The sweetest peace comes at the most unexpected times… do you know what I mean? Have you experienced the sweetest peace in the midst of tenderest joy? Have you experienced the sweetest peace in the midst of anguishing sorrow? Have you experienced the sweetest peace in the midst of heart wrenching loss? The sweetest peace that washes over you now when you reflect on some past experience… the sweetest peace that carries you through the hardest places you’ve ever traveled… this is the peace that passes understanding. I think this is the peace that Kara wrote about in her book:…
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I have a few Starbucks aprons I’ve picked up, second hand, along the way. One of them has a printed tape inside the top of the apron. I’m assuming it was positioned there so that it would be seen (and intentionally read) each time the barista positioned the neck strap and donned the apron. As with many other aprons I have, I’ve worn this one many times. Until recently, I never even noticed the black tape sewn inside the top band of that apron. Thus, I’d never read the message intended for the baristas: We create inspired moments in each…
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So much of the time we just see what we see and go on. We hear what we hear and move on. How are you? Fine, thank you, how are you? Fine. That’s nice. But that’s not really what’s going on. Or, that’s not all that’s going on. It never is. A friend of ours had been battling the ravages of cancer for many months and was ushered into glory a few days ago. I learned so much from him… the way he lived and the way he died was so instructive. He’s now seen the glorious morning beyond the…
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Though I use it most every day, it’s only every now and then that I take note of the verse imprinted on the cover of the notebook I’m currently using: “May the Lord bless you and keep you, and give you peace.” from Numbers 6.24-26 I have dozens of such books since I began note-taking & journaling many years ago. I’ve made a concerted effort to revisit the books from time to time — not only to see where I’ve been compared to where I am today, but to see what the Lord was showing me in Scripture, sermons, notes,…
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I began working on my new This Beautiful Life journal/planner/notebook, and once again I’m stymied by my answers. I see the designated spaces for specific answers and am reticent to write mine down. My tendency is to be very tentative about what goals I write (thinking if I write it, I’ll be committed to doing it). One day I might only write a few goals — another day I might write down things that would take two lifetimes to accomplish. My abstract sequential / concrete random thinking style seems to prevent me from ever making a definitive list. Have you…
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Over the years, standing at the sink many times each day, I’ve seen the most remarkable sights… all the changes each season brings. Through the years, I’ve become aware of what changes will come about in each of the different months. I look for what each new season brings–eagerly anticipating the blooms that will soon appear all over the yard… the tiny new, elegant leaves of the giant old weeping willow tree, the daffodils that will soon dance around the base of that old tree. Today was no different, the familiar sights were there… the earth pounding with the shoots…
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Regardless the circumstance, the importance and power of good communication cannot be understated. The impact of either good or bad, clear or muddled, distinct or vague communication is powerful. Think of a time recently when something you said or did was misunderstood by another person; or consider the last time you misunderstood what was communicated to you. How’d that go for you? What were the consequences? I’m sharing with you part of a talk I gave last night at our monthly TitusTwo meeting. As I go along through the years, I’m so grateful for these opportunities to share (and learn!!!)…
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Each Tuesday morning I make a short trip north in our little town to a church where I join others in gleaning what the Lord’s provided. It dawns on me that each week that’s not all He’s provided and the purpose for me being there isn’t simply to glean. But I miss that truth sometimes in my gleaning hustle and bustle. Gleaning’s a lot like other stuff that has to do with food. You know what I mean, gleaning? It’s where there are boxes and boxes of breads and fruits and vegetables that have been culled from, primarily, the different…
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I’m thankful to have woken early this morning… long before my alarm was to ring (and more thankful now, that I didn’t disregard the purpose and attempt to go back to sleep). I’ve come to see that, in these sorts of times, the Lord has work to do in me — though, sadly, I often don’t see it or acknowledge it at the time. In such times, I know it’s sort of a wrestling match when I awake, instantly aware of the presence of the Lord — and then, almost simultaneously, I’m conflicted and reason (or attempt to negotiate…
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Earlier this morning I was viewing a movie trailer (August: Osage County) and just before I closed the window, near the end of that clip, I heard the line: Thank God we can’t tell the future; we’d never get out of bed.” I’ve heard that line (or other similar lines) so many times through the years… and, sadly, I think I always heard and internalized its unspoken ending. “Thank God we can’t tell the future; we’d never get out of bed [because it’s only going to be bad or because it’s not going to end up good].” Strange how sayings…