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Yes, death is part of life. Since creation’s fall, the verdict is: guilty. Now you will face death. It is punishment for original sin. Everything that has life faces its end. Except for God. God is infinite, omnipresent, omniscient, and, according to Psalm 139, knows us even before conception, and chooses, from…..
Today is a special day for us. Our son, Paul, was born forty-three years ago this morning. It can be counted as one of the richest memories of my life. He has blessed me in so many ways, and unlike many of my friends, I have retired close to both our son, and now his lovely family, and our daughter. We attend their events, celebrate holidays, and watch with joy the growth of our two granddaughters.
Likewise, yesterday was an…..
I weekly look forward to the Lord’s Day–the Sabbath, the day God set aside for worship and rest. I don’t know about the rest thing, although God ordained it as a day of rest from His creative efforts. Today’s service at Covenant Church in Palm Bay was bittersweet: we had our final worship time in the building where our congregation has worshipped…..
The pain of sorrow is unlike any other. It brings us to our knees. It clouds our vision. It fractures our emotions. It captures every thought, every moment, every sinew, every ounce of strength, and holds our very soul prisoner. Nothing else in this world matters.
We can try to look at the big picture at distant sorrow like the devastating earthquakes of…..
We all face discouragement from time to time, whether we measure by finances, achievements, relationships, or quality of life. For example, several musical groups I heard yesterday at the Music Performance Assessments for our school district may have expected superior ratings, and received excellences. Or, the financial markets this morning may have appreciated better numbers in the inflation reports. Or, some lady…..
Tragedy is humbling. It brings us to our knees. It is an attack against all we hold dear, and we wonder, how can I deal with this? It requires introspection, deep into our souls, as we consider the ramifications of loss. In a way, grief is soul-wrenching selfishness. We think no one can understand. We focus on our own feelings and ignore…..
From the internet:
What are the 3 requirements of Lent? The three traditional pillars of Lent are prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Through the three pillars of Lent we journey to develop a closer relationship to God. The 40 days of Lent should be filled with reflection, service and prayer. Ash Wednesday, today, begins forty days in the Christian calendar leading to the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus on Easter Sunday. Because Easter’s date changes each year according to the Lunar…..
I’ve been delinquent in writing my blog the last few days–life gets in the way sometimes. As you know, I am trying to complete my book: Sam’s Sea Stars Saga. The editing/proofreading task is always much harder and more intense than the writing. Although the basic manuscript was hastily done in 1500 word daily pieces in November as part of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo),…..
I doubt any player or coach, or even fan, for all that it matters, went to the Super Boal or yelled in front of the TV was apathetic, lackluster, or uninvolved. On the contrary. There are many euphemisms for the passion, the energy, the “revved-up” attitude, or the enthusiasm displayed yesterday. Whatever their motivation, actual interest or going along with the crowd and happy to be “up” about anything following a week of dismay, worries, questions, and apprehension, people yesterday…..
Here I am, in my jammies, sitting in my deteriorating old office chair, 5:00 a.m., my old cat Zachary as my writing companion, attending to my writing. I could have author-style dreams of a mountain retreat, a she-shed with flowering window boxes, a seaside cottage, anyplace where I don’t get distracted by household duties, a ringing…..