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Showing posts from November, 2016
One of Those Days ... Have you ever had one of those days? Maybe that day has turned into a week, and maybe that week has turned into a month. Or maybe your "one of those days" has turned out to be one of those years.  Life is good at handing out disappointments and broken dreams. Our expectations are often easily let down. People fail. We fail. Some of us have hearts that take on offense more easily than others. We all have different personalities. But even the greatest leader among us, the hero of heroes, can fall prey to discouragement. Even kings fall to it. As people, we may hold a position, but our positions can hold us and put us in the most difficult of situations. Look at king David. While out fighting battles with his men, David's home base at Ziklag was under attack. The wives and children of his army were taken away, leaving David and his men to return to an empty, burned out city. They were outraged. And they were outraged at David, their leader. There
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the voice that matters We are like antennas constantly bombarded with signals. These signals come in differing forms and frequencies; some we tune in, some we tune out. The source of these signals, of these voices, is multitudinous. The news, our favorite TV show, our coworkers, politicians, books. These all compete for our attention and desire that we heed them. Some of these assertions even come from within. A simple thought, an experience remembered, a familiar feeling; these can vie for our attention just as much as the loudness from without. Sometimes it can feel like we are shoppers being barraged with sales people, merciless and pushy. My wife and I spent one of our anniversaries in Mexico. As we were on our way out of the airport, a constant flow of people trying to offer us places to stay and taxi rides approached us like a well choreographed dance. My "No, gracias" was perfected that day. It's like that. These voices bombard us, trying to sell us their mess
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Snow Some people count sheep to fall asleep. Supposedly. I couldn't sleep the other night; I had things on my mind. But instead of counting sheep, I started pondering what I like about snow.  Odd, right? We New Englanders know snow and we love to complain about it, but that night, I started listing all the things I like about snow.  It's pretty. The way the moonlight glistens off of it. The way it sits on tree branches. I like the crunch it makes under my feet when it's fresh. And a field of freshly fallen snow seems so pure, untouched and innocent.  I like the quiet snow brings when it has stopped traffic and the plows haven't hit the road yet. Freshly fallen snow reminds me that He has forgiven me of all my sins and failures and made me as white as it; pure, untouched, beautiful. I like how snow makes me feel safe in the warmth of my house when it's blowing fiercely and bitterly outside but can't touch me. That night, I found my mind drifting