I know what you’re thinking - “I sure could use a 20 minute sermon to set the tone for the Advent season”. Well, it’s your lucky day! ...
We, the USA, are not just a member of the world community, we are a leader. Leadership is a tough position to be in because it demands that we occasionally insert ourselves into other people’s issues. Some will welcome our involvement and others will resent it.
The only way to get past many of the obstacles is to reach a hand out for help, and the only right thing to do is to offer a hand to the next person behind, and there’s actually a certain beauty in the collective overcoming.
Another of our colleagues mentioned a footrace renown for it’s heat, crowds and a huge, difficult hill. “It’s really hard. You don’t want to do that one”, he told her. I didn’t say it at the time, but I thought, “how sad”. Why would we discourage someone from doing something just because it is difficult?
I had some time to kill on a quiet Saturday morning in Des Moines, and so I went for a wander in our state capitol building. I practically had the place to myself. The security guys were bored and the woman at the info booth kept smiling at me in a challenging way, “Ask me anything. Go ahead. Make my day”.
we all have some prejudices we carry around - some stereotypes that we buy into - and someday, maybe unintentionally, we’ll let one out. We’ll expose ourselves for who we are, and we’ll be embarrassed. I hope that when it is my turn to be in that position, that there is some grace for me.
In her pink bikini top, right there in front of the window, she dances all day. This is a total time waster, just me playing around with my camera. Hope it makes you smile. - crc
I’m 49 years old and I think I can still count on one hand the number of times in my whole working life that I’ve called in sick. Good health is a blessing. I’m very thankful and very aware that it could all change tomorrow.
A surprisingly cool evening after a warm week.
Windows open to let the house breathe.
To bed with gentle breezes and the sounds of tranquility:
I wish that those on the right would stop asking me to be more judgmental than I already am, because I don't think that's a part of my Christian calling. And I wish those on the left would stop beating me over the head with the word “tolerance”, when they clearly have something to learn about the word, themselves.
to the ethnic hair police, let me ask this: when did it become taboo to experiment with elements of another culture that we find interesting?
It reminded me how much alike we all are when we're young and open-minded - when faith and friendliness come easy.
I start every morning with a cup of coffee, a check outside to be sure the sun is going to live up to it’s daily obligation, and a look at the news. When I say I “look at the news” I mostly scan the CNN.com headlines and rant to myself, “that’s not news”, “that’s not news”
as our airplane approached Abuja, I could see out the window that we were about to land in a place very different from where I come from. I had never been to Africa before. I was really excited, and more than a little afraid.
When I say comfort, I mean you put these things on your hands and you say, “ohhhhhhh” out loud. They’re like wearing kittens.
He had gone a few miles on the rugged dirt road when his phone chimed. He stopped, read the text from Kat. “HELP” was what it said.
Ruth hands me a peach and rushes to get a second one. She comes back with sparkling eyes, "this one will be good", she says. She must be deranged.
