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An ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ momentI have had an "It’s A Wonderful Life" moment. If you are unfamiliar with the movie, let me briefly recap it. George Bailey dreams of traveling the world and building majestic structures. However, after his father’s sudden death, he reluctantly embraces his family and community responsibilities by remaining in his hometown of Bedford Falls, managing the family business, the Baily Brothers Building & Loan.
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Confusing correctionIf you follow social media, you may have heard about a Christian men’s conference that had a shirtless male sword swallower entertain the audience by climbing a stripper pole on center stage. Yes, that is correct, a homoerotic performance at a Christian men’s conference.
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Your summer is comingOf course, summer is coming. Your summer is coming. There are many different views as to whether summer is a time of joy or is it a sweltering balloon of heat trying to burst and spread its humidity and discomfort throughout the world? I reside within the Southeast Missouri area and there are different opinions of what summer means to each person. Neverthealess, I believe most look upon summer as a time of beauty, seeing the results of spring’s new birth, and relaxation.
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Are you planning for the future?I want to speak with you about planning for your future. When someone talks about making future plans, they typically revolve around finances and time management. Certainly, to plan for future you need to have a solid financial plan. In order to make the most of your days you need to practice a time management system. However, how you use your time and resources are secondary to self-leadership. Leading yourself will have a greater impact on the quality of your life and future than any strategies for time management and financial planning.
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Genuine worship or emotionalismHave you ever been moved by music? Movie soundtracks often have full orchestras, so even people who think they do not like symphonies, may have a greater appreciation for the genre than they realize. Feelings of joy, fear, suspense, and awe can be evoked by music.
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Keeping a song in your heartAre you someone who likes to sing? I mean sing while you’re working, walking, performing or merely keeping yourself company? Whether we have a melodious voice or not, we can still utter a sound, a note of joy, a positive comment or maybe we just keep our singing, silently within. Regardless, we can keep on singing. We may be a professional performer, lighting up the lives of others — and some simply keep it in the shower. Nevertheless we all need to keep singing. We have to keep on pressing forward in spite of what life hands us, and continue doing the best we can. To keep on singing has little to do with having an enviable voice or a voice that sounds more like the bellowing of an angry bull. Singing can create a perfume that spreads our aura of happiness and love to others. Most of all, to sing is balm to our spirit, but we are the benefactor, most of all.
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The hope of EasterThe week leading up to Easter is one of the most significant in the Christian calendar. Beginning with Palm Sunday in which a crowd enthusiastically welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem only to conclude with another crowd condemning him to death. Easter, the third day, celebrates Jesus' resurrection from the dead. ...
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Is Christ your king?Did you know that there is a phrase that is trending on social media that does not mean what you and I might think it means? The phrase, "Christ is King", is being used to express antisemitism. You have to consider who the people are who are using the phrase. Many of them are not Christ followers. Christians might repost the phrase without realizing how it is being misused...
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Struggling for balance when you lose your footingHow can we be on top of the world one moment and down in the gutter the next? That's a question, I dare say, that all of us have asked ourselves a time or two. What do we do about that lost, left out and forlorn feeling? I listened to a friend, Randy, giving a speech recently. He was quite successful presently, but the path of, having made it, had not been an easy one...
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Don't be afraid of changeThe most terrifying combination of letters are C-H-A-N-G-E. Change ignites feelings of losing control and sparks fears of an unknown future. In your organization, change can kindle concerns over a loss of your job or the opposite: more work on top of what you are already struggling to complete. Despite the emotions accompanying change, change cannot be avoided. Briefly, then, what are some principles that help navigate change?...
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God's chosen peopleHave you considered how Christians are portrayed in sitcoms? In many TV shows and movies, pastors and priest are viewed as predators or con artists. Sometimes the religious characters are silly and awkward ignoramuses. Consultants are hired and painstaking efforts are taken to accurately portray various professions and fields of study. When it comes to religion or theology, there is little concern for accuracy...
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God knows what we needPsalm 20:4 is a prayer of blessing; "May he (God) grant you your heart's desire and fulfill all your plans!" (ESV.) This blessing prayer is from one to another, hoping they will experience a better tomorrow. I've thought a lot about this verse and how it affects me as a husband, a father and a friend. I want to encourage you with some reflections on this psalm...
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Born againWhen I was a child, I would hear the expression, "Born again Christian". It meant someone who was serious about his or her faith. This was a person who was deeply committed to Jesus and someone who would actively try to get others to believe as well. Today, we may prefer the term, "Evangelical Christians"...
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Needing someone to talk toAre you one of those people that says, "I'm a loner, I am with people all day and I want to get away from everyone. I want my privacy?" I have felt that way many times and I still crave alone time--but not all the time. Until we experience loneliness when we aren't needing it or desiring the state, we cannot t pass an accurate judgment...
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The importance of focusI have been reading a book about being "indistractable." According to the author, the ability to focus amongst a sea of distractions is the next superpower distinguishing you from your peers. The ability to pay attention is really worth paying attention to...
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Should you follow your heart?Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be able to tell if someone was telling the truth or lying? Would it be helpful if you could discern someone's character before entering into a friendship, a business relationship, a dating relationship or even marriage?...
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Working at being happyThe feeder was empty except for some dry seed on the ground, and the weather was crisp but bearable. My morning was brightened by the sight of a bird lingering on the almost empty bird serving tray outside my window. The wren pecked around as he glanced sideways to see if he was going to have to share the meager pickings strewed on the ground and the edges of the feeder. ...
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One more hugI remember walking out of the room of the nursing home with the nagging feeling that I may never see her again. For a moment, I thought I should go back and hug her. Tell her that I love her. But I didn't. The family was leaving, it was getting late, and I was overreacting...
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It is OK to talk about JesusI enjoyed watching the NFL playoffs and am thrilled that Missouri's Kansas City Chiefs are in the hunt for a title for the fourth time in five years. One thing that encourages me is the many professional athletes who openly share their faith in Jesus...
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Learning to be contentI had never given too much thought to the word "content", until I participated in a conversation with a friend, recently. We had both lost spouses and had been forced to make adjustments in our lives. We had to decide whether to give up or forge ahead with life. ...
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Don't quitIn 2019, Strava, a social network for athletes, conducted an extensive research project on New Year's Resolutions, discovering that 80% of those who set new goals quit them by the second Friday in January -- nationaltoday.com/quitters-day/. Designating Jan. 12, 2024, as National Quitters Day...
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Are you on the list?It is usually a good thing to have your name on a list. We may think of an "A" list of Hollywood actors, a top 100 list of professional athletes in sports or maybe the dean's list. There are also lists that no one would desire to see his or her name, such as a sex offender's list. I will say more about that later...
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Finding the wonder in lifeI sat in a chair, leaned back and flung both arms toward the sky. I took a deep breath and filled my lungs with air. Inside, excitement framed my whole being as I exhaled and basked in my appreciative mood. That day was one that could be described as a normal day. ...
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The beautiful stories that flaws can tellThe letters and emails I write follow the format my fifth-grade teacher, Mrs. Taylor, taught me. A greeting, a body, a closing, followed by my signature. I had not thought much about how I conclude my correspondence until recently reading the history of the word "sincerely."...
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Should I stay or should I go?When I was a theology student at Southwestern Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, I earned a concentration in Communications. This was like a minor in college. There were courses in television production, repertory drama, playwriting and other classes of this nature. ...
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A New Year and Time to Move OnWhen I consider your heavens, The work of your fingers, The moon and the stars, Which you have set in place, What is humanity, O God, that you are mindful of us, Human beings that you care for us? Psalm 8:3-4/NIV. Two years ago on Christmas Day 2021, NASA launched the James Webb Space Telescope...
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Your new year can be a good oneHow was your year during 2023? What happened in your life? To many of us, thoughts of the past year were those of good fortune and happiness -- one filled with happy memories. To others it was a year to be forgotten. Are we now looking forward to another new beginning, or, are we already perceiving that the upcoming new year will the same as the last one? If we're looking for the worst, the self-fulfilling prophesy will probably materialize. So will we look forward, or backward?...
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SimeonOne of the perhaps less popular events in the Christmas story is the blessing of Simeon in Luke 2:22-35. Many of us, even if we rarely darken a church and our Bibles are covered in dust, are vaguely familiar with the Christmas story of the shepherds abiding in their fields, the magi coming from the east, and of Mary, Joseph, and the baby Jesus lying in a manger. Fewer, however, I contend, are familiar with an older man named Simeon...
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Turning stress into joy at ChristmasHow can the celebration of something so beautiful turn into such a nightmare for many people at Christmas time? Christmas comes only once a year, but we often begin to prepare for the next one as soon as the present celebration is finished. We look for things that would be useful and appropriate as gifts for next year. ...
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Christmas kryptoniteIf asked for my favorite superhero, Superman would come to mind first for me. Each time our personal vehicle crosses into Metropolis, Illinois, we visit Superman Square and are again reminded of the mythical figure whose strength and otherworldly abilities far exceeded even the most impressive human...
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A great time of year, except when it isn'tChristmas is the most wonderful time of year, except when it isn't. Stress, family tension and especially grief can all steal away the joy of the holiday season. Many then will feel guilty that they are not enjoying what is supposed to be the most joyous time of year. How can you navigate the Christmas season when you are also in a season of grief?...
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Do not be a Grinch this ChristmasFor many people, Christmas is their favorite time of year, but for others, it is a time of frustration and depression. How about you? Do you love Christmas, or do you tolerate it as you focus on other things? When you celebrate the holidays, do you think about the reason we set apart those days, or are you more focused on a day off work, parties, and presents?...
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Getting it in writingClose Cape Girardeau friends of ours have recently returned from a weeklong trip to France, visiting Paris, Caudebec-En-Caux, Rouen, Les Andelys, Honfluer and the D-Day remembrance sites in Normandy. Trip of a lifetime, no doubt. If the funds to afford such a journey were available -- an unlikely prospect to be sure at my stage of life -- I'd enjoy visiting Rheims, sometimes spelled "Reims"...
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Love still prevails"People do not show love, like they did in the old days," I hear people lament. "Life is too busy and people only care about themselves." Do those opinions sound familiar? Believing such statements is depressing and can lead to feelings of hopelessness. Although love is shown now, in different settings, if we stand back and look around, our minds will recognize that love remains...
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Jesus is blamelessAn important Christian doctrine is that Jesus was sinless. His virgin birth and the incarnation teach that Jesus was fully man, born of Mary, but also fully God, that God supernaturally placed Jesus in his mother's womb without her ever having had relations with a man...
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Thankfulness leads to happinessOff and on this past year, I have taken on the study of happiness. If that sounds particularly strange, concerning or even narcissistic, I hope to set you at ease. Studying happiness in no way implies that I am, nor was I unhappy. Examining happiness has been a personal and pastoral exercise, delving into theology, neurology and social science and observing common themes and practices that develop and foster happiness. ...
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What is God looking for when He looks at us?As I listened to a Christian minister's homily recently, the reverend made a statement that struck a chord inside me. "God doesn't look at our face." As I sat listening, his words seemed like a contradiction to me, and I was puzzled for a moment or two, while my thoughts took on a world all their own. ...
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In late life, a job to improve the spirit for Dr. RuthLoneliness was tough, the toughest role you ever played. -- "Candle in the Wind" by Elton John & Bernie Taupin, 1973, a song written in memory of Marilyn Monroe. When you think you may have heard or seen it all, it's instructive occasionally to realize you haven't...
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What are your priorities?The leaves have changed colors, the trick-or-treaters have collected as much candy as possible, and most of the Midwest has just been reminded that winter is coming. The busiest time of year has officially begun! Instead, though, of being the busiest season, it could be bountiful. Instead of a schedule stuffed like the Thanksgiving turkey, you could have time for what matters to you...
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Pray for IsraelHave you ever wondered why people are divided over the right of Israel to exist as a nation? Can you think of any other country where it is acceptable to hope for its inhabitants to be obliterated? On college campuses, anti-semitism is openly practiced by many who claim to be liberal or tolerant. Do they not know that anti-semitism is racism?...