Complaints spewed across the gathering, making me think of Goldilocks and the three bears. The bears complained about everything. None of the three bears, the papa, mama, or baby bear agreed on what their complaint was. The porridge was too hot or too cold. The bed was too soft or too hard. Contentment is not

Mindfulness is a word frequently used these days by TV commentators. It seems to suggest applying our mind in a higher level of purposeful concentration at any given moment, to focus on whatever we are experiencing with a greater degree of attention or enjoyment of a certain sight, thought, or concept rather than allowing distractions

Several times a year my phone rings, and I answer it to hear the voice of a very loved first cousin. What a special treat to catch up with another branch of our large, wildly scattered family.  We find out what’s going on in each other’s lives and feel the warm, fuzzy feeling that family

What a blessing to have out-of-state family visit us. Family visitors rank in the top tier of immense blessings. Whenever we are privileged to spend time under the same roof with beloved family members, we feel extremely fortunate. All the years that lie behind any family relationship creates foundations of common experiences, shared values, and

In some rooms of modern hospitals, the walls are awash with complicated gadgets, switches, plugs, tubes, and all sorts of equipment that allows the staff to quickly access whatever help a patient might need in an emergency.  These walls can be literal life savers when used by knowledgeable, trained people. We can thank God we

Do you ever marvel at the amazing things people think up and stand in awe that someone could come up with such different concepts.  We stood in a museum recently and marveled at the different approach to displaying famous pictures of art that moved around the room probably as a result of a projector or

Recently, some combination of circumstances piled in all at once creating a major test. I didn’t pass. Sometimes we don’t have any control over a particular happening in our life. Things happen to us or around us that make a mighty difference in our situation, or our emotions, or our opportunities, and we didn’t create

What a wonderful privilege it is to praise our God side by side with a group of believers. Not only is it a privilege; it brings blessings with it. The time we spend in church singing praises to our God serves important purposes. It creates a sense of unity and connection with our fellow worshippers.

At the risk of sounding a bit over the top, I will confess that for me, the most essential response to life’s aggravating, disappointing, or down-right sad moments is prayer.  Not the formal kind of prayer you find in a prayer book, but a time of talking to God in the raw so to speak.

The very thought of a long, tangled traffic jam can make our blood pressure rise. We’ve all experienced them. We’ve rounded a bend only to find cars stuck one behind another as far as the eye can see, testing our patience and making us late. We clutch the steering wheel to stay alert ready for