Family
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Slow Down, Relax, and Enjoy
It snowed yesterday and apparently all night (judging from the amount of snow on the ground). It had been predicted for days before the event finally took place. We gathered extra food supplies along with all the other masses at the grocery store. (Jim actually followed a woman to her car and helped her unload her groceries just so he could have her cart!) We watched The Weather Channel as well as our local television station and saw the totals fluctuate between a dusting of snow to at least a foot. Our 4 to 8 inches turned out to be 5 inches of snow on the ground. And I love it!…
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The Final Score Didn’t Matter
A couple of weeks ago, I went with our son, our daughter-in-law, their son, and one of his friends to see The Harlem Globetrotters. From time to time during the “game” (performance actually), I watched the two young boys sitting right in front of me. The younger boy looked to be about six or seven years old and his older brother could not have been much older than that. If I am correct about the age of the younger boy, I never got to see The Harlem Globetrotters when I was his age – not even on television. The reason for that is that my family did not have a…
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Decluttering Your Life
Some of the time spent on my phone or my iPad is spent looking at houses that need to be decluttered. There will be closets that are so full of junk that you can’t get to anything you might want to use. There are kitchens that have counters so full of items that there is no room to place another thing or from which you could work. I like to read about the methods used to help with this problem and see the finished product. You know the method: boxes for keep, donate, throw away. Call me crazy if you want to, but there is something satisfying about seeing the…
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It’s Not Just about Coaching Styles
A recent conversation about a couple of basketball coaches made me do some thinking. It didn’t take long for my thinking to go way beyond college basketball. I started thinking about how parents relate to their children, how elders and preachers relate to the congregations they serve, how bosses relate to employees, etc. As I thought about all of that, I began to realize that some individuals who are in positions of some authority focus on mistakes. The emphasis seems to be on what was done wrong, how someone didn’t live up to expectations, etc. A great deal of emphasis is put on things done, not done, or not done correctly.…
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The Leading Cause of Death
[NOTE: It is very rare that I reproduce my bulletin article for Central as a post on our site. However, I felt this article was one that would benefit the thinking of both, so this article is also my bulletin article for this coming Sunday at Central. I hope it makes us all think. –Adam] At the end of each year, a mountain of statistics is released, giving a snapshot of the state of various aspects of the world. One of those statistics that can a little difficult to read, but which is still helpful, is to see what the leading causes of death were around the world for the…
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Remember Who You Are and Whose You Are
I’m thinking back to a time several years ago when our children were still living at home with us, but were old enough to go out on their own with friends, or attend some church activity without us with them. I can still remember, to this day, what was said to them almost (if not every time) they left the house. It serves as the title for this post today – “Remember who you are and Whose you are.” I think both of them would tell you they remember this statement. You see, for all of the years they were being raised in our home we were trying our best to instill…
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As You Consider Those Resolutions
Some of you may have seen the following (or some of it) on Facebook or elsewhere. A woman by the name of Regina Brett published a list of lessons that she said that life has taught her. I have seen various numbers of items on her list. Her website lists fifty. I’ve chosen to “edit it down” to forty. I think those forty are more than enough food for thought as we approach a new year. That – by the way – is all that this list is intended to be – food for thought. These are not scripture. They are not even all equal in value in my opinion. I…
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You Don’t Love If…
First Corinthians 13 is a beautiful passage. In context, the description of love is meant to show the church at Corinth a “more excellent way” than even the miraculous spiritual gifts with which they were endowed. With the age of miracles passing, though, this description of love still challenges and loves Christians the world over. Each individual aspect of this description of love is worth serious consideration, but there is one that I want to focus on for a moment today. It is one that should cause each of us to think, but it is one that should also be taught to our children and reinforced by everyone. It is…
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Put It in Their Minds Early!
Not long ago, I heard a short snippet of a song that I had not heard in years. As I thought about it, I don’t think I had heard so much as a single note of the song in at least 20 years. But immediately, upon hearing those few seconds, I remembered a little more. Of course, I did a little online digging and found the full song. While I can’t tell you I remembered every word, it was remarkable how much of the song was still in my mind somewhere. And that was true despite the fact that the song had run up the charts and then quickly back…
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The Big Three (or One)
The shelves of bookstores and libraries are full of the latest ideas, tips, methods, techniques, etc. which are designed to help people succeed in their chosen professions. Courses, gadgets, gizmos, seminars, websites, podcasts, and workshops are numerous that ostensibly help people to find a job/career and “move up the ladder” quickly in the workforce. “Life coaches” are more than willing (for a fee) to help prospective employees and/or current employees who want to make a name for himself or herself in the corporate world. Advice and instruction is provided on all sorts of subjects and comes in a variety of forms. Have you ever wondered what a real expert has to…
