and I as believers never retire from our calling to witness and work in God’s Kingdom until He takes us home. Listen to this blog as a similar podcast, “Staying Faithful to God by Choice.” Anna, an Old Woman Who Impacted Others Who was Anna? Don’t forget Anna! As you recount the Christmas story and tell about the angels, shepherds,…
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Embracing the Lonely Seasons
Alone. Most of us cringe just seeing the word by itself on the page. We may welcome alone time for a few hours. We may seek out a solitary retreat. But few of us relish being alone for long periods of time. Even worse, that lonely ache you feel in a crowd. You might be surrounded by others at a gathering. You might put on a smile at the party. You may even lift your hands in worship at church. And yet you feel painfully alone. Like it or not, most of us will go through seasons when we feel alone. The ache of loneliness will tug at our soul…
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How Can I Make God Answer My Prayers My Way?
How can I get God to give me what I want? That’s often at the root of our interest in prayer. If we’re honest, that’s the question we want answered when we read books on prayer, listen to a message or podcast on prayer, or talk to people known as prayer warriors.
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J-O-Y!~
Phil 2 Real Life Joy Children learn an acronym and recite it: J-O-Y which translates to Jesus first, others second, yourself last. We all need to use that in our witness and our everyday life. Paul wanted his precious Philippians believers to “recite” this in real life scenarios. He wrote to the church: “each of you should, in humility, be moved to treat one another as more important than yourself.” [Phil 2:3b] Further, he used the example of Christ who although he had the rights to be King of Kings, he chose instead to be a servant,which he demonstrated by washing the feet of his disciples. As he finished this…
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Post Two: Family Matters
How to Have a Meaningful Relationship with Your Kids by Lucille Williams There’s a video circulating where parents are asked, Who would you most like to have dinner with? Some of the answers were: Paul Hogan, Justin Bieber, Marilyn Monroe, Jimi Hendrix… It’s fun to watch what people say and see how their spouses respond to the answer. But what was most interesting was when the parents’ kids were interviewed and asked the same question… Who would you most like to have dinner with? “Does it have to be someone famous?” one boy asked. The interviewer said, “No.” This boy then answered, “Family.” One child said, “Mom and Dad.” Another,…
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Musings of a Grandmother-to-Be
I’m finally going to be a grandmother for the first time. And all the thoughts and emotions swirling inside of me need to be sorted and find expression. Excitement. Giddy with anticipation. Love already growing for someone yet unknown. And fear, concern, worry. But also hope, curiosity, and joy. And inadequacy. And relief… All my grandmother-friends tell me that this is the greatest “gig,” even better than advertised. The writer of Proverbs seems to agree, stating that grandchildren are the crown of the elderly (Pr 17:6). I know I am entering this new phase a little later than many of my peers. My age has occupied a good bit of…
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Authentic Relationships: Forgiving, Accepting and Bearing with One Another
“Not forgiving is like swallowing rat poison and waiting for the rat to die.” (3) Anne Lamott
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The Lord Says, “Listen and Pay Attention to My Female Prophets”
Did God commission men and women to prophesy—to speak authoritatively on his behalf? Is there evidence that the Lord says, “Listen and pay attention to my female prophets?” Ancient Near East scholar Christopher Rollston notes, “The fact that certain biblical texts presuppose that there were women prophets, there can be no debate. There were women prophets in ancient Israel and in Early Christianity. And the term that is used in Hebrew and in Greek for women prophets is the same as the term used for men prophets.”
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Fathoms Below
Sunday School Chronicles Me: So, last week, we talked about Jonah being so pressed, that he went the literal opposite direction of where God told him to go. There’s a huge storm rocking the boat and Jonah convinces the crew to throw him overboard. Kid 1: That’s crazy. Me: I know right! Well, Jonah gets his wish and is thrown into the sea. This wasn’t like The Little Mermaid or Finding Nemo. There was no singing crab, no sea witch trying to steal his voice, there wasn’t a fish with short term memory loss who just kept swimming. Class: *laughs* Me: My dude went overboard and straight into the mouth…